RC10Talk - The Net's Largest Vintage R/C Community

I’m finding the threads on the big bore shocks are very hard to clean. My brushes don’t seem to be fine enough to clean the threads out.

Soak in a degreaser like purple power?

I’ve been wanting a sonic cleaner, anyone use those?

How do you clean em?

Lots of cleaning solutions aren't safe for aluminum. Simple Green Pro HD (purple) is. Its the only thing that I use in my ultrasonic (other than water).

My ultrasonic is a Harbor Freight cheapie, works great.

I’m looking at this one so I can use it for larger stuff too like carbs and gun parts.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3L-Stainless-Steel-Digital-Dental-Ultrasonic-Cleaner-Sonic-Cleaning-Equipment/143073713095?hash=item214fdb9bc7:g:mggAAOSwEJdf0GrP

Use a small brush and alcohol. Be careful cleaners will strip anodizing and those threads are fairly fragile to begin with. Once you're done cleaning add a couple drops of shock oil.

Toothbrush 'em with a squirt of WD-40, that'll loosen up the gunk, then wipe. With the threads, I've used a cloth pinched onto the top of the threads with thumb & finger and "unscrew" the cloth all the way, that works very well. I did that recently in fact, with the threaded shocks on my F-Bomb WLToys 144001 project.

Toothbrush... just don’t use the wifes.

mAdMan

When ever I clean threaded shock bodies I always remove the springs and thoroughly clean the threads with a toothbrush.
Then lightly oil the shock body and remove the spring collar.
The trapped dirt is very abrasive on the threads.

I've changed from Simple Green to plain old dishwashing liquid and warm to hot water. For me it just works better.

Chuck

mAdMan wrote: ↑Wed Apr 07, 2021 12:42 pm I’m looking at this one so I can use it for larger stuff too like carbs and gun parts.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3L-Stainless-Steel-Digital-Dental-Ultrasonic-Cleaner-Sonic-Cleaning-Equipment/143073713095?hash=item214fdb9bc7:g:mggAAOSwEJdf0GrP

That looks like the ultrasonic cleaner that I got. It works great, and with this cleaner: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/krud-kutter-parts-washer-1-gal?cm_vc=-10005, I'm amazed by how clean parts actually get with no effort on my part. It doesn't bother anodized aluminum, but it does tend to darken raw aluminum if left in too long.

I use a product called "Krud Kutter"... it comes in multiple variants, the one with the purple label is the best... the red-label one works well too. Spray it down, let it soak for about 5 minutes, then go at it with a toothbrush and warm water. The shocks will look like new after you wipe then off. It's the same thing I use to remove stubborn residual grease from everything from transformers in my substation, to yaw and pitch drives uptower in the wind turbines I maintain. Great product!!!

CRC LectraMotive motor parts cleaner? That's what the cigar- chomping, big-bellied, peak-charging, battery-blowing-upping old guys were shooting around all up in their shock bodies at the track when I was kid.