To test the efficacy of aqueous cleaners, solvents, alternative solvents, and modified alcohols in removing Drawell Heavy Machining Oil from brass coupons.
Date Run:
07/15/2026
Experiment Procedure:
Preparation:
Brass coupons were used for the testing of several cleaning chemistries to remove a Drawell Heavy Machining Oil. Three coupons were used per each cleaning chemistry. Each coupon was weighed using a gravimetric balance and had their initial weights recorded. Drawell Heavy Machining Oil was applied to each coupon by swiping a swab across the bottom third of each coupon (avg ~0.15 grams of oil). Each coupon was then re-weighed and had their dirty weights recorded.
Cleaning Procedure:
Each coupon was cleaned via the method of manual wiping with a Wypall, with each Wypall having 2.5ml of cleaning solution applied. A new Wypall was used for each coupon. Each coupon was wiped down five times with a saturated Wypall. After cleaning, the coupons were re-weighed and had their clean weights recorded.
Trial Results:
Cleaner
Initial wt of cont.
Final wt of cont.
%Cont Removed
% AVG
Dimethyl Glutarate (Solvent)
0.2009
0.0012
99.40
98.72
0.1401
0.0018
98.72
0.2334
0.0046
98.03
Micro 90 2% solution
0.1125
0.0107
90.49
92.66
0.1861
0.0078
95.81
0.1479
0.0123
91.68
Crystal Simple Green 10% solution
0.1119
0.0058
94.82
96.69
0.1552
0.0026
98.32
0.1503
0.0046
96.94
Metalnox M6386 (mod. alc.)
0.0837
0.0003
99.64
99.65
0.0921
0.0002
99.78
0.0848
0.0004
99.53
No visible or tactile residue of the Drawell Heavy Machining Oil present after cleaning
No visible or tactile residue of any of the cleaning solutions present after cleaning
EHS:
Zep ID Red
Safety Kleen Premium Solvent
Dimethyl Glutarate
Crystal Simple Green Industrial Cleaner & Degreaser
Metalnox M6386 (modified alcohol)
Acute Human Effects
8
8
2
5
8
Chronic Human Effects
10
10
2
5
2
Ecological Hazards
8
8
3
2
4
Environmental Fate & Transport
8
8
8
2
5
Atmospheric Hazard
2
2
2
2
2
Physical Properties
9
8
5
6
8
Process Factors
6
6
4
5
4
Life Cycle Factors
7
7
3
4
4
Overall Hazard Score
7.3
7.1
3.6
3.9
4.6
Success Rating:
Results successful using TACT (time, agitation, concentration, and temperature, as well as rinsing and drying) and/or other cleaning chemistries examined.
Conclusion:
The Metalnox M6386 (modified alcohol) was the most effective in removing the machining oil. The modified alcohol can be used as a short-term solution using manual wiping and can be transitioned into a long-term solution using vacuum vapor degreasing or a closed ultrasonics system.
The Crystal Simple Green was also effective and can be used as a short term solution. Although its performance shows a slightly lower removal percentage than the Metalnox M6386, there was no visible or tactile difference between the coupons cleaned these chemistries. Crystal Simple Green is priced at a lower price point than the currently used Zep ID Red.
The Dimethyl Glutarate (solvent) was also highly effective but can be quite expensive. Future testing can focus on StaSol, a commercial (less costly) form of Dimethyl Glutarate.
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