Cleaning Kennedy Brown Crinkle Paint

[Farmall 1066]

Always wanted a Kennedy K32 carpenters tool box. IDK why...I guess to keep carpentry tools in? Anyhow, picked up a nice, straight one at a garage sale for $10, but it's absolutely filthy on the outside.
Any ideas on how best to clean all the grunge out of the crinkle finish paint?
I'm thinking simple green, stiff bristle brush and garden hose would be a good start?
Any suggestions?

 

[chruler]

I would use a plastic stiff bristle brush, or one of those green plastic scrubby sponges for doing dishes.

Try alcohol first for cleaning. It's inert and won't hurt the paint.

 

[jakemac]

Kennedy recommends using WD40 and a nylon brush. I tried it on a brown 520 and it cleaned up nicely after wiping with a clean rag. It didn't work as well on a red 297 roller.

 

[LesserSon]

Alcohol is not inert. It does evaporate quickly. It dissolves shellac, can soften or cloud some other finishes. I would definitely test it on a small unimportant patch before committing to a total wipe down.

 

[INSP380]

Be careful around the white Kennedy lettering on the outside. It will come off if too aggressive of a cleaner is used. I used Hurri-safe (simple green esq) and it started to smear....

Steve

 

[Kevin54]

Another vote for WD40

 

[jim]

I have many Kennedy brown finish boxes and have used WD40 and it works great. This is what Kennedy recommends.

 

[SilverDeck]

WD40 or just plain old mineral spirits with a soft brush would be the first thing I would try.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I have a Craftsman box that was made by Kennedy, and I cleaned it using soap and water in the sink, along with a nylon nail brush. Worked just fine, it's not that complicated.

 

[Outlawmws]

on WD-40

 

[larry_g]

I would suggest a soft brush over a stiff brush.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[chruler]

Be careful. WD40 is a solvent and will dissolve any petroleum based finish or adhesive. As said earlier, try a small area first.

 

[Farmall 1066]

Well....I mostly ignored all y'alls advice, with good results!
Had the Hotsy going to clean up my skidloader, so hit it with some Simple Green, and the Hotsy, from a respectable distance.
Turned out pretty good!

 

[engineer2]

We used Dow Scrubbing Bubbles.

 

[Farmall 1066]

After I got all the bird **** and mud dauber nests off I was able to see its flecked with white paint. The brown original finish is missing in places and has some rust, but it's perfectly serviceable the way it is. Adds "patina"!
Kinda bummed that the clips inside won't accommodate my favorite level though.

 

[Outlawmws]

Be careful. WD40 is a solvent and will dissolve any petroleum based finish or adhesive. As said earlier, try a small area first.

WD-40 is the recommended cleaner for Kennedy tool boxes and that's FROM the manufacturer...

An on an empirical note, I've never seen WD-40 dissolve or even soften ANY paint, anywhere.

 

[chruler]

WD-40 is the recommended cleaner for Kennedy tool boxes and that's FROM the manufacturer...

An on an empirical note, I've never seen WD-40 dissolve or even soften ANY paint, anywhere.

Wow, that's good to know.
We used to use WD40 to remove tar from motorcycle rims and stickers from painted surfaces. I was just thinking, but didn't say it, that it would be good for removing the oil and grease, and that it will dissolve oil based products. Guess my mind got ahead of my fingers!

 

[Outlawmws]

After I got all the bird **** and mud dauber nests off I was able to see its flecked with white paint. The brown original finish is missing in places and has some rust, but it's perfectly serviceable the way it is. Adds "patina"!
Kinda bummed that the clips inside won't accommodate my favorite level though.

Farmall, if it is those annoying pinhead or smaller flecks, I have had good success with some careful pressure from a knife point. (better if the point isn't a "perfect point" for this... I use one of my older, used when I got it work knives where the point has rounded slightly. )