Cleaning chucks

[kevin nee]

Hello, I am about to clean all my chucks,. I have disassembled them and soaked them in mineral spirits in the past. I am out of mineral spirits and was wondering if there is a better solvent since the last gallon lasted years. It seems paint thinner is cheaper than mineral spirits. Any advice will be appreciated.
Thanks, Kevin

[Richard Coers]

If you have gas stations around you selling kerosene, it works well. Not good at removing dried finishes, but it has a better lubricating quality.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Check you local HD and other hardware stores for lamp or stove fuel. It's usually "clean" kerosene, if you want to use that. I just checked my local one. Get ready for sticker shock. 14 bucks a gallon.
Just wondering why you're cleaning chucks. I have several Novas, and I've only taken 1 apart to clean, and that was when it was brand new, and not operating smoothly. Maybe I do need to clean mine......

[Joe Bradshaw]

I have all Oneway chucks(Stronghold and Talons). I clean them when they are hard to open and close. Basically, just blow them out with air pressure.
Joe

[kevin nee]

Thanks for the replies. I use my chucks nearly every day, I use sanding sealer and many different finishes while on the lathe.
with all the sanding dust and finish on the lathe they are getting harder to open and close. I am also going to clean up the ways
and banjo along with the tail stock. Looking for a powerful grime remover.

[Russell Neyman]

I'm not prepared to recommend what I do, but will share it looking for feedback:

Because I teach woodturning, my chucks are in use every day and the jaws are frequently changed to different sizes. My process is to blow them out with compressed air, and if they're not operating smoothly after that I spray them with auto brake cleaner, blow off the excess, then apply some silicone lubricant. I've done this for years and all of my chucks -- I own six -- work very well with no ill effects. It's rare that I need to disassemble any of them for major overhaul.

Curious to know if others have a similar protocol.

[Richard Casey]

I'm not prepared to recommend what I do, but will share it looking for feedback:

Because I teach woodturning, my chucks are in use every day and the jaws are frequently changed to different sizes. My process is to blow them out with compressed air, and if they're not operating smoothly after that I spray them with auto brake cleaner, blow off the excess, then apply some silicone lubricant. I've done this for years and all of my chucks -- I own six -- work very well with no ill effects. It's rare that I need to disassemble any of them for major overhaul.

Curious to know if others have a similar protocol.
Hi Russell, I have been following this thread with interest and I note that no one had mentioned lubricating the moving parts. I am also a metal machinist as well and I regularly dismantle my chucks, totally clean them in mineral spirit and lubricate all the moving parts with spray white lithium grease.
I have never had a problem with the grease polluting the woodwork.
BTW, I only use Vikmark chucks.
Regards,
Richard.

[Russell Neyman]

The problem I've had in the past with some lubricants is that they eventually get sticky and attract fine wood dust. That isn't as big a problem with chucks as it is with gears (especially Reeves drive systems). After experimenting with multiple lubricants -- including white lithium grease -- I settled on a "dust resistant" dry lube from WD-40.

[Richard Casey]

Thanks for that Russell. I used to use the dry lube in a stick, but had trouble finding it so I gave the WD40 white lithium grease a go and it has worked out good for me here in the tropics. Is the product you mentioned a spray can or a stick?
Thanks,
Richard.

[Russell Neyman]

Thanks for that Russell. Is the product you mentioned a spray can or a stick?
Thanks, Richard.

A spray in a can that has a built-in tube that extends from the side.

[Richard Casey]

A spray in a can that has a built-in tube that extends from the side.
Thanks for that Russell, I did a heap of googling after your post, but it appears it's not available down under.
Regards,
Richard.