# Cleaning gages



## kd4gij (Jul 30, 2014)

what is a good spray cleanner for gauges. I have a set of calipers that need a good cleaning, Thay do have some plastic parts.


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## John Hasler (Jul 30, 2014)

kd4gij said:


> what is a good spray cleanner for gauges. I have a set of calipers that need a good cleaning, Thay do have some plastic parts.



I use starting fluid for that sort of thing.


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## chips&more (Jul 30, 2014)

John Hasler said:


> I use starting fluid for that sort of thing.





Spraying starter fluid/ether on plastic is a very bad idea. Some plastics are OK, some will get a frosty look and others will be destroyed. I use a three equal part recipe of water industrial ammonia and simple green. It must be the industrial ammonia and not the sudsy stuff found at the grocery store….Good Luck.


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## John Hasler (Jul 30, 2014)

chips&more said:


> Spraying starter fluid/ether on plastic is a very bad idea. Some plastics are OK, some will get a frosty look and others will be destroyed. I use a three equal part recipe of water industrial ammonia and simple green. It must be the industrial ammonia and not the sudsy stuff found at the grocery store….Good Luck.



About the only plastic starting fluid will attack is styrene.  If your caliper is made of styrene you probably want to dissolve it anyway.


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## astjp2 (Jul 30, 2014)

I would use isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle...and lighter fluid is kerosene, starting fluid is ether, there is also white gas/coleman fuel, I would stick to the alcohol...Tim


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## Hotbluechips (Jul 31, 2014)

A small brush ( acid ) with bristles trimmed to about 1/2" long. 
Denatured Alcohol.
Pipe Cleaners.
Tissue paper.
Low pressure Needle type blow gun
Starrett tool and instrument oil.
Even Alcohol will fog the crystal on most calipers.
I clean and calibrate about 500 different tools during the course of a year.
This is ALL that I use.
This is all YOU need to get excellent results yourself.


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## kd4gij (Jul 31, 2014)

Wel thay are an older mitutoyo. the crystle is long gone. If I can get them cleaned up and hand pointing to 12 oclock. Then I will order the crystle and bazel and have a good set.


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## dulltool17 (Jul 31, 2014)

This might sound strange, but I clean nearly everything with 90% Isopropyl Alcohol.  You can find it at Wal-mart.  It's a great degreaser, works into small spaces, and evaporates in short order.  

Doug


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## ki4byz (Jul 31, 2014)

I have always used lighter fluid (naphtha) light solvent and leaves a light oil film.
  Been using it on all precision tools for 30 years.


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## kd4gij (Jul 31, 2014)

Ok got them cleaned up pritty good. sliding smoth and reapeting back to 0. only issue now is the lock screw is froze up. Going to keep working at it. Don't wan't to break it off. Had Denatured Alcohol on hand so used that with a small brush ant cotton swab. Gues I can order the crystal and bazzel from Long Island Indicator. about 30 dollars shipped. Is the copper key worth getting to set the pointer or will a small drill bit work? 

  Thanks for all the help.


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## Tony Wells (Jul 31, 2014)

The purpose of the copper tool is to lift the gear from the rack in order to move it to the correct position. Just use some brass shim stock and a pair of scissors if you don't want to buy one. But if they are cheap, just buy it. It will be a good fit, and since you don't have one to copy, the shim stock/scissors will be a little trial and error.


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## astjp2 (Aug 1, 2014)

The crystals are pressed in, not a do it at home item.  There are many companies that install them so just pay the $35 and get it done right.  Tim


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## kd4gij (Aug 1, 2014)

astjp2 said:


> The crystals are pressed in, not a do it at home item.  There are many companies that install them so just pay the $35 and get it done right.  Tim






   I know Long Island Indicator has the bazel with the crystal installed for 20.00. I do have the HF crystle press, but scence I I just ordered it with a new bazle becouse I haven't tryed the press yet.


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## EmilioG (Apr 29, 2017)

I've used just about every degreaser you can name, and IMHO, Naptha works best. Freon is actually the best, no residue, but not available.
Alcohol actually has a minute amount of oil in it, so I don't use it anymore. Denatured alcohol is very good also.


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## Tony Wells (Apr 29, 2017)

The canned air sold for computer dusting is one of the Freon's (Freon is just a Dupont brand name anyway)......simply invert the can and you will spray out the liquid phase. But it is rather cold, so try not to get it in your eyes...not too good for them.


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## EmilioG (Apr 29, 2017)

Good idea Tony, not sure how much you can collect from a can. Freon or Tetra floro ethane, evaporates very quickly.
Besides, I don't really want to use anything that will harm the environment. Yes, global warming and ozone depletion. 
Orange solvent is supposed to be a good degreaser.


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## Tony Wells (Apr 29, 2017)

Naptha is available in two basic "flavors". Aliphatic and aromatic. Whereas the aromatic imo does a better degreasing job, it contains benzene rings and I for one prefer not to have exposure to that. The most common and readily available form of naptha is lighter fluid, which is the aliphatic type if I remember much of my hydrocarbon chemistry. Naptha itself can be a little hard to define. It's an old term and has somewhat changed over the years to include many different distillates and combinations of them.

Some can correct me if I am mistaken.

I believe the contents of the canned air comply with the ODA and are not contributing to the problem of ozone depletion. It is thought that the chlorinated compounds are mostly to blame for that, hence their being banned in some parts of the world.


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## kd4gij (Apr 30, 2017)

When I  was a kid many years ago. My neighbor was a retired jeweler. And repaired old watches. to clean them he soaked  a piece of cotton in lighter fluid put it in a mason jar lid use tooth picks to hold the inners off of the cotton and screwed the jar over it and left it over night to clean it.


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## EmilioG (Apr 30, 2017)

Here's something on cleaning solvents:

https://www.epa.gov/sites/productio...ives_for_solvent_degreasing_applications_.pdf

Limonene is one of the safer cleaning solvents, Orange cleaner. TCE is one of the better solvents but too toxic for humans.


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