cleaning lathe

[jeff oldham]

I have a jet 1642 lathe and it is the off white color and it needs painting,,found the paint but can anyone tell me what a good cleaner for getting the oils and finishes off that has accumulated over time on the white part,,,like the legs and cross member,,

[David Kreuzberg]

Jeff,

I use this: https://images.oreillyauto.com/parts/img/large/kln/gsw362.jpg. I found it at an automotive painters' supply; O'Reilly's has it for $22 per gallon.

Good stuff.

[kevin nee]

I will be watching this post. I have two lathes with oil and finish all over them.
David will the product you recommended take the paint off. I also picked up a
used Jet edge sander that is covered with stuff.

[David Kreuzberg]

Kevin, it will not remove the paint. Body shops use it to clean surfaces prior to painting.

[Jeffrey J Smith]

after a few years of turning wet madrone, maple, alder and walnut, the old jet was a little crusty when I was ready to sell it. A good spray with blade and bit clener, wait for a few minutes and wipe it off (do it twice if you’re as lazy as I was after a day of roughing). Cleans up the extractives. I actually thought about trying to find room in the shop for it when I got it cleaned up...maybe little help with finishes but it did help with CA buildup in a couple places.

[allen thunem]

when i repainted my powermatic i pulled the headstock and steam cleaned the rest. if you dont have a steam cleaner or the very least a pressure washer take it to a car wash

[Jak Kelly]

I refurbished an old Walker Turner drill press a few years back. It was gave to me by a manufacturing plant that just wanted it gone (did not have guards that met OSHA requirements). Now I was not trying to give it a detailed, period correct restoration, as this was a machine that had been painted with a brush and a gallon of paint, just slapped on everywhere. So I grabbed my 5" orbital sander, some 80 grit paper and went to stripping that bad boy down to bare metal. I know, that will probably make some cringe. But I was very happy with the results, it painted up very well to with the Rustoleum paint. I could not believe the size of the bearings on the spindle, like 1 ton truck bearings! Once I cleaned, painted, re-greased the bearings and put it all back together that thing was smooth as butter.
If you are looking for a mild cleaner, something not so aggressive, you might try some WD-40. I have had great success with WD-40, sometimes it helps to let it sit up awhile, or you might even use it in conjunction with a 3M scouring pad. Most people do not give WD-40 enough credit and overlook the fact that it does not destroy things like some harsh cleaning chemicals will.