Cleaning old Bridgeport thats really oily

bobdog

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I have a old bridgeport that has alot of old oil on it. From years being in old machine shop. Would like to clean it up without stripping paint . What has anybody used to clean theres but without water ? Need ideas Thanks
 
Kerosene. Smells more than mineral spirits, but cheaper and as effective.
 
Simple Green PRO HD followed by WD40. The PRO HD is good for metal. The WD40 is the final step.

I did an Enco a year ago. It was amazing how it looked after a serious cleaning. It belongs to my son and is used in his business. It looks great today.

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If it's just oily WD40 would work fine. If it's caked on grime like Alan recommended, I'd use a degreaser first, then WD40. But pay attention to which degreaser you use. Some degreasers like Purple Power or Zep Purple can remove paint at full strength.
 
Will's caution on degreasers is good one.

I personally would not use Purple Power or similar products since they have sodium hydroxide (caustic) in them. I keep it on the shelf and use it from time to time but not on good machine tools.

If the safety data sheet cautions against storage in copper, aluminum and the likes, that means it is corrosive. While the concentrations of the bad actors are low, they are still strong enough to burn you and corrode some components of a machine tool. The stuff is also hard on your lungs. So if you do use it, use it outside not in a confined space like a shop without good ventilation.

Here is a snippet of what is in Purple Power:
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Ww discovered greased lightening at lowes and it is magic.

9 bucks a gallon or 26 for 5 so get the 5 gallon and use full strength.

Put in a garden sprayer.

Get a second garden sprayer and mix a strong batch of dawn to use for rinsing agent.

Spray GL on first and let it soak, scrap with heavy brush then rinse with dawn...repeat



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I'd be mighty leery of spraying any of my machine tools with water as a rinse. IMO WD40 is a much better final treatment and you buy it by the gallon at the big box store or even cheaper via Amazon Prime.
 
Here lately I've been using the purple stuff cut by 75% with water. Put in one of the disposable bottles sold in packs of five I believe. Squirt it on small areas at a time scrub with one of them HF 2-3" wide paint brushes, then rinse off with water in another spray bottle. Let dry. If I'm cleaning bare metal surfaces, do the same but take paper shop towels wipe dry followed by Starrett M-1. I banned WD-40 for rust issues in my shop. Later I coat with machine or way oil. I do not allow soap or water get near slides where it can get up between the surfaces. The only time the purple soap has been a problem is on poorly painted surfaces. It will lift the first coat off. Most of the time that is fine with me because I generally prepare the surfaces and re paint.

BTW- All good answers above including if you want to use WD-40, too.

KEn
 
I use "Awesome" cleaner full strength. You need to watch it as it can discolor the paint if left on to long. Mixed with hot water its not as harsh. Cheap at Dollar stores, Freds, etc. You need to get some protection on after it dries, it takes it all off. Personally I don't like WD-40 it leaves a film on and over time on stored tools left in the open there will be dust caked on that is hard to remove so you are at square one again cleaning. A light wiping with a good non automotive oil is best.
IMHO
Jack
 
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