Getting old castor out of hinges

[Tim Wescott]

Any good solvents to dribble on hinges to get old castor out of them?  I've tried just putting on 3-in-1 oil hoping that it'd loosen things up, but I'm not getting much joy.

[Joe Yau]

Any good solvents to dribble on hinges to get old castor out of them?  I've tried just putting on 3-in-1 oil hoping that it'd loosen things up, but I'm not getting much joy.

I use the 99% Isopropyl Alcohol for that with a cotton swap or use air to blow it clean.  but do be careful with paint finishes.

[Tim Wescott]

but do be careful with paint finishes.

Yes, that is my concern -- I can think of a lot of really effective solvents for the castor, but most of them would strip the paint off in a flash.  The isopropyl alcohol sounds like a good bet.

[Randy Cuberly]

Yes, that is my concern -- I can think of a lot of really effective solvents for the castor, but most of them would strip the paint off in a flash.  The isopropyl alcohol sounds like a good bet.

Tim,
I use something called REM OIL.  It's actually marketed by Remington Arms.  It's basically a good quality light oil with some very mild solvents and rust preservatives.  It comes in a spray can and is available at Gun Shops.  It won't damage finishes, at least none that I've ever tried it on.  It works well for freeing up engines that have been left with castor in them for too long and hinges that get sticky.  Works very well on guns also...
The can comes with a long skinny tube that allows application directly on to the hinge.  Squirt and wait about 2-3 minutes then move the hinges back and forth and wipe off.

Randy Cuberly

[Mark Scarborough]

I would think wd 40 might be an optoin,, perhaps soke them with some alchhol,, then blast them with the wd40
my planes havent lasted long enough to get congealed castor in the hinges?

[Tim Wescott]

I would think wd 40 might be an optoin,, perhaps soke them with some alchhol,, then blast them with the wd40
my planes havent lasted long enough to get congealed castor in the hinges?

You need to work on that.  I find it strange to look at my Twister and think that it may actually be showing wear.

[Randy Powell]

Or you could just use electric. No castor in the hinges.

[Scott B. Riese]

Or you could just use electric. No castor in the hinges.

REALLY??? Randy.......Old NO.7. Everclear. LOL

If the pins can come out...take your time. 120F with an air gun and an good blow of air should work

[Motorman]

Castrol super clean is a strong alkaline that will melt dried castor no problem. Haven't tried TileX or anything like that but I'm sure there are others that would work.

MM

[Tim Wescott]

Alcohol seems to be working.  I'm going to keep up with that, maybe mix in some oil after its as free as it's going to get so the alcohol will carry it into the hinge.

The tail is pinned with one long pin, but the flaps are pinned individually.  I could file the heads off the pins on the flaps, but if the horn is glued in that wouldn't help me anyway.

[wwwarbird]

 I just soak the wadded corner of a paper towel with alcohol and kind of wipe/work/mash it into the hinge point. A few times of doing that while working the hinge in between will do the trick. I've never needed to actually apply oil to them.

[Tim Wescott]

I just soak the wadded corner of a paper towel with alcohol and kind of wipe/work/mash it into the hinge point. A few times of doing that while working the hinge in between will do the trick. I've never needed to actually apply oil to them.

It may not be necessary to finish with oil, but I don't like the idea of leaving them dry.

It's pretty gummed up; the plane is going to fly better when I'm done, assuming that the rain ever stops.

[Mark Scarborough]

dry is better,, any oil will attract dirt,,

[billbyles]

dry is better,, any oil will attract dirt,,

Agreed Mark...dry is better; also, Sikkens M-600 works great to clean off old castor oil and will not affect any kind of paint whether it be dope, lacquer, two-part automotive clear or color, Rustoleum, etc.  Also, the solvent-based PPG equivalent of M-600 works well too.  Another readily available solvent that will work the same is Poly-Fiber C-2210 Paint Surface Cleaner.

[Mark Scarborough]

Agreed Mark...dry is better; also, Sikkens M-600 works great to clean off old castor oil and will not affect any kind of paint whether it be dope, lacquer, two-part automotive clear or color, Rustoleum, etc.  Also, the solvent-based PPG equivalent of M-600 works well too.  Another readily available solvent that will work the same is Poly-Fiber C-2210 Paint Surface Cleaner.

LOL,, yeah,, Sikkens M-600 would be good,, not sure why I didnt think of that one,, sigh,,
well done Bill LOL,,

[RknRusty]

Brake parts cleaner? That's my go-to cleaner for most everything mechanical, and it doesn't seem to bother my rustoleum paint jobs. Works fast and dries instantly. But if alky is doing it for you, stick with that.
Rusty

[Tim Wescott]

LOL,, yeah,, Sikkens M-600 would be good,, not sure why I didnt think of that one,, sigh,,
well done Bill LOL,,

I looked it up on the web and couldn't find much -- where is it available?

I oiled the hinges last night but I haven't taped the hinge lines yet; I'll probably wash the oil off before I finish.  I have plenty of time -- it's been raining for two days here, so we have 37 left to go.

[Mark Scarborough]

Tim.,.
M-600 is a wax and greas remover for painting,,
so DX-330, or pretty much any other wax and grease remover available at your local automotive refinish store would suffice,,
Sikkens is THE best of the lot though,,

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=sikkens+m-600


 

[Mark Scarborough]

Hey Tim,, have a great day,, the rain will stop soon,, followed by snow,, well here anyway

[Bill Johnson]

The primary ingredient it just about all these paint preps is aliphatic naphtha, otherwise known as lighter fluid. A little lighter fluid applied with an acid brush should clean up those hinges in no time.

[Shawn Lenci]

It is interesting that Bill Byles