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Sodium Hydroxide for parts cleaning?

Q. I have purchased a stainless Steel heating tank for cleaning Grease, oil, and carbon deposits off of cast iron and cast steel parts. I need the most aggressive cleaner that is reasonably stable. Is Sodium Hydroxide a good candidate? Or is there a better product for this task?

John Landis
[Owner] Engine rebuild Shop - Britton, Michigan, United States
2003

A. Hello John. Yes, sodium hydroxide [affil links] is not a bad cleaner, but the thing is, it is actually better as a component of a cleaner than as a cleaner all by itself.

Usually, a formulation would be used, rather than straight sodium hydroxide. The formulation would include detergents, surfactants, builders, chelators, etc. A local plating supply distributor can recommend a sodium hydroxide based cleaner, but a di-phase cleaner might be right for this task too. Often, electricity is used to generate "scrubbing bubbles" of hydrogen or oxygen, and high heat of up to about 200 °F is recommended. You're probably not going to get the carbon off chemically regardless :-(

Luck and regards, Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2003

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