Stuck/stripped screws on Singer 2281

[dikman]

WD-40 has long been touted as the "do all" solution, and as Mike pointed out is pretty much universally available - but in reality its uses are limited! It displaces water (what it was designed to do), has limited lubricating properties, does nothing for rust prevention (it actually washes off if left in the rain!) and, in my experience, it's penetrating abilities aren't that good.

Mike's warnings notwithstanding, the ATF-acetone mix has been mentioned on all sorts of forums as a very effective penetrating liquid for loosening stuck/rusted fittings.

[mikesc]

Agreed, WD40 whilst being very widely available isn't as good as it's advertising, ( and the "knock offs" are actually often quite corrosive ! )..ATF is less widely available..the USA has mostly automatic transmissions ( I remember from my visits, a lot of drivers in the USA cannot drive "stick" ) In the UK and many other European countries automatic transmissions are not the most widely available ..less than 10% of cars and light trucks in Europe have automatic transmission, in many countries it is fewer than 5% of cars and light trucks..When I left the UK one could take a driving test on a "stick shift" vehicle, which ( if one passed ) gave one a licence to drive both "stick shift" and "auto", one could also take a driving test in an "auto" vehicle , if one passed the test , one's licence entitled one to drive automatic transmission vehicles only..having that "auto" only licence and driving a "stick shift" ..( or as the UK calls it a "manual gear box" vehicle ), was ( is still ?) a road traffic offence ( unless one is accompanied by a "fully qualified driver" , and displaying "L Plates" ) and can result in loss of points, loss of licence, fines, prison , or combinations of all of those..

TL:DR :) ..means that because there a far fewer "automatic transmission" vehicles in Europe ( and even fewer in many other parts of the world..ATF can be quite hard to find..or expensive..In France some older Citroëns use a similar fluid for the hydraulic ( hydro-elastic ) suspension circuits, makes it easier to get a "substitute" ( the "green" fluid, not the "red" ), but it is still comparatively expensive..diesel ( which is nowhere near as good as a release agent, except when used for "soaking" entire machines ) is much easier to get...But is still dangerous, especially if left on rags or when spills are cleaned up with sawdust or similar ( the resulting "mix" can then spontaneously combust , or even explode when mixed with certain contaminants ) ..Last "auto" I owned was a rover SD1 2600 ( would have preferred another 3500, nice "block" the 3500 ) in 98..If you are using ATF and acetone..wear eye protection ( a tiny splash can blind you ) , and take care..store any clean up rags in a bucket of water ( with water in it, to cover the rags ), and don't let your kids or pets near it..

I seem to remember ( despite not having visited, but from Aussie mates in London when I lived there ) that OZ has a fairly high percentage of "auto" transmissions , ..but I don't remember seeing many in the Mad Max movies :)

Vegetable oil and acetone works as well as ATF and acetone, and better than WD40..and is cheaper..details here..
https://www.engineeringforchange.org/how-to-make-penetrating-oil/

Edited August 17, 2016 by mikesc

[garypl]

There is an off-the-shelf product called Kroil that works well on frozen screws.  In the US you should be able to buy from Midway USA or Brownells and probably from a well-stocked hardware store.

[dikman]

Kroil is another one of those products (along with Johnson Paste Wax and DuPont spray dry lube) that we can't get in Oz. Funnily enough, those last two products have a regular high "request rate" in various forums here. ATF, on the other hand, is easy to get as autos are quite common in Oz.

There are many so-called "rust loosening/unseizing" products around and I tend to look up the MSDS  whenever I come across one. Most of them are just various forms of light oils and distillates, nothing special in my opinion. You'd probably understand their makeup a bit (lot?) better than me, Mike.

Edited August 18, 2016 by dikman