Cheap and easy degreasing solution?

[Flatsbroke]

I need to soak my vise parts to get rid of almost 70 years of old dried up grease. What is the best (cheapest and easiest) solution? I was planning to soak it for a couple of day.

 

[Warrenator]

Paint thinner (mineral spirits) and a brush. Shouldn't need to soak them long. If you go water based, try any of the popular detergents (purple power, simple green, orange based, or even pine-sol) and make sure the water is hot when you start. No aluminum parts, right? Some of the detergents will take the paint off.

 

[organ]

Do you have a compressor? Mineral spirits + a siphon spray blow-gun...

 

[Davefr]

I need to soak my vise parts to get rid of almost 70 years of old dried up grease. What is the best (cheapest and easiest) solution? I was planning to soak it for a couple of day.

Go to garage sales and pick up Coleman Fuel. It usually ranges from free pile to about $1-2/gallon. It's Naptha and is an excellent solvent based cleaner.

It sure beats going to Home Crapo and paying high retail prices for mineral spirits.

 

[MrGiggles]

Diesel works good as well, but you'll need to rinse it off with something more volatile if you plan to paint it.

My great grandpa spent many many hours with a pan, some old gas, and a brush cleaning parts... Don't be afraid to keep it simple, hard to beat 2.39 per gallon...

 

[jakemac]

To defray the cost of whatever you choose to use, filter the degreaser through a coffee filter, several layers of cheesecloth, an old sock, or be creative. The point is to remove any solids and as much of the fine particles as you can. This will make the degreaser last much longer before it becomes too saturated to work anymore.

Once filtered, put it back in the original bottle/can and mark it as dirty so that you know which container has used fluid in it.

I've been able to keep a 5 gallon supply of Simple Green going for several years this way and have only added about a gallon or less to it to account for spillage or evaporation in that time. I do the same thing with CLR and EvapoRust to keep the costs down. Just because the liquid has turned black with use, it doesn't mean that it doesn't work anymore.

 

[TomB19]

Zep brand floor stripper. Cheap at HD. Works awesome.

 

[Flatsbroke]

Thanks for the ideas!

 

[shadyluke]

Purple power.

 

[Van Steele]

Soak in a bath of hot water and TSP, if you don't mind the paint gone as well.

Here's some pictures of member CanUK having done this to a Leinen vise.

Good luck! Post pics if you get it

And here's some inspiration -mine (a 125) after a bath in TSP and repainting:

View media item 31501
View media item 31520

 

[thegroundpounder99]

There's a product called Muscle Power, it's like Purple Power on steroids. I used it to degrease a tool box I am restoring and it took 39 years worth of grease off in no time at all.


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[Leoruiz]

I have a Safety Clean "type" contract(private company--local). Basically mineral spirits.
In chassis I use Loctite Natural Blue. High dollar but rocks ! The smarter half likes it in the kitchen and to assist with my filthy clothes.

 

[BMB]

Foaming oven cleaner with lye.
Wear gloves, don't breath fumes.
Will take off paint and damage rubber.

 

[engineer031]

I always use varsol and a stiff parts brush

 

[ARFLY]

Kerosene also works well for soaking and degreasing.

 

[Ed ke6bnl]

Zep brand floor stripper. Cheap at HD. Works awesome.

this is suppose to be awesome, but while cleaning up my greasy surface grinder I forgot to use it, I have a gallon of Zep stripper in the shed

 

[TomB19]

this is suppose to be awesome, but while cleaning up my greasy surface grinder I forgot to use it, I have a gallon of Zep stripper in the shed

For better results, brush on the surface and let stand for 5~10 minutes before wiping clean.

 

[erty67]

Purple power.

I tried Purple Power on a greased up bellhousing and it didn't even put a mark in the grease.

 

[Qualitytools]

Plain ol gasoline will do as someone else suggested and at $2+ a gallon you can't go wrong. Of course use it in well ventilated area, no smoking..... you know the usual safety common sense stuff

 

[Danglerb]

Dawn and simple green remove all the oils, so do something fast or get flash rust.

Nobody has a steam cleaner?

 

[firworks]

Soak in a bath of hot water and TSP, if you don't mind the paint gone as well.

Here's some pictures of member CanUK having done this to a Leinen vise.

Wow that is impressive. I may have to try that on some crusty stuff I have acquired at auction.

As for my own degreasing solution, I usually use starter fluid. I don't do a ton of cleaning parts / tools though so that might not be a viable option in larger quantities. The cans are always pretty small. Also I think it's banned on most commercial sites.

 

[youngunn2008]

What does TSP stand for? Or is that what I search for

 

[cowboy73]

TSP is trisodium phosphate. It's a really strong detergent. You don't want the TSP substitute stuff, it doesn't work well. They used to put TSP in everything. Phased it out in the 1980s, supposed to have caused problems with algae bloom in fresh water or something like that after water left sewage treatment plants.

 

[autobon7]

Soak in a bath of hot water and TSP, if you don't mind the paint gone as well.

Here's some pictures of member CanUK having done this to a Leinen vise.

Very cool vise....