De-Greasing a Mechanism, Any Recommendations?

[Scouse]

Say you had a mechanism which basically worked ok, but was a bit sticky and probably full of a hundred years of goo, mostly made of brass with a bit of chrome plate to make it look pretty.

For the sake of argument, a ratchet mechanism from a yankee screwdriver. Or a big drill... Obviously I'm not a fan of taking it apart, what with all of those tiny little bits etc, thus: (Not giving too much away, a WIP is imminent)





Given that it will fit in a regular sized bowl, what would you soak it in which would not cause damage but would free the mechanism up a bit? As I said, it works ok, just not as free as it could be.

I have been recommended white spirit and meths (not together!), (a soak and pour plenty through to flush), but which if either? And if not then what?

Yours in anticipation

El.

 

[Mr_P]

When I had my big 3 phase table saw and the fence was jammed I was advised to soak it in Diesel. The tip was of no use to me as it was too flipping big but might work for you.

 

[SlowSteve]

Soak it in Diesel. Get into it with a bottle brush and a scrubber. rinse and repeat.

If you're left with a few last smears after the diesel cleaning, give it a once over with either isopropynol ( available from Amazon ) or Vodka ( available in most peoples spirit cabinets ).

Keep well away from white spirit - it has a load of particulates in it which can cause problems. Meths will be as good as isopropynol, but you'll likely find the diesel more effective - but if you have it on hand already it'll do the job.

Steve

 

[niagra]

+1 diesel. Seems to free up anything given time. I also tend to use parrafin for cleaning parts.

 

[blackrodd]

Before putting the ratchet in any spirit type cleaner to clear the gunk, I'd recommend a few good squirts of easy start.
Using above a saucer or similar, and collecting the excess and re apply with a small artist brush and then another blast etc
This easy start eats oil and any lubricant, I'm told. HTH.
Regards Rodders

 

[AndyT]

Keep well away from white spirit - it has a load of particulates in it which can cause problems.

Steve

Hi Steve,

What are these particulates in white spirit? I've used it for this sort of job and would recommend it to Scouse because (a) I hate the smell of diesel and (b) it's much easier to get a jam jar full of white spirit from a bottle than it is to mess about with a 5 litre fuel can at the filling station.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

I don't know what is inside this mechanism, but it occurs to me that it is very much easier to wash all the old grease out of something than get some clean grease back in. So unless it will be happy running dry or with a drop of oil, it might be worth thinking carefully before dunking it in diesel ?

 

[beech1948]

Another +1 for white spirit as its cheap and as far as I can find has no particulates ( awaits detailed correction here). Its cheapish and easy. Seems to leave a very slight oily film though so you need to think if you want this.

The best mix by far I have found to penetrate and soak out old grease/grit/dried oils is a 50/50 mix of diesel and Brake fluid. It will penetrate the most stubborn rusty item even though it might take a week or so to work through on the worst cases. I would however keep that recipe in reserve for when all else fails. The ATF/brake fluid and diesel is nasty stuff to handle.

I have had good results also with acetone in the form of cheap nail varnish remover from Tesco...costs about £2.35 for enough to clear this little item. Used it to refresh some old irreplaceable bearings by removing old grease and dirt, Used it to clean out the rachets on an old set of abused (by someone else) Snap-on rachet spanners. If you use this then can I suggest you do not steal the wife's.....and how do I know this..well ummm!!

 

[Paul Chapman]

what would you soak it in which would not cause damage but would free the mechanism up a bit? As I said, it works ok, just not as free as it could be.

If it's as you describe, then I would try a thin oil and only something more drastic if that doesn't work.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[lurker]

WD40

 

[AndyT]

Apart from this distraction over solvents, would I be right in thinking that the other side of the mechanism looks like this?

If so, welcome to the UKW 1555 Owners Club! :lol:

 

[Scouse]

Apart from this distraction over solvents, would I be right in thinking that the other side of the mechanism looks like this?

Couldn't possibly say...!

I was wondering about residues being left, which apart from the smell, was what put me off diesel. I had been moving toward white spirit, I've not heard of problems with particulates, but I did think that it left a residue as well, not a bad thing per say unless it gets in the way of lubrication after cleaning.

To be honest I was leaning toward something alcoholic and evaporating; meths, rubbing alcohol or even acetone. I suspect any one would do the job, it was any adverse effects on the brass from chemicals I was concerned about really.

I appreciate I may be over thinking this, but it's not a part that I could replace and it is too good a tool to be messed up by careless cleaning.

 

[undergroundhunter]

I always use automotive brake cleaner and then oil/grease as required. Its cheap and easy to use, also leaves no residue.

Matt

 

[n0legs]

Nail varnish remover I find to be a good one.
The way I see it if it's safe enough for the fingers it shouldn't do you too much harm and it's quite cheap.
Plus you don't get moaned at if you're using it in the kitchen

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Oh - stop messing about! Just sling it in the dish-washer.

 

[Scouse]

Oh - stop messing about! Just sling it in the dish-washer.

I would do that but not knowing how much if any steel is present, water was one solvent I was keen to avoid; far too many little nooks and crannies for it to get trapped in.

Isopropyl alcohol is another that has sprung to mind...

 

[n0legs]

Just sling it in the dish-washer.

I did that with a cylinder head, boy oh boy was I popular :-"

 

[SlowSteve]

Hi,

Sorry about leaving a post and then not commenting on questions - it has been a "bit of a week".

The content of white spirit depends on the source and how much you pay for it.

if you pay good money and get a well made white spirit, you get a pure product. But, white spirit is essentially a pureified "waste" product from the petrol production process, so it's easy to get cheap white spirit with all sorts of residue in it. If you pay for a better grade, then you get a much cleaner, purer product.

A simple way to check is to fill a dish with say 100ml of white spirit and leave it somewhere warm ( but where you can cope with the smell ) and let it desiccate. With the poor quality stuff you will see it go yellow, and then particulates will be visible or strands of heavy grease like substances will appear.

It's the same with most other hydrocarbons. You can spend £5 on a bottle of acetone - nail varnish remover or £70 on a bottle of acetone - the difference in price comes down to purity - in the £5 you get a large amount of acetone, but also a a dollop of unknown junk as well.

For cleaning paintbrushes, obviously use what ever the cheapest white spirit you can get hold of. For cleaning up your snap-on tools, then maybe it might be worth using a better quality version, or using diesel. For degreasing something like this, when it's going to be a pain to get back into, why bother dealing with an unknown in the whitespirit, when diesel is easily available and highly pure, and has 80 years of track record of not causing any issues?

Source of knowledge: masters degree in organic chemistry, and many failed experiments caused by a tutor not spending money on half decent solvents.

 

[GLFaria]

+1 white spirits.
I have used it for many years with no problem and good results.

But if it comes to that, I always disassemble beforehand the mechanisms I'm cleaning.

If using white spirits, be careful to oil the parts as soon as you dry them - the solvent removes any grease just too well.
And, of course, the minus - it is flamable, the vapours may be explosive if given the right amount of air, and it is toxic. So, the usual precautions apply...

The problem I had whenever I tried to use diesel for safety reasons is it is not as good at removing old grease as WS is, and it is difficult to remove or dry completely. And, of course, the smell.

G.

 

[Vann]

Apart from this distraction over solvents, would I be right in thinking that the other side of the mechanism looks like this?

If so, welcome to the UKW 1555 Owners Club! :lol:

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.