Degreasing inaccessible places

[Woods_Wanderer]

I'm currently cleaning up an old vise that has the lead screw basically frozen in place due to 100+ years of old grease and gunk where the lead screw passes through the dynamic jaw. Unfortunately, the retaining collar has been welded onto the lead screw so I can't remove the screw from the dynamic. Any suggestions on how to clean it out without cutting off the collar? An industrial degreaser maybe?

 

[RTM]

Oh, fun times there. Soaking in Simple Green is most people's go to. Is it so tight that no liquid will get in? I think agitation, like ultrasonics might help, but that's a big US washer for one problem. Maybe after soaking, get it to a shop that has a parts washer that you can turn it on end, and sluice fluid through it. I had to get a small putty knife in mine to degrease it. Good luck.

 

[Mark_17]

50/50 mix of acetone and ATF

 

[rlitman]

That's not grease that's frozen it. It's corrosion.

I'd heat up the area around the screw with a torch. Not until it glows, but enough that it smokes, and then apply some candle wax. Then tap on the handle to turn it up and back, and tap on the end cap (don't tap on the threaded end).

 

[Shiftless]

I’m a big fan of Evaporust. If the heating and candle wax doesn’t work you could try using a Dremel tool to cut through the weld holding the collar captive and then knock out the screw. If you can’t do that, remove that bent up rod handle and submerge the jaw tower in a bucket of Evaporust for a day and see if that breaks the parts loose. That technique has worked for me.

 

[Woods_Wanderer]

It's not completely frozen in place, just very difficult to turn. There's dried grease caked all over the visible parts of the lead screw as well. I wish it was rusted, that would be easier to deal with!

 

[Shiftless]

In that case, try soaking in warm undiluted Simple Green. That’s my go to degreaser and paint remover. After soaking for hours or sometimes days, I follow up with a pressure washer if I can’t pick up the part and hold it under running water while I brush off the residue.

Dont use this technique if there is any paint you want to preserve. After a long SG soak, old paint will just fall off.

In warm climates, you can just leave the bucket or pan out in the sun. If it’s cold outside, use an old electric crock pot to warm it up. Hit up a thrift store for one. Don’t use the one from the kitchen!!!!!!

 

[kelpaso1]

50/50 mix of acetone and ATF

Why do people keep recommending this old tale that doesn't really work. Put that in a jar or container and the two separate within 5 minutes. It just doesn't work like a true penetrating oil does.

 

[rlitman]

Why do people keep recommending this old tale that doesn't really work. Put that in a jar or container and the two separate within 5 minutes. It just doesn't work like a true penetrating oil does.

Because one guy on youtube said it works. LOL.

For truly breaking down grease, I'd skip the ATF and use straight acetone, or naphtha. Or better yet, brake cleaner. Chlorinated for even more effect. That'll eat through any grease. Use compressed air (and eye protection!) to clear it out, and replace with your favorite oil.

 

[Neggy]

drop it in a bucket of oil for a few days

 

[RTM]

Why do people keep recommending this old tale that doesn't really work. Put that in a jar or container and the two separate within 5 minutes. It just doesn't work like a true penetrating oil does.

The trick is, you need to spray, not soak. The evaporation of the acetone helps the ATF wick into the joints, increasing penetration. 15 years ago, when I first heard about it, you were told to keep the two in a metal container, shake well, then spray into the joint. No one ever said soak back then, and now everyone tries to soak, and wonders why it doesn't work.

 

[Mark_17]

Why do people keep recommending this old tale that doesn't really work. Put that in a jar or container and the two separate within 5 minutes. It just doesn't work like a true penetrating oil does.

Always has worked for me. Why don't you post an answer to the OP's question rather than make pointless comments?

 

[csp]

Old grease becomes much more elastic with the application of heat. Get the parts hot with a heat gun and things will move much more easily and it will also make the old gunk easier to remove.

 

[rlitman]

Old grease becomes much more elastic with the application of heat. Get the parts hot with a heat gun and things will move much more easily and it will also make the old gunk easier to remove.

Yes, and it also makes your penetrating oils more fluid, so they soak in further and attack the grease more quickly. The flip side is that it also boils out the more volatile components of the grease, leaving it even thicker afterwards.

 

[Shiftless]

drop it in a bucket of oil for a few days

I’ve never tried it, but others say soaking in diesel fuel works pretty well. If you have a nearby source, buy the off road stuff to save money by not paying some of the taxes associated with highway use fuels.

 

[Al Borland]

Brake cleaner, lots of brake cleaner, followed by oil.
OIL, not WD-40.

 

[csp]

The flip side is that it also boils out the more volatile components of the grease, leaving it even thicker afterwards.

True, but if you're in the process of degreasing (since that is the subject line of this thread), you're going to remove that old grease and "afterwards" is no longer applicable.

 

[rlitman]

True, but if you're in the process of degreasing (since that is the subject line of this thread), you're going to remove that old grease and "afterwards" is no longer applicable.

Yes, so long as there's a penetrating oil present at the right time to dilute it. Otherwise you can turn your thickened grease (really soap or varnish, but that's another story) into a carbon mess that requires even more aggressive chemicals (like paint stripper) to remove.

 

[csp]

I guess I had it in mind that disassembly of the parts is the goal here, so that inaccessible becomes accessible. Thickened grease is no match for mechanical removal (scraping) of most of it, followed by other means with the majority of it already gone.

I recommended heat for the OPs situation, not for every degreasing situation.

 

[VolvoRyan]

I've had good luck with WD-40 as an initial step for "rehydrating" old grease. Brake cleaner evaporates too quickly.

If we're sure it's grease, Tech Grade Gasket (and finger) Remover is a fun solvent. It seems to eat anything organic (not talking hippie food) pretty quick. Warning: People are organic.

-Ryan

 

[dscheidt]

Always has worked for me. Why don't you post an answer to the OP's question rather than make pointless comments?

I've had surprisingly good luck using Pam (the pan spray) as a penetrating oil. That's not because soybean oil and soy lecithin make a good penetrating oil, it's because in many cases, any oil in the the joint makes a big difference.

 

[mowkep]

I bought a spray bicycle degreaser that does a great. Something along those lines maybe

 

[Rinspeed]

Why do people keep recommending this old tale that doesn't really work. Put that in a jar or container and the two separate within 5 minutes. It just doesn't work like a true penetrating oil does.

Ed's Red is quite popular with many shooters and has been for 40-50 years. It just has mineral spirits and some kerosene in addition to the ATF and acetone.

 

[JradM]

I would use Simple Green or diesel.

I'm guessing that's a pretty big part. Something that might best be soaked in a 5 gallon pail perhaps? In that case I would lean towards diesel as the lower-priced solution. You can use simple green too - but in that case add some water. Sure - full strength is fastest, but you don't want to be buying that much Simple Green for this project do you? You don't want it way thinned out, but at 4:1 or so, it's still going to get the job done - maybe just a little slower.

You'll likely need to soak, then turn the screw a bit, then soak, then turn the screw etc. to work the gunk out.

 

[seber]

When I had to degrease large farm equipment parts is soaked them in a bath of diesel fuel. Gasoline or kerosene would also work. The main thing is they are cheap. Outdoors only.