Machine cleaning that wont contaminate coolant

[johnrobholmes]

Just finished install on a new to us Brother TC31-A and its got the thickest layer of grease and chips Ive ever seen! looks like 20 years of way oil buildup. My employees want to clean it up before we start running parts but we've always just kept our machines clean and never needed more than a swipe and coolant blast to get clean.

I know that purple power works really well, or we could use mineral spirits to break up what is basically chip covered cosmoline at this point. I'm hesitant to use anything thats going to be soapy or get into the coolant tank. My thought is just scrape it all down with plastic blades and hose down with the coolant blast but they are wanting a little deeper clean. So I ask the professionals here...

Any other suggestions?

 

[trevj]

Clean it before filling the coolant tank?

A shop vac or a couple cycles of solvent and rags, will go a long ways too.

Got any employees that deserve a little misery?

Gotta be done, and beats dealing with the lily pads growing in the coolant by a fair shot!

 

[Richard King]

Spend the money and do it right. If you can remove the tank, pull it out and use a steam cleaner. They rent them. You may need a wide putty knife too.

 

[johnrobholmes]

I'll see if I can find a steamer, that would be perfect. Otherwise it's solvent and scrapers! Got it warmed up and running today so we can traverse the axis and get to all the nooks now. Might as well lube everything before covers go back on too

 

[sfriedberg]

The worst machine tool surface I've had to clean was a hand turret lathe with an overall coating made of tiny splintery chips bonded by a varnish of decades of cutting fluid. That required solvents, coarse non-woven pads, and lots of elbow grease. I sincerely hope your "grease and chips" is not that kind of "patina".

 

[Richard King]

I'll see if I can find a steamer, that would be perfect. Otherwise it's solvent and scrapers! Got it warmed up and running today so we can traverse the axis and get to all the nooks now. Might as well lube everything before covers go back on too

Make sure to clean the lube pump and check all the tubes to be sure nothing is broken before putting the way covers back on...

 

[Steven-Canada]

Got any employees that deserve a little misery?

The ones that deserve misery, are not the ones who are good cleaners.

 

[trevj]

Yeah, but sooner or later they learn to take their habits down the road, or do a crappy job, well, once, rather than several times.

 

[Billy_C]

Got a DM1 from a small gun shop about 6 months ago. This machine was the worst I’ve seen since we were buying $1000 VFs in our younger years. The DM must have been near a paint booth or something because the entire machine was caked in a solidified coolant plus paint overspray combo. The tank cleaned out ok with the pressure washer but inside the machine was a nightmare. I had to use an industrial cleaner hot water mix and spray it down with that while scrubbing it all with a toilet brush. Then I flushed it with straight water. Then I slid the tank into place and cycled the coolant through it. I still had to put a skimmer on the tank for a few months and that pulled a lot of the remaining grey goop out but it will still be dirty forever and the coolant lines will probably never flow that well unless I pull the entire thing apart to flush each line individually. That’s the way it goes.

 

[DDoug]

Some coolant manuf's sell cleaner to run thru your system first.

 

[Dan from Oakland]

My experience that solvent / hydrocarbon cleaners don't work well on the scum from our water based emulsion coolants. Floor wax stripper, Purple Power, etc seem to work the best with a minimum of scraping- spray it on, let it soften or dissolve the crud, rinse/wipe it off and repeat as necessary

 

[Blaser Swisslube]

It's likely that the greasy build up is from cosmoline that's sometimes applied to new machines and tools. You're first step is spot on. Use a plastic scraper to get the heavier residue. Then, try a mineral spirit to help with dissolve what else you can't get off with the scraper. Apply the mineral spirit with a softer cloth if you can.

 

[johnrobholmes]

I've been scraping for days it seems! Getting all the big crud off with a plexi scrap and then i'll come back with a hose from the coolant pump and wash it off with a stiff brush. Also have an employee with a handheld steamer that will tackle tough spots if needed. Outside is coming clean with windex. Its gonna look sharp and be a fresh start!

Looks like the machine was ran with the covers off a bit so I'll have to vacuum under it too, tested travels today and parked it with the ballscrews at full extend so we can start that tomorrow.

 

[johnrobholmes]

Hosed it down while filling the tank and it looks like most of the buildup was water soluable oils. Tank looks filled with coolant, lol!

Not perfectly clean yet, but I should be able to use the coolant pump, a rubber hose, and stiff brush for the rest of it.

Windex on the exterior and she's looking ready to go!

 

[Blaser Swisslube]

That's great to hear! Sounds like you're getting close to perfectly clean

 

[Mr. Atoz]

Some coolant manuf's sell cleaner to run thru your system first.

We use a product called Renoclean. You add it to your sump and run the machine for a couple of days before pump out. It goes a long way to breaking up some of the crud, including what is in the lines. You will still need to remove the sump and pressure wash. If you dont get the tank clean, you are will be doing it again before needed.

 

[Bill D]

I wonder if dry ice blasting would work? It is supposed to be good for grease since it cools it and makes it breakable. Unlike sandblasting which just pushes it around. I would guess dry ice blasting would be okay for precision machined surfaces?
Bill D