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degreasing

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capnahab11/09/2011 21:35:03
194 forum posts
17 photos
I am renovating a small mill (BCA) and need to remove a lot of old encrusted grease and general crud. I am applying plenty of elbow grease and scotchbrite.
Can anyone recommend a decent degreaser and supplier please ?.
 

Edited By nick phillips on 11/09/2011 21:35:40

DMB11/09/2011 22:40:13
1585 forum posts
1 photos
Any good using jollop sold for cleaing muck off car engines? I believe its actually called, "Gunk"
Chris Trice11/09/2011 23:11:44
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1376 forum posts
10 photos
Cellulodse paint thinner is one of the best for degreasing but it can also take paint off and very fumey so best to do it outside. Most petroleum distillates will do the job or even white spirit.
 

Edited By Chris Trice on 11/09/2011 23:12:48

Clive Hartland12/09/2011 07:43:09
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2929 forum posts
41 photos
White spirit is by far the best solvent for cleaning dried up grease, soak for a period of time and it will soften enough to allow it to be brushed off.
For stained areas then use wire wool, scotch brite is abrasive and not recommended.
Any cloths etc used should be allowed to evaporate in the open and not piled in a heap as spontaneous combustion can occur.
It should all be done in the open air to allow the evaporation and to protect yourself from fumes.
 
Clive

Edited By David Clark 1 on 13/09/2011 13:57:43

Gordon W12/09/2011 09:43:24
2011 forum posts
I always use car engine type cleaners, gunk is one but cheaper others. These are all paraffin based. BTW acetone, gun cleaner etc. are all pretty flammable and heavy vapour.
Ian S C12/09/2011 13:01:29
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7468 forum posts
230 photos
White Spirits are a low grade petrol. WD-40 works, I'v also used Swafega hand cleaner, rub it on, and leave it for a while, then wash it off with water. Used it when I cleaned up our Ruston Hornsby 6HR for our museum. Ian S C
mgnbuk12/09/2011 13:32:18
1394 forum posts
103 photos
DEB Janitol Rapide diluted around 4:1 with water.
 
Apply witha trigger squirty bottle & agitate with a stiff brush. Re-apply as required.
 
As this is a caustic product, wear gloves & eye protection. I generally wipe off & dry with paper towels.
 
This works very well on coolant residues - at my previous employment (CNC machine tool rebuild & retrofit) we went almost exclusively to water base caustic cleaning solutions as they worked more quickly & more effieciently than solvents & didn't cause much paint damage. Currently using the DEB product to clean machines bought at auction before starting to use them in production (machining exclusively graphite - sticky, oil surfaces attract the dust).
 
Caustic multi-surface kitchen cleaners probably work as well & available in ready-to-use bottles from supermarkets - I generally have a bottle of Mr Muscle glass cleaner in the office for cleaning monitors etc. and it is effective when used for other small cleaning small jobs. A bit expensive for the bigger machines, though.
 
Be wary of gunwash - nasty stuff, gets into your system through your skin even when wearing gloves. Also highly inflammable with a low flashpoint. Meant for cleaning painting equipment & best reserved for that IMHO.
Mike12/09/2011 14:13:11
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713 forum posts
6 photos
For small parts, dare I mention the dishwasher - when SWMBO is out, of course! Once did a filthy motorcycle cylinder head with good results.
ChrisH12/09/2011 14:23:40
1023 forum posts
30 photos
I used white spirit when I cleaned up my old lathe - binned any cloths soaked in it immediately after use and any containers in which I cleaned smaller parts (using small brushes and paint brushes helped) were emptied into sealable containers after use (old white spirit containers are ideal obviously) - never left any open containers of white spirit lying around, it only evaporates and smells.
 
The containers of used (dirty) white spirit were used then as a first wash, and then fresh white spirit used as a 'clean' wash, if that makes sense. Sometimes if you leave the used white spirit in the container long enough the worst of the muck drops out.
 
I use the same process when cleaning paint brushes, used goes into an old white spirit container and eventually the paint drops out and leaves a clear liquid which can then be carefully poured into another container for further use.
 
Had no problems other than the smell - there is a need to ventilate well during and after use!
 
I too would not use petrol either!!

Edited By ChrisH on 12/09/2011 14:26:55

Ray Lyons12/09/2011 17:08:26
200 forum posts
1 photos
I use a hard surface cleaner from CPC. It can be diluted with water up to 40:1 but I use it about 5:1. Cleans all the grease,oil etc. Remember to remove the suds return pipe and collect all the crud in a can. Final clean is with dish cloths available from Wilko for about £1.50 a pack. After cleaning, a spray overall with the oil spray from the £1 shop looks after the rust. I bought a gallon of cleaner consentrate about 5 years ago and still have plenty left. Not flamable, not toxic and providing you don't get it into the electrics, it works ok.
Peter Hall12/09/2011 19:22:34
115 forum posts
1 photos
Posted by Mike on 12/09/2011 14:13:11:
For small parts, dare I mention the dishwasher - when SWMBO is out, of course! Once did a filthy motorcycle cylinder head with good results.
 
 
Works a treat on carburettors as well.
 
White spirit/WD40 works well for me, although technically that's not degreasing. There is a difference between degreasing (of which I know little) and cleaning off grease.
 
At the risk of labouring the point, petrol = lethal. Don't even think about it. I know many people used to use it, and for all I know, the Old School mob still do, but you only have to make one mistake and it's Goodnight Vienna.
 
I think I saw a mention on another thread about using an electric toothbrush to get into the cracks. If you do that, you'd better be sure to put it back before your wife returns from Tesco.
 
HTH
Nicholas Farr12/09/2011 21:58:30
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3988 forum posts
1799 photos
Hi, I have an industrial parts cleaner which uses a paraffin/solvent mix normally, but at the moment it has a Paraffin/Diesel mix as I have run out of the proper formulated solvent. Paraffin works well on it's own though, but I had some old Red Diesel salvaged from the bottom of a redundant industrial storage tank, which a colleague and myself had to take out and scrap.

Paraffin and Diesel, although flammable, are reasonably safe as they don't readily burst into a fireball in their own right, but you should use proper oil resistant gloves when using them, to prevent dermatitis and take the same fire risk and ventilation precautions that you would for White Spirit etc. You may need to use White Spirit or some other degreaser afterwards, if you need to do any painting as Paraffin mixes will leave a oily film on the surface for a while.
 
The likes of Machine Mart sell both concentrated and ready to use, parts cleaner fluid, but it is a bit pricey. (I've no connection with them)
 
Regards Nick.
Terryd12/09/2011 22:38:08
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1946 forum posts
179 photos
Hi,
 
after scraping off the worst of the gunge with a plastic/ aluminium blade I would endorse the use of paraffin or Jeyes Degreaser or Gunk as a cleaner, I have a 2700 litre tank of heating paraffin which I raid for the occasional litre. For some small parts of dismantled machinery I have also used a strong, boiling solution of washing soda (about 80p per lb at the supermarket) used in an old roasting tin on a camping stove. This will remove paint as well, even Hammerite if left long enough. Just don't use it for aluminium parts, they corrode easily in alkali solutions.
 
For the occasional small parts I use carburettor cleaner, a bit pricey, but used sparingly on small parts it goes a surprisingly long way. Did I say don't use petrol?
 
Best regards
 
Terry
 
blowlamp12/09/2011 23:14:58
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1885 forum posts
111 photos
I was very pleasantly surprised to find that this stuff Citrus Cleaner, worked like a charm when I was degreasing some really mucky stuff. You don't need much and it smells very nice too - it's a little bit pricey, but as I say, it does go a long way.
 
 
Martin.

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