What to use to clean parts?

[Mike D]

I've got some old parts I need to clean up. Some are blued, some parked, some rusty etc..., all are "grimy". Is it OK to let them soak in mineral spirits or denatured alcohol overnight before I start scrubbing?

Information

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[gunner]

For that i use a Ultrasonic cleaner with dish soap and let it in there for an hour or so, dry it with compressed air and apply oil for storage after. No damages to the finish and the parts are clean as new.

Regards

Gunner

[Harlan (Deceased)]

I've got some old parts I need to clean up. Some are blued, some parked, some rusty etc..., all are "grimy". Is it OK to let them soak in mineral spirits or denatured alcohol overnight before I start scrubbing?

Yes Mike, it's OK. It won't hurt the parts or the finishes, but you need to be very careful of all combustibles. (You know this, but don't take it for granted, OK?)

[Mike D]

Thanks guys, just wanting to use what I have on hand.

[tbonesmith]

I like metho and 0000, or even00 steel wool for tough crud. The dry and oil. i havn't found anything that will flat out dissolve the hardened stuff but steel wool gets it off and doesnt damage anything

[Maple_Leaf_Eh]

I like metho and 0000, or even00 steel wool for tough crud. The dry and oil. i havn't found anything that will flat out dissolve the hardened stuff but steel wool gets it off and doesnt damage anything

I prefer bath soap in bars and nothing rougher than a small hand towel. I learned from experience that steel wool and spirits on my (private) parts is too painful after the first swipe.

[Kirk]

000 or 0000 steel wool soaked in WD 40. If the grime is dried grease or cosmoline, by all means, soak them in a solvent like mineral spirits, Ed's Red or WD 40. Steel wool & WD 40 will not harm a finish but will remove rust.

[duckcreekdick]

Try soaking the parts in Simple Green. Available at Wal-Mart and easy on the skin. In my parts washer for bigger gun cleaning projects, I use a mix of stoddard solvent and kerosene. Brownells sells a product called "D'Solve", but I haven't tried it yet.

[coppertales]

use the odorless kind. It works great on metal and wood. You don't need to soak the parts long before the grime will brush off. Let the parts dry. I then wipe all the metal parts with LPS2 and let dry. I have never had a rust problem doing this, ever. LPS can be had at hardware and auto parts stores. The LPS3 is like a lite cosmoline for long time storage....chris3

[AZPhil]

If it all metal parts, Carburator cleaner works great.