De-Greasing a Mechanism, Any Recommendations?

[matt_southward]

+1 for using brake cleaner - at least at first. The spray pressure from the can will give the part a good flush out and brake cleaner evaporates off with no residue. Then a light oil to lubricate. Otherwise I'd go with diesel.

 

[Doug B]

+2 for break cleaner, I've just rebuilt a Meddings pillar drill & the aerosol was brilliant for getting in the nooks & crannies.

It's also very useful for removing grease from un shielded bearings when you just want to change the grease.

 

[Mark A]

Last night I used kerosene to degrease a funny little tool someone gave me - a one-handed reciprocating saw which takes jigsaw blades.

Something else I use regularly are baby wipes. I don't know what's in them, but they work on everything... grease, oil, silicone sealant, gloss paint. You name it. Much, much cheaper than the stuff sold as 'trade wipes' too.

In this cold weather I give whatever it is I've just wiped clean a quick blast with a heat gun to dry it. Added bonus is that it warms my hands at the same time!

 

[DTR]

Something else I use regularly are baby wipes. I don't know what's in them, but they work on everything... grease, oil, silicone sealant, gloss paint.

I'm led to believe they work on babies too!



(I also use kerosene, sold as the non-aerosol WD40 in a 5L bottle)

 

[Scouse]

Hmm. I'm waiting impatiently for the thread Scouse - as I have a No.1545 in parts ATM (little brother to the No.1555).

Cheers, Vann.

It's on the way! I took 177 pictures (overkill?) of the strip down for my own record and so I could remember where everything went. I've been trying to pick out suitable examples to put in a WIP thread, but now they all seem relevant!

Incidentally, I went for isopropyl alcohol to begin with, just because it seemed mild, less smelly, fairly harmless, residue free and I was passing a model shop. Whether it works is another matter, the mechanism is soaking at the moment; fingers crossed it's not also dissolving..!

 

[AndyT]

Well Scouse, 177 pictures might be a few more than some people will want, but I expect you searched for any online guide to what goes on inside that little barrel and found nothing except the patent drawings, so some sort of summary could be your gift to the world. :wink:

 

[carpenteire2009]

I am a big advocate of using white sipirit to clean and degrease mechanical parts. For small, intricate parts or assemblies (which I may not want to disassemble) I will put them in a glass jam jar, add white spirt and then place this in my Aldi/ Lidli ultrasound cleaner. Top up the ultrasound bowl with warm water and switch it on. The solvent action of the white spirit breaks down the grease, while the ultrasound helps to dislodge any dirt or gunk that's within the mechanism. After a few minutes (I might rearrange the parts mid-way to ensure thorough cleaning) the parts are usually spotless and the dirt settles to the bottom. I keep any dirty white spirit in a dedicated container where the solids settle to the bottom and after a couple of the days the clearish liquid can be used again or kept for cleaning paint brushes etc. This system has worked well for me and it's my default go-to solution for small parts. I recently acquired an old Dewalt DW615 router which required some TLC and this set-up worked well for cleaning the collet assembly, turret etc. The ultrasound can also help shift light rust etc.