What do you use to clean your bits?

[el_Pedr0]

Please share your experiences (good and bad) and your current preferences for products to clean gunk off bits. Router and drill bits, of course.

Definitely interested in home made recipes too.

 

[thetyreman]

I use meths for a lot of things, if that doesn't work turps.

 

[Droogs]

For small things that are quite dirty with stuck on grime I use a small jewellery sonic bath. Great for cleaning the threads of old machine screws etc

 

[el_Pedr0]

Ah yes - I bought one of those for my Mrs' engagement ring. I should use it more for my grimy things. Trouble is, I'm not sure if it's working so well these days - there's a distinct rattle inside it and sometimes I reckon it's just the fairy liquid and warm water in the bath that makes the ring look cleaner. My router bits should give it a bit more of a proper test though.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

What do you use to clean your bits?
Bit bloody personal, isn't it?

 

[Jacob]

Pick off the clingy bits and just keep using them.

 

[Lazurus]

Acetone mostly

 

[harry the b]

Shower gel.. sorry.

 

[DBT85]

Mucoff bike cleaner (the pink one) works well for my bits and blades but a chap I know that covers many many miles on a bike says he just uses screwfix's own degreaser/rubbish cleaner and even dilutes it. No idea if that will work on the router bits and stuff though.

 

[Stanleymonkey]

What do you use to clean your bits?
Bit bloody personal, isn't it?

Beat me to it!!

 

[mikej460]

What do you use to clean your bits?
Bit bloody personal, isn't it?

I must say my instant mental response to the post title was 'well....soap'...

But for router bits I use an old tin of Screwfix Resin Cleaner - brilliant stuff.

 

[mikej460]

Trend CLEAN/500 Tool & bit cleaner 532ml | CLEAN 500 (trenddirectuk.com)

 

[baldkev]

This one makes your balls tingle ( honestly )

 

[Keith Cocker]

I use this stuff from Axminster. Works well.

Axcaliber Blade & Bit Cleaner - 500ml

Give your TCT some TLC. It is just as important to clean saw blades and router cutters regularly as it is to keep other hand edge tools sharp. Friction causes saw teeth and cutter edges to heat up in use. This allows resin in the timber to weld itself...

www.axminstertools.com

 

[clogs]

quite like auto brake cleaner......quite cheap....
great for small wasp nests as well...u can stand well away and give em a squirt....
plus, every once in a while I clean the lead and bed srews on the lathe's and milling machines with it.....use plenty and the pressure washes and blows of the gunk ....

 

[Fergie 307]

Cellulose thinner is very good for this, just dont get it on anything painted.

 

[recipio]

I use a 3M paint and varnish stripper wheel. It gets into every nook and cranny, removing rust and gunk. However finding them online is a bit hit and miss - Amazon occasionally have them.

 

[kinverkid]

Like Droogs I use a sonic cleaner. It's mainly for cleaning airbrushes but I have an assortment of fluids I use for various uses. I have small and medium size nylon seal bags. I put the cleaning fluid which maybe brake fluid, cellulose thinner, washing up liquid, baking soda, citrus acid or to answer your query, left-over two-stroke. I put the item in the bag along with appropriate fluid, seal it and put it in the water bath of the sonic cleaner set to around 50C. Around ten to twenty minutes in there usually does it. The polythene bag will break down with any petrol based fluid but will give you more than enough time to clean 'your bits' with and rather than glass jars that I hear some sonic cleaner users use. The bags won't hinder the the effectiveness of the cleaner.

 

[TRITON]

Standard thinners. Costs £14 for 5lts from any major car accessories shop. Or you can get it in 250ml containers out of B&Q etc for £6.99.

Obviously best to remove any bearings first then leave them overnight in a sealed jar, some steel wool and sparklingly clean.

 

[flying haggis]

This one makes your balls tingle ( honestly )

+1 for that shower gel being tingly, but nice.............