How do you clean the grease off?

[Daron1965 644]

I have tried numerous products to remove the grime and grease that seems to be on old horses.  Tried gunk decreaser, simple green, kerosene,  etc. 

 

I am wondering  what others that have found to be the best for degreasing if you want to good clean up? Not a full strip apart restoration.  

 

Thank you

Edited August 24, 2018 by Daron1965

[Mike'sHorseBarn 3,036]

Gunk degreaser and a pressure washer. A pressure washer is the best way that I have found to remove grease. I've even seen people use easy off oven cleaner and get good results.

 

Mike

[Machineguy 877]

I’ve had good luck with Purple Power or Super Clean. Apply with a sprayer and let it sit for a while then apply again stuff bristle brush it or pressure wash it. (The combined brush and pressure wash works excellent) It’s best to manually wipe off the bulk materials first as I’d assume you’ve already done. After that you can use brake cleaner to get the riseidule film off. Denatured alcohol on a rag works well too. I like to use acetone but, beware as it can destroy paint quickly. Good luck with your project! 

Steam washers work the best but they’re not typically in the budget!!! 

Edited August 24, 2018 by Machineguy

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,148]

Castrol Superclean.

First application might need some help from a brush. Rinse with water.

Second application with a brush if missed a spot or two. Rinse with water.

Third application let soak for a few minutes and rinse with water. 

Ready for paint when dry and it sticks.

 

Garry

[Machineguy 877]

 

Looks like we all do it about the same! 

[McGrew 460]

Pressure washer followed by brake cleaner on parts that will get fresh paint.  

[mmmmmdonuts 274]

Just a word of caution with a pressure washer. Be very careful around seals and seams because you can blast away stuff that you need and get water in places you don't want it. I have bought a pressure regulator I use on my gas pressure washer so I start with lower pressure and move up to higher pressure as needed.

Edited August 24, 2018 by mmmmmdonuts

[Daron1965 644]

50 minutes ago, Machineguy said:

 

Looks like we all do it about the same

Yes,  I agree.  I was hoping there was a super cleaner,  or some method that would help the process.   

[Machineguy 877]

4 minutes ago, Daron1965 said:

Yes,  I agree.  I was hoping there was a super cleaner,  or some method that would help the process.   

Unfortunately not. The only other methods and products I’m aware of will destroy paint and finish coating. 

If there’s a cool home remedy type way of doing it, someone on here will know. Lots of knowledge and experience with different levels of restoration and refurbishing. 

 

Best of luck on the project!

[Jerry77 1,218]

14 minutes ago, Machineguy said:

a cool home remedy

Elbow grease...does the least amount of damage...final clean up before painting would be  Prep Sol...and tack cloth...

[FatJackDurham 318]

53 minutes ago, Daron1965 said:

Yes,  I agree.  I was hoping there was a super cleaner,  or some method that would help the process.   

 

I use Super Clean for just about everything. The trouble is, that if the grease is caked on with dirt, anything applied will only dissolve the outer layer. 

 

My go-to for cleaning caked grease has always been SOS pads. I alternate a shot of Super Clean with elbow grease applied with an SOS pad, and it all comes off about as easily as you could expect.

[JAinVA 4,629]

Purple power or super clean for grease.These products work great but will also damage paint if left on for several hours.Both contain what is essentially lye.It strips paint so well that I have used it to strip paint from plastic.Pressure washers are great as well but use caution as described earlier.

[stevasaurus 22,955]

Take it to a "Do It Yourself" car wash on a trailer with a hand full of quarters.  Works like a champ and no mess. 

[Skipper 1,789]

 It can be a real mess

 

Diesel, a scrubbing and a pressure washer works fine for me. 

[Mike'sHorseBarn 3,036]

14 minutes ago, stevasaurus said:

Take it to a "Do It Yourself" car wash on a trailer with a hand full of quarters.  Works like a champ and no mess. 

 

Can you believe I've never even thought of that! 

