Cleaning a very old 2nd hand bike?

[Glumbags]

A scourer pad with a touch of Fairy Liquid and WD40 mixed together on it, pushed into the awkward spots with a wooden tongue stick.

Thanks Eyebrox

[Glumbags]

Many years ago I bought some Kroon 'Cleaning Oil'. I found it very effective at removing the worst dried on gunk and crud, needing only a small amount to be dispensed from the dropper spout and then worked in and rubbed off with a rag. I presume that it was essentially mineral oil, but it seemed to be far more effective than the likes of WD40.

I've not seen it on sale in the UK since then, but this appears to be the current version:

https://hollandbikeshop.com/en-gb/bicycle-tools-maintenance/lubricant/oil/kroon-handy-cleaning-oil-100ml/

Thanks slowster

[Glumbags]

Haven't come across that: mineral oil + a small amount of DMSO:
https://api.kroon-oil.com/pdf/en/safetysheet/SDS-095007-handy-oil-EN.pdf

Jonathan

Thanks jdsk

[Biospace]

I cleaned up a bike from Cheshire recently with the hardest to remove grot I've ever known. At one point it appeared nearly as tough as paint, but soaking in paraffin applied with a brush did soften it enough to be removed with brushes, a toothbrush and rags.

I find there's little which resists paraffin/kerosene/heating oil, it's also much cheaper than most other solvents (especially if you tap off from your domestic heating tank) and doesn't attack paint or plastics when left on to soak.

[Jdsk]

I find there's little which resists paraffin/kerosene/heating oil, it's also much cheaper than most other solvents (especially if you tap off from your domestic heating tank) and doesn't attack paint or plastics when left on to soak.

The Hierarchy of Solvents
https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7292&start=15#p1520512

Jonathan

[Biospace]

The Hierarchy of Solvents
https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7292&start=15#p1520512

Jonathan

There are other hierarchies beyond the chemical ones, dependent on circumstance. Those including cost, time, your lungs and so on. There's not much grease, brake pad gloop and dust mix which doesn't soften well when left in gentle, safe(ish) paraffin - most (if not all) of those in your linked post are volatiles.

Rapid evaporation also largely rules out leaving to soak, time is a free and powerful tool which we often overlook in our rushed lives, something which was brought home to me when first filtering used oils. The other benefit of a solvent which doesn't evaporate is that there's less chance of scratching underlying surfaces as the grot dissolves into an oily suspension, but a drip tray is something you don't need if using petrol.

Has anyone used a jet of steam?

[Jdsk]

The Hierarchy of Solvents
https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7292&start=15#p1520512

There are other hierarchies beyond the chemical ones, dependent on circumstance. Those including cost, time, your lungs and so on.

Definitely, lots of other factors including those and damage to the environment and other hazards.

Jonathan

[Rollo]

Will echo Eyebrox on the Fairy Liquid front - that stuff can take you a long way.

I've deep cleaned a lot of old drivetrains and found a mixture of soaking with Cif Outdoor bbq cleaner (i know..) and warm fairy liquid gets a lot of the job done. benefit is the Cif can be bought from most supermarkets, it is good stuff and not too potent - I think it is citrus based but is far more effective than any of the 'muc-off' type citrus bike specific degreasers I've tried.
https://www.cifclean.co.uk/products/catalog/cif-outdoor-bbq-spray-450-ml.html

2 cents richer

Rollo