Tales from the Workshop: Power Washing your Engine Part 1 of 7

[Stefan Krebs]

Another tale on the Internet is, that you can clean mechanisms by running them in water. As I had several slot car chassis, new old-stock from the 70ties that were oozing gunged oil, it was time for a trials series. No apologies that these are no model railway engines, but you struggle to find a job lot of 8 new old-stock engines with gunged oil like that. As the forum allows only a total maximum of 300kb per message this comes in 7 instalments, because I think you want reasonable sized pictures to be able to see detail.

Picture 1: Brown Sauce, but not as we like it, nor where I like it; this 30 year old lubrication oil is sticky like blue tack with a consistency like thick honey.

[Stefan Krebs]

Picture 2: Into a jar of clean tap water, with power leads attached, at about 8V out of 16V; note the lit light, but no action, other than the bubbles from the anchor as it warms up. The gunge stops the anchor rotating.

[Stefan Krebs]

Picture 3: A couple of careful notches with a tooth pick on the gearwheel, action as I like it

[Stefan Krebs]

Picture 4: Some soap shavings, very small amounts, added, - and vol

[Stefan Krebs]

Picture 5: That doesn

[Stefan Krebs]

Picture 6: The gunge comes out, evidently

[Stefan Krebs]

Picture 7: Comparison, before and after; no price for guessing, which is which

Even though we learn some corrosion

[Hobby]

Very interesting but why is it in the "baseboards" section of the forum? Surely it should be in the "locomotives" section...

[Stefan Krebs]

Dear Hobby,

Good question well asked! :laugh:
Not sure why you suggest 'locomotives' though, I'm not talking locomotives specifically. :o

Simply, because the section is titled: "Baseboard and CONSTRUCTION".

As we don't have a 'Tips & Tricks' or a 'Workshop' or an 'Experience' or a 'Maintenance' section, I was left with the 'Construction' section of the forum.

Now, don't ask me, why that's lumped together with baseboards, it wasn't me who's done it; - honestly, guv. You have to ask the wise owl who came up with the structure of this forum. ;D

Don't tell me this forum could do with a better structure, I'm not in charge; tell the wise old owl when you meet it.

Kind Regards
Waldschrat