Let's talk dirty! …dirty parts that is, and how best to refurbish them

Cleaning up filthy dirty parts to make them functional and more presentable is a time-consuming but necessary evil for our car obsession.

So what do you do that makes cleaning, rebuilding, finishing parts better, quicker, cheaper, easier? What products work best? What process is most efficient? What tools really help?

What sand blast media works best for aluminum? How to stop flash rust on washed parts? Which carb cleaner? Wash, dismantle, blast, blow off, paint - or is there a better order to do things in? What’s your favorite caliper paint? What do you hate doing the most?

And if you have before or after pictures that helps too!

I have been recently using an ultrasonic cleaner. I can tell you, heat is the key! Turn it all they way up if you can (mine goes to 80c) Great for small parts (carbs / bolts etc) unless you have a large one of course. Not great for rust, but it does have some effect (a good wire wheel does that job well).  Using TSP style cleaner (used to clean wall for painting) seems to be a cheap alternative to ultrasonic specific cleaners.

One tip is you can use smaller glass jars (plastic even works, but I suspect glass is more effective) for smaller stuff you don't want to pollute the whole bath with.  You can even fill smaller jars with harsher stuff like gas, but clearly want to be careful with the heat and ignition sources in those cases!

Glass bead blasting or vapor blasting works on aluminum, but I would avoid sandblasting.  A home remedy is to use a product sold by NAPA called aluminum brightener. It comes in a spray bottle, spray it on, scrub with a brush and rinse.  It is pretty nasty stuff so wear rubber gloves and eye protection.

Been trying to find a carburetor soak that actually works since all the good stuff is gone now.

Picked up a tip from the RC aircraft guys.

A crock pot full of old fashioned, green antifreeze at 100%. Put the carb in and let it cook for a few hours. Comes out clean and the passages are clear.

In reply to ShawnG :

Whoa!

I wonder how it would work in an ultrasonic cleaner, or whether the viscosity would mess with the tiny cavitation that I think does the work...

In reply to Jesse Ransom :

Haven't tried in my ultrasonic but I was shocked by how well it worked in the crock pot.

Doesn't harm plastic or rubber bits either.

I dismantle the carb first but I'd rather not pull the throttle shafts if I don't have to.

In for the education. I've always been limited by space and budget and have had to do things the hard way (which is probably a big factor in my dwindling enthusiasm), so probably won't have much to contribute.

One thing I can offer is that Pine-Sol, or generic equivalent, is a decent makeshift carburetor cleaner. Just be aware that it may strip the plating off and leave you with raw metal parts.

Depending on the part, electrolysis can work really well for removing rust. It takes time, but can eliminate a lot of nasty work.

What works for loosening up throttle shafts in old zinc diecast  weber carbs ?

Thanks

I'm sure I've said it before, but this thread looks like a great spot to collect these things.

Simple Green is pretty effective, generally safe, etc. The one caveat is that the basic stuff will eat (fairly gently) at aluminum if left in to soak, but they do make aluminum-safe stuff.

I use the Extreme Simple Green Aircraft & Precision Cleaner in my parts washer (the tub-with-a-pump-and-brush kind), and I won't make the case that it's as effective as some of the stronger stuff, but I do like how safe it is and it works pretty well.

Wow! Some great ideas guys!

Aircooled's idea of putting parts in a glass jar in an ultrasonic cleaner to avoid polluting the entire contents is a great idea, and it got me thinking - what if I put Evapo-Rust in the jar. Can we de-rust and clean in one step? 

Something I have found useful is a gun cleaning set - long brushes and cloths in a variety of calibers from fuel fitting to master cylinder size. Makes it easy to clean out engine oil passages and any small but deep holes.

I've been using this for cleaning my hands but I could see it working great on any greasy stuff. It's way better than Dawn at getting oil off. If you don't have a Costco you can get it off Amazon also. 

In reply to californiamilleghia :

Gentle heat, penetrating oil and patience. 

A crock pot can also be used for removing paint from small parts.  Fill it with water and a little dish soap, and let the parts simmer for a few hours.

I use a cleaner called Formula 88 for degreaser and carbon remover. I've soaked whole grungy cylinder heads and pistons, and after a day or so, I can just wipe the carbon off. It's non-toxic nor does it smell bad. I think the main ingredient is ethylene glycol monobutyl ether.

I usually have to order it from Advance Auto or The Orange Big box store.

stuart in mn said:

Glass bead blasting or vapor blasting works on aluminum, but I would avoid sandblasting.  A home remedy is to use a product sold by NAPA called aluminum brightener. It comes in a spray bottle, spray it on, scrub with a brush and rinse.  It is pretty nasty stuff so wear rubber gloves and eye protection.

That aluminum brightener is also called oven cleaner.  Be careful with it, it's highly alkaline (opposite of acid, but just as burny'), nasty stuff.  You want to avoid the "low odor" variety though (less burny', less effective)

Driveway cleaner (phosphoric acid I believe) is also good to keep handy as a rust converter (neutralizes it) and as an etch anytime you get down to bare steel.

aircooled said:

That aluminum brightener is also called oven cleaner.  Be careful with it, it's highly alkaline (opposite of acid, but just as burny'), nasty stuff.  You want to avoid the "low odor" variety though (less burny', less effective)

If you look at the MSDS sheet it's actually a mix of phosphoric and sulfuric acid, along with smaller proportions of ammonium bifluoride and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (whatever they are.)  Oven cleaner will damage aluminum.  Either way, you don't want to get it on your hootus.

So, yeah. 

Crock pot can get a little too hot.

That was an expensive lesson.