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

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.
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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

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.

Compressed air.

Then this

http://www.finishmaster.com/products...eaner-5-gallon

Easy to find

https://www.amazon.com/Kleanstrip-Pr...-GSW362/dp/B00

In this

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/u...8aAu3_EALw_wcB

Then more dry compressed air.

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.

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.

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-Ga...6128/100047759

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

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

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

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bill Dufour

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

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Great idea, thx !

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 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

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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.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 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-Ga...6128/100047759

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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. )

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..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Allan Speers

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?

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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.