SP Degreaser

[aermakov@rogers.com]

Tell me what am I doing wrong. My SP Degreaser doesn't seem to cope with even simple task. It is setup in a 5 gallon plastic bucket, mixed as per manual (1 bag per 2 gallons of water), heated to 134F. I did a simple test:
1. spray a large washer with WD-40
2. place in a shallow plate with water, water is repelled from the waser
3. soak in SP Degreaser for 15 minutes
4. rince with household hot water
5. this is where things are not as expected, place the washer in water and it IS STILL REPELLING, the washer even feels greasy.
Please advise on corrective action or an alternative degreaser available locally. Acetone is kind of expencive in 4-5 gallon quantity. Thanks.

[mcaswell]

WD-40 is extremely hard to get off. Please don't use it.

You can try some very hot water and dish soap, such as Dawn. You may need repeated applications.

[aermakov@rogers.com]

Thanks.
I tried a dishwashing liquid and it worked great (Palmolive), but requires a scrub vs. a dip. Is there a way to degrease a part by short dipping, 5-10 minutes or so? What is a SP Degreaser anyway? Thanks.
Andrew.

[mcaswell]

Depending on how greasy the part is, you might be able to get away with a dip, otherwise you'll need the scrubbing action to help it along.

SP Cleaner-degreaser is biodegradable and USDA/FSIS approved for use in cleaning around food processing equipment. Not harmful to plants, aluminum etc. and can be disposed of in sewer systems.

[bhhodges]

wd-40 -- it should repel water because wd stands for water displacement and 40 comes from the amount of times it took them to get the mix right , so you should never expect for a simple degreaser to remove wd-40.

bill

[dadkar2]

My experience with SP degreaser leads me to the following recommendations.

Scrub first with Palmolive or Dawn and a toothbrush. Even on a polished copper surface this is safe. Then use SP. Heat it to 150-170 degrees and soak for 10 minutes. Then apply a reverse current (positive to the part) at 60mA/sq in for 20 seconds. Rinse twice and check for waterbreak. Use a stainless steel pot and an electric hot plate you can buy from Walgreen's for $10. The aquarium heaters will not be enough to heat the SP to this temp. DO NOT put anything into a plating tank unless you get a successful waterbreak. This is the key to cleaning (and ultimately plating) success. A waterbreak is successful if the water sticks to the part like it was painted on. No dry spots or beading. Don't put it in the plating solution until you get this result.---Ken