Hot lye or even concetrated Tide will take grease, oil, and paint off
quite nicely. A lot of these cleaners are just strong alkline products.

David Anderson wrote:
Any suggestions for a good homemade total immersion type chemical
cleaner/degreaser for antique mechanical restoration project? The hot
degreaser tanks used by automotive engine rebuilders comes to mind, but last
time I checked, the chemicals were only available in 55-gallon drums, and
work best when hot. How about a 5-gallon tank, for example? Maybe some kind
of witches brew I could mix myself? Dave