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Q&As since 1989


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Cleaning drawing compounds

Have a customer who is having a lot of trouble cleaning drawing compounds off of deep drawn and spun parts. I sold them a aqueous parts washer and its not doing the job. Don't know if we need more heat,different cleaning solution, or different drawing compound (paraffin based)? Any experience and or resource material would be greatly appreciated.

Alan Bonifas
Allspray - Swanton, OH,USA (Toledo area)
2000

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I saw a cleaner run at boiling to remove buffing compounds from brass lamp bodies. The alkalinity had to be kept low to prevent dezincification of the brass, but apparently the high temperature was the trick.

  
Tom Pullizzi
Falls Township, Pennsylvania
2000

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Alan, My company has been cleaning drawing compounds for fifteen years, and spinning lubes and deep drawing lubes are just plain tough. But then you know that. I'd like to solve their problem, if you'll contact me I'll try to get some representative parts and clean them. I also could maybe suggest a better (more cleanable) lube system for them.

Jeff Watson
- Pearland, Texas
2000

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Cleaning drawing compounds is tough because what you need to clean is not what went down. You form organo-metallics during the drawing operation, and it makes removal tough, as they are completely insoluble in anything, and must be destroyed to be removed.

Yeah, high temperature may be required, if you need to do this fast; but if you have the time, it can be done at temperatures as low at 120 F.

I would enjoy the opportunity to show you how it is done.

Rudy Sedlak
Mountainview, California
2001

The moral of this story is that both the vendor and the customer should have done some lab testing on actual parts before buying or selling. That way, both have a better idea of how functional it is, before the sale. Makes for a lot happier people on both sides of the transaction.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
2001