Air tool oil vs. ATF for stuck bolts, ATF won by a mile

I spent a whole Saturday last month fighting a rusted lower link bolt on an F-250. Hit it with PB Blaster, let it sit, no luck. Then I remembered an old timer telling me about using ATF and acetone, but I had neither in the shop. What I did have was a half bottle of air tool oil, so I figured why not. That bolt came loose in about twenty minutes of soaking and a breaker bar. Compared to the usual penetrating oil, the air tool oil seemed to creep into the threads way better. Anyone else tried this or am I onto something weird?

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cole9949d ago

Did you ever read that old Project Farm video comparing penetrants? He tested a bunch of them and the ATF plus acetone mix beat everything on the market, but plain ATF by itself was still up near the top. Air tool oil is basically a light weight oil with some cleaning agents in it, so it makes sense it'd creep better than the thick gunk PB leaves behind. Next time you're stuck, try mixing a little ATF with the air tool oil, that combo is like cheating.