Preservative grease

[Ed Landstrom]

What I worry about is what Richard said ("the bearings were worn out due to the balls being gummed up and skidding in the races."). Gears shouldn't be a problem. There should be enough pressure to force it out from between the teeth. Kerosene, varsol, or any petroleum-based solvent seems to do a good job on the outside, softening the wax to the point where it can be brushed or wiped off, but I can still see a coating and occasionally large globs of the stuff inside where I can't reach it with a brush or rag. It's softened but not removed.

I could try a longer soak, or the boiling water trick, but the safest course seems to be to dissemble parts to the point where they can be brushed/wiped/scraped and inspected.

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[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by Ed Landstrom

What I worry about is what Richard said ("the bearings were worn out due to the balls being gummed up and skidding in the races."). Gears shouldn't be a problem. There should be enough pressure to force it out from between the teeth. Kerosene, varsol, or any petroleum-based solvent seems to do a good job on the outside, softening the wax to the point where it can be brushed or wiped off, but I can still see a coating and occasionally large globs of the stuff inside where I can't reach it with a brush or rag. It's softened but not removed.

I could try a longer soak, or the boiling water trick, but the safest course seems to be to dissemble parts to the point where they can be brushed/wiped/scraped and inspected.

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Hi Ed,
When some have mentioned softening with kero, they might have only had a light coating on the parts, but the diff I bought had been dipped, it was complete with casing and pinion and there was no way that it would have washed out with petrol, kero, diesel, white spirit, thinners or anything else to hand, it was very thick and hard. In the end I had to resort to running a flame over it to get to the bolts and completely dismantle. I recall boiling a pot of water in the end to dip the parts in, as I do for pistons. As for the gearbox, judging by the tide mark it had been filled with preservative, and probably drained off. I now remember the mainshaft was still coated where the sliding gears had reached their travel.

[Alex van de Wetering]

I think most tricks have been mentioned already, but there are some youtube vids on this subject......mostly on cleaning Russian rifle parts covered in cosmoline. If I remember correctly boiling or steam cleaning was the cleanest method.

Alex