How do you clean your bits? (Metal and oily stuff)

[Craig-SM]

I have a Clark parts washer but rarely use it instead I mainly use Elbow Grease from B&M and a brush, cheap and quick

 

[waddycall]

I use paraffin and a selection of brushes. Often leave bits to soak for a bit. After the paraffin, its washed with hot soapy water then rinsed and bunged in the oven on low heat (if non ferrous) to dry as I tend to only clean things when I need them.

 

[Morris]

Anything that will fit in my ultrasonic cleaner goes in, usually with Screwfix degreaser. Bigger and I improvise a container (washing up bowl is a favourite) and use the same degreaser unless it needs something different.

 

[GRW]

I've had a Clarke benchtop Parts Washer for years. I know you're not supposed to, but mines been filled with Kerosene from day one - as its the best & cheapest degreaser I've found to-date.
The pumped bendy outlet & the drain tray underneath does make it easier to clean bits off & see what you're cleaning (mountain bike chains get a whizz through the Washer fairly regularly as do cassettes in mine).

I have an old small shelf unit underneath my bench where the Washer lives when not in use so it's out of the way.

(I do need to pump out the Kero & filter it & remove the heavy silt deposits that will be at the bottom - it's not as clean as it was! I dare say that filtered & separated the Kero will probably be good enough to go again for another bout of service).

 

[8ob]

Heat is your friend when it comes to degreasing, for small parts you cant beat a cheap deep fat frier filled with water soluble degreaser. The baskets will keep most small items contained, straight out of the frier and under a tap for a rinse.

Bob

 

[jmp49]

I have a air powered parts washer that lives on top of a big 305l steel drum, which is mildly inconvienient because it means I have to run the compressor, but its handy and less risk of fire. Its had the same kero/diesel/whatever for the past 15 years. Occasionally I take the grates off the top and remove sludge from the catchment area with a wallpaper scraper but that's it. Selection of stiff & wire brushes and some pokey sticks and a moveable jet end on a mag base with a flexi lineloc in place of the rubbish original spout it came with that made it much more useable. I have lots of spare space though living out in the sticks so its literally set up as the parts cleaner corner of the shed.
I bought a bigger ultrasound cleaner off ali express a year back after a domestic incident and run it with dedicated cleaner, that is quite caustic to the extend you dont want to leave fine aluminium in there for hours on end afterwards, but it does a great job.
The incident? for years I got by with a silvercrest ultrasonic cleaner from lidl's centre isle for jets and small bits that was my wife's jewlery cleaner I shared. Whatever you do if its not yours, dont put anything too caustic or effective in a little ultrasonic cleaner with a perspex inspection window in the lid. I mean it still works, and you can lift the lid to see progress anyway, but I WAS in the doghouse for a while.

Funny bob mentioned the fat frier. I have our old one in the workshop when we went all healthy eating air fryer chips, but its full of linklyfe moly chain grease to boil non oring chains in without risking domestic wrath. Great for that, basket to save going near the stuff with a drip stand built in and thermo controlled so it doesnt explode all over the celing.

 

[Robotstar5]

We used to have excellent parts washers at work until the company went "green" and replaced the fluid with some soapy water type mix which was useless.

 

[8ob]

We used to have excellent parts washers at work until the company went "green" and replaced the fluid with some soapy water type mix which was useless.

I have a big old bupi spray bar rotary parts washer, it’s just too expensive to run. It’s got four immersion heaters in it that take at least an hour to warm up the caustic solution, that’s without the 3hp pump running, then it runs for another hour or two cleaning a few engine parts. Only worthwhile these days if there is a lot to clean.

Bob

 

[Munkul]

@Munkul do you thin Jizer with diesel.

Yes, not sure you're supposed to, but it works. 50:50

 

[Morris]

I meant to put this picture on when I mentioned using an ultrasonic bath. This is a before and after of Ford 2.0 litre rod and piston.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

I’ve been eyeing those cheap parts washers - any good? What fluid do you put in them?

I got mine from Halfords many years ago. The bracket that held the pump had it's spot weld fail so got it for £25 I've always used paraffin. Occasionally filter liquid through coffee filters which extends it's life.