How to degrease & clean a piece. (The ergonomics of it.)

[Allan Speers]

File this under: "There are no dumb questions..." :)

So I'm getting ready to repair my broken, cast irom jointer fence bed.
I need the metal as clean as possible, and I also want to completely clean all the other surfaces, before repainting, waxing, etc.

I have a good idea on what chemicals to use, (below) but I'm hung up on exactly how to do this, without wasting too much product & without making a huge mess. I'm sure I can stumble into something workable, (It's not exactly rocket surgery) but I thought I'd ask you guys, anyway:
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My planned schedule:


1: Degrease, then brake cleaner. Then soak in a de-rusting solution.

2: Degrease & brake cleaner again. (To remove any black oxide from the de-rusting bath.)

3: Dry IMMEDIATELY with a hair dryer..

4: Carefully add a light coat of wax or whatever to the outer machined surface, to aid cleanup if there’s any epoxy over-spill.
---------------------------------

That should certainly work. So I bought a few cans of brake cleaner & a gallon of degreaser... but now what? (seriously)
Is there a good way to do this without creating a huge mess?

I guess I could degrease the piece in a tub, but other stuff I want to clean will be too large. Let's say I want to refurb my jointer tables. Is it enough to just wipe the stuff on? - How do you get it into all the little cracks? How do you get all the loos grime etc out?

Same question for the brake cleaner, but even moreso as it's rather nasty stuff.

Any tips, other than "send the wife shopping for the day" ? :o

[Bill Dufour]

I have used a kiddy wading pool for derusting solutions. I do not know how they hold up to degreasers and solvents. I have an old plastic salt tank from a home water system that I use for electrolytic derusting. Now is the time of year to buy storage tubs which come in all sizes and shapes. just make sure they hold water. Some have a drain hole in the bottom. The long ones for Christmas wrapping paper or to go under a bed look useful to me.
Plastic shower pan or pond liner is cheap by the foot. Use to line a box or trench in the ground.
Bil lD.

[Patrick Walsh]

Compressed air.

Then this

http://www.finishmaster.com/products/155-surface-cleaner-5-gallon

Easy to find

https://www.amazon.com/Kleanstrip-Prep-All-Grease-Remover-KLE-GSW362/dp/B00

In this

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ucp-70305?seid=srese1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgebwBRDnARIsAE3eZjT7RCynXjaOuzrqCGGY LtJgEIDS_O4pGB-bQ0ocgo6OAe4tvY6Lir8aAu3_EALw_wcB

Then more dry compressed air.

[Matt Day]

First of all, what condition are the parts you’re going to paint? Sounds like they’re covered n grease like a metalworking machine from a 75 year old industrial shop.

[Jacob Reverb]

I would degrease it with brake cleaner for, say, 3.25 seconds (wearing rubber/nitrile gloves), blow it off with compressed air and glue it together. It ain't a mars mission. (A GALLON of degreaser?)

You don't need to degrease the whole machine...only the bonding surfaces. I got the impression that this piece you plan to glue just recently broke. If so, it couldn't be THAT dirty, could it ? I was thinking in terms of finger oils from handling...

Forget the wax. Too much risk of contamination of the bonding surfaces. You can remove any squeeze-out later with a chisel or, if on rough metal surfaces, with a propane torch and a rag and/or sandpaper. So long as you deblush it first (scrub with a Scotchbrite and water, then rinse – or just sand, then wipe with a wet rag), epoxy should take paint just fine.

[Patrick Walsh]

I may be misunderstanding..

But I’m gathering you need to remove dust and grease and or wax type contaminates to assure bond.

The link below does great in grease and crud. Like unreal, wear gloves it will burn the skin off your hands.

Then the paint prep is awesome to make sure nothing is left behind. A parts washer or large plastic container works if you need to soak. A spray bottle and scrub brush also works just fine.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/ZEP-1-Gal-Industrial-Purple-Degreaser-ZU0856128/100047759

[Erik Loza]

I’ve done a ton of these types of repairs and it’s not rocket science: Brake cleaner, then compressed air. And preferably not in a shop that’s freezing cold. Good luck,

Erik

[Bill Dufour]

I like to wave a propane torch over the metal to dry off any water based products to prevent flash rusting.
Bill D

[Richard Coers]

Brake cleaner is 80-90% acetone. Save yourself a lot of money and buy acetone by the gallon.

[Lee Schierer]

I would avoid any contact with water as the exposed cast iron will rust almost instantly.

[Allan Speers]

I have used a kiddy wading pool for derusting solutions. .


Great idea, thx !

[Allan Speers]

I’ve done a ton of these types of repairs and it’s not rocket science: Brake cleaner, then compressed air. And preferably not in a shop that’s freezing cold. Good luck,
Erik

I don't have compressed air, though I guess I could use the output of a shop vac. - Or just use the hair dryyer, as I have been doing, maybe with a "concentration funnel" on the tip.

But how do you apply the brake cleaner? As I wrote above, is it enough (for critical cleaning) to just rinse it over the piece, or is scrubbing needed? And will it clean out crevices enough for the rust agent to then do its thing?

Not rocket science, but also not 100% obvious. I'm trying to do the best job possible, and not pollute the neighborhood at the same time.

[Allan Speers]

I may be misunderstanding..

But I’m gathering you need to remove dust and grease and or wax type contaminates to assure bond.

The link below does great in grease and crud. Like unreal, wear gloves it will burn the skin off your hands.

Then the paint prep is awesome to make sure nothing is left behind. A parts washer or large plastic container works if you need to soak. A spray bottle and scrub brush also works just fine.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/ZEP-1-Gal-Industrial-Purple-Degreaser-ZU0856128/100047759

That's what I got, thx. Good to know it's so caustic, as I haven't used it yet.

Do you think that with this stuff, there's no need for brake cleaner or acetone?
(on some parts, I also need to remove old, hardened Boeshiled T9. )

[Patrick Walsh]

I only know what’s worked for me.

If you soak parts in the Zepp industrial purple degreaser it will remove the paint. It was David Kumm that turned me into the stuff.

I only know what has worked for me and I’m a overkill kinda guy. I’d rather take something a step further than needed and guarantee I have no issues.

So I have always used prepsall or the like after the degreaser.

As I said clean with compressed air first, then Zepp and a wire brush, then compressed air to dry right away, the. Spray with the prepsall and white with a clean dry cloth or two right away. The rag should stay white if your part is actually clean.

Have you seen my thread on my Martin slider restoration. If so that’s what I did to the whole machine along with wire wheels and various 3m abrasive pads.

Paint is stuck like the dickens..

Take a deep breath of the mist of the Zepp when you sparky it. It’s good stuff you’ll know right away it’s nasty nasty stuff. I made the mistake of soaking a bunch of stuff in a five gallon bucket and fishing the stuff out with rubber gloves that were not quite tall enough and they filled with the solution. I don’t dilute it. My arms and hands were a mess for days, not a mess but mild chemical burn..


That's what I got, thx. Good to know it's so caustic, as I haven't used it yet.

Do you think that with this stuff, there's no need for brake cleaner or acetone?

[Patrick Walsh]

Oops and I did also soak everything in a rust remover.

First Zepp, then rust remover, then wire wheel, then paint prep prepsall stuff then rags to dry and compressed air.

[Mel Fulks]

Patrick ,sounds like you did a great job on what must have been a pretty dirty unit.

[Patrick Walsh]

Well it is 46 years old and was original paint in terrible alligatoring off like glass. I stripped and sandblasted every last part down to the bare cast. Not one drop of paint left on anything.


Patrick ,sounds like you did a great job on what must have been a pretty dirty unit.

[John K Jordan]

I’ve done a ton of these types of repairs and it’s not rocket science: Brake cleaner, then compressed air. And preferably not in a shop that’s freezing cold. Good luck,

Erik

That's exactly how I do it. I buy a case of brake cleaner in aerosol cans at a time when I find a good deal. I like the convenience of the cans and the directed stream.

JKJ

[David Buchhauser]

I like lacquer thinner for this type of cleaning. I find it to be more aggressive than acetone. Be sure to wear gloves and a respirator. Most lacquer thinner contains MEK (among other nasty chemicals). You definitely don't want it in contact with your skin or to breath the vapors. I buy it by the gallon.
David

[johnny means]

I prefer to start my degreasing with good old hot water and dish detergent. Car parts, metal furniture parts, it all gets a bath first. Nothing moves filth better than a high volume of solvent. After that a wipe down with lacquer thinner gets at any remaining grease. If I'm prepping for finish, alcohol removes thinner residue.