[JAinVA 4,629]

I'm sure that's why a lot of us come here for answers.The why didn't I think of that moment.

Edited August 24, 2018 by JAinVA

[Machineguy 877]

24 minutes ago, JAinVA said:

I think that's why a lot of come here for answers.The why didn't I think of that moment.

I agree, always great to hear about something you my have never tried and others experiences. Thanks everybody that has shared. 

@Daron1965

Thank you for starting this topic as well. 

Edited August 24, 2018 by Machineguy

[Machineguy 877]

At work this very task is the first step in a very large job. Sometimes the undercarriage and roller frames of D11 Cats can be carrying a ton (literally a ton) of grease and dirt buildup. For Cat certified rebuilds such as the one I’m standing in front of in the picture below, cleaning and disassembly are a huge task that is often the most laborious. Most folks don’t have an appreciation for the amount of work involved with this. We do have solvents and washing equipment that work well but aren’t delicate and it’s still tough work. I know you guys can appreciate the effort that goes into jobs like these and on our red machines we enjoy so much! 

 

Just for scale, that’s me standing in front of our latest D11 Certified rebuild and I’m 6’2” 

Edited August 24, 2018 by Machineguy

[cleat 6,779]

I do the same as above but with one extra step that has not been mentioned.

 

Any place there is thick grease or dirt buildup, I first use a scraper to remove as much as I can.

 

If I am going to repaint anyways then a regular steel scraper or putty knife works best.

 

If you want to minimize damage then use a softer brass or plastic scraper.

 

Cleat

[953 nut 56,341]

As Cleat and others have said, reduce the built up coating as well as you can first. One more vote for Purple Power and an old tooth brush here, but I follow that with a liberal application of Windex. The Windex spray floats all the residue out and leaves things squeaky clean.

[Jerry77 1,218]

4 hours ago, Machineguy said:

D11 Cats

Watched a D 11 Cat with a clamshell work it's way thru a farm ( making way for a highway) with barns and an old house and some of the biggest trees I have seen...MY oh My...what a powerful machine..every boys dream of course is to tear up stuff...I wasn't a kid at the time, but it sure was a spectacle - especially walking huge trees out of the ground...

[Machineguy 877]

9 minutes ago, Jerry77 said:

Watched a D 11 Cat with a clamshell work it's way thru a farm ( making way for a highway) with barns and an old house and some of the biggest trees I have seen...MY oh My...what a powerful machine..every boys dream of course is to tear up stuff...I wasn't a kid at the time, but it sure was a spectacle - especially walking huge trees out of the ground...

Thanks for sharing that! 

The power is unbelievable as you said. We see parts come in off these machines that are so wrecked it’s unbelievable. You just can’t hardly imagine how such massive parts can be pulverized!! 

[varosd 1,185]

I will be the tree hugger today:

try to minimize oil, antifreeze,gas etc run off 

most car wash places forbid it. 

down the drain and we then forget about where it goes but it’s going into our water source and our trout etc

i bring all my drained fluids to local shop to recycle 

♻️ 

 

[cleat 6,779]

I also catch all oil and put it back in oil bottles to be recycled.

 

The greasy paper towels go into my burn barrel, not the perfect answer but better than land fill where it can leach out I believe.

 

What gets pressure washed off makes it to the ground but that is minimal as i scrape and wipe down what I can first.

 

My water comes from a well so I sure don't want that contaminated.

 

[Machineguy 877]

1 hour ago, varosd said:

I will be the tree hugger today:

try to minimize oil, antifreeze,gas etc run off 

most car wash places forbid it. 

down the drain and we then forget about where it goes but it’s going into our water source and our trout etc

i bring all my drained fluids to local shop to recycle 

♻️ 

 

That’s a good practice. Unfortunately natural habitats have suffered from waste material spills and toxic spills in general. I’m sure most of us like the idea of preserving our streams and wildlife for the future too. Being mindful of this and making it part of our discussion and culture helps raise awareness. 

Edited August 24, 2018 by Machineguy