Cleaning up an older compressor

[OhCookie]

Need advice on how to clean up an older Sanborn air compressor that I picked up over the weekend. Mainly, I need to know the easiest way to remove gummy, oily build-up without getting cleaner or water where it doesn't belong. I used some Simple Green and a brush to get at the gummy stuff and wrapped the motor in plastic so as not to get it wet. So, other than repeated scrubbing and liberal use of Simple Green are there any other recommendations?

Also, when I get ready to paint is it ok to paint the pump too it looks completely sealed. Can the motor housing be painted as well? I ask because I have seen some repaints on this site where it looked as if nothing was taped up and paint was sprayed everywhere.

Any advice would be a appreciated. Thanks!

 

[jonathan75]

Need advice on how to clean up an older Sanborn air compressor that I picked up over the weekend. Mainly, I need to know the easiest way to remove gummy, oily build-up without getting cleaner or water where it doesn't belong. I used some Simple Green and a brush to get at the gummy stuff and wrapped the motor in plastic so as not to get it wet. So, other than repeated scrubbing and liberal use of Simple Green are there any other recommendations?

Also, when I get ready to paint is it ok to paint the pump too it looks completely sealed. Can the motor housing be painted as well? I ask because I have seen some repaints on this site where it looked as if nothing was taped up and paint was sprayed everywhere.

Any advice would be a appreciated. Thanks!

I have read on here a lot of people that stop at a car wash on the way home and spray it down. I pressure washed my tank at home but took the pump apart and had it washed at the machine shop since I am doing a full rebuild. If you don't want to take it apart you should be fine if you don't get the motor wet. Just cover up any electrical bits and wash it down.

 

[mayday0017]

Personally if I was going to clean one up that was very nasty I would seperate into 3 pieces. I would soak the pump and tank in a degreeser of choice and let sit, and use a soft brush to break things up and repeat until I felt things were good and then rinse.

For the motor I wouls most likely spot clean using a degreeser and a rag until I was satisfied with the results. Personally I would tape off any opening on the motor before painting it regardless of if it would be "Ok" to do with out taping. It will look better to not see overspray everywhere inside the motor and there is always a chance of it causing failure.

 

[OhCookie]

Thanks for the feedback, I will keep scrubbing and scraping.

 

[Craftsman86]

I have torn down several old units, and found that it is not hard at all to separate the pieces. I like to open up the tank through either a bung or an air inlet to stick an inspection camera inside to asses the rust and corrosion to know whether or not it is going to be worth restoring. Of the 10 that i have worked on I would say 3 of them did not pass this inspection and were scrapped. I then use the motor and pump along with the plate they sit on to mount to another tank that is in better shape. I have received 2 motors and pumps from coworkers who have blown up their compressors. but never have blown up one myself

 

[mayday0017]

Hm... my snapon inspection camera wasn't good enough to inspect my tank... What inspection camera are you useing? Also what the hell are your co-workers doing to their compressors, no one I have seen on any forum actually knows anyone who has blown one up they normally develop leaks... Now there are many horror pics of one or 2 on the internet that have "blown up" but then again there are recent photo's of 2pac too...

 

[Craftsman86]

One of my co-workers decided he could crank his black max compressor up to 180 psi output and it blew the bottom of the tank launching the compressor in the air. The compressor hit the rafters in his garage and broke through 2 of them before falling back on the floor. There was a bunch of damage as a result of this. The other one i ma not sure what he did with his but I would assume that he also increased the pressure in the tank above what it was rated for.

I have had great luck with a Dewalt inspection camera. I look to see if there is major rust in the tank, and or if there is metal "flaking" that would create a structural weakness. I generally err on the side of caution so if I see these signs I do not re-use the tank.

Personally I have only ever had a tank develop a leak on me but never had one explode.

 

[c_mccann]

I've had great luck with mineral spirits, a brass brush and a scraper. You will find that there will be a couple of stages of cleaning- first the scraping of the caked on gunk, then the actual cleaning down to the original finish or the bare metal. A steam pressure cleaner is great for this kind of work, but that is an expensive machine for occasional use.

 

[Craftsman86]

If you do go the route of dis assembling the compressor spray on a few coats of Purple power and then pressure wash the tank. I have read about people that have cleaned the corrosion out of their tanks with an acid based cleaner and then coated the inside with an epoxy sealant like what is used on gas tanks for vehicles. I would assume that this would greatly assist in preventing a lightly corroded tank from getting any worse. Otherwise there have been threads on here in the past of ways in which someone can pressure test a tank to ensure it is not dangerous. I am sure a thread search would yield more reading material than your looking for.

 

[Craftsman86]

This is one of the compressors that I was speaking of. I guess it didnt "Blow Up" but there was certainly enough damage that stemmed from it.