Koz writes:

Too_Many_Tools wrote:


With regards to "old" iron....one problem is how incredibly cruddy a
mill or lathe can get over years of use. It's a miserable job to try
and scrape chips coolant from 1950 out of every crack and crevice. Some
just leave it and call it "battle scars" but I hate to start with a
machine that's new to me but still has someone elses mess in it. So the
question is...any cleaning secrets out there? I've heard many speak of
elbow grease and solvents but gads that takes forever and isn't very
satisfying. Steam cleaning sounds good but the idea of all that water
on a machine and the potential for rust gets a little scary. E-bay has a
ton of used machines that appear to be repainted. Are they skimping on
the prep and painting over crap (assuming a reputable dealer) or is
there a secret/better way to clean up a really cruddy machine?

Koz (who got about 2/3 of the way done with the elbow grease method and
said "screw it", leaving the rest of the crap)

Diesel fuel works well and is lots easier on everything than raw
gasoline- which is handy for really nasty stuff though. Cleanup after
the cleanup is kind of problematic though. I like the spray on
Citristrip- kind of slow on the grease and sludge but it takes off paint
pretty well.

I did a 10" South Bend with electrolysis and a 12" American with the
Citristrip & diesel method- found the latter to be less messy and
annoying, though I got plenty tired of the smell after a while.

But don't neglect a plain old scotchbright pad, dish detergent and hot
water for things other than ways, bearings, etc.. if you get the rinse
water really hot and get the part dry quickly its a handy way to clean
up smaller stuff- particularly after the paint is stripped.

Greg