De-greasing

[Drewboyaus]

Hi all,

I'm giving my Hotshot runner a complete overhaul....Does anyone have any ideas on the best/easiest way to de-grease the gearboxes?

Thanks for any assistance.

Cheers,

Drew.

[WillyChang]

Was shooting out gearboxes last night with motorspray.

Or use shellite (lighter fluid), works with all Tamiya greases.

But methink the PO has used auto lithium grease in the one I

was degreasing as its very smeary and doesn't wash off.

Haven't tried oven cleaner spray yet... []

[Shodog]

The best degreaser I have found that doesn't damage the plastic is Mineral spirits and Paint thinner.

Stay away from laquer thinner and acetone

[Drewboyaus]

I tried that Duratrax Powershot motor cleaner and it workd a treat thanks Big W....

Cheers,

Drew.

[aconsola(2)]

The best I have found for degreasing and preparing for rebuild is(low odor) mineral spirits. This is what we used in the auto shop I worked at when I was younger. it can be found in the paint section of any home store, used as oil-based paint thinner and brush cleaner

for RC here is what I do:

Take 2 old jars (applesauce, pasta sauce; that size)

put a couple inches of mineral spirits in the first jar and put all the parts in, I have not had it attack any plastic yet(but don't throw a bunch of expensive stuff in there before testing just to be sure),

I recently put my entire dissassembled rc10Gt transmission in there, case and all (except for the slipper and brake disks as they will absorb any liquid) put the cap on the jar and shake it around a little.

clean your workspace and shake the jar a little more. Clean the dirt off your tools and shake the jar a little more, you get the idea.

I bought a small metal strainer at walmart for like $4. put the strainer on top of the second jar and pour the parts into it.

Spread the parts out onto a paper towel and dry them off.

If your bearings are still gritty, repeat the process with fresh mineral spirits.

If you let the jar with the dirty fluid sit undisturbed overnight, the dirt particles will settle out, and you can pour off the clean fluid back into the first container to recycle. dispose of the used stuff accordingly. a gallon container costs like $10 and will last a long time if you are careful and recycle.

I've been doing my parts like this for a couple of years and have not had any problems with it. I have left metal and plastic parts(a complete original 6-gear rc10 transmission) in the jar for over a week with no problems, and no discoloration.

Some of the chemical cleaners can discolor bare aluminum if left on too long, but not this stuff.

Of course, some common sense is in order, don't leave these jars of clear liquid unlableld or where thirsty kids could reach them.

-Anthony

[WillyChang]

Alcohols ain't instantly poisonous, a mouthful won't kill ya... []

quote:Originally posted by Drewboyaus

I tried that Duratrax Powershot motor cleaner and it workd a treat thanks Big W....

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id="quote">id="quote">

Had to buy another can of that meself too, that's all Metro stocked.

I still think the Trinity & HPI cans (NitroWash or the Kinwald can)

seems to work a little bit better on grease but can't buy it anymore.

Can is a bit smaller than Duratrax for the same price but.

There's also some German electrical cleaner in olive green can,

smells of lemon and works very well. Might go searching for that again.

[Drewboyaus]

Hey Willy, that lemon scented German stuff sounds good...it's gotta smell better than the Powershot. One decent whiff of that'll knock your socks off!! Where did you find it last time?

[T.C~Tamiya]

Swarfega is good

[WillyChang]

quote:Originally posted by Drewboyaus

Hey Willy, that lemon scented German stuff sounds good...it's gotta smell better than the Powershot. One decent whiff of that'll knock your socks off!! Where did you find it last time?

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id="quote">id="quote">

German stuff is same, just with the lemon scent (pretty overpowering too).

The tempe boys called it "lemon spray".

At some time or another most of the LHSes had it, my last

can could have come from Hobby Place I think.

[tarznatz]

You can use WD-40 to remove grease/oil, but be sure to give the parts a real good cleaning afterwards with detergent, an old toothbrush and warm water. WD-40 will attack plastics from what I've been told if left on.

[Peter James]

If you're willing to put in a little elbow grease, Dawn dishwashing detergent and a toothbrush will work great. Just put all the parts in some warm water with Dawn, let it sit for a bit and get scrubbin'. Dawn is an amazing grease fighter...they use that stuff to wash animals that have been caught in oil slicks. Hope this helps.

[Nitro_John]

Finishline BioDegreaser works well, it's for mountain bikes and comes in a little bottle and is water soluable too. You can get it from Halfords for a couple of quid a bottle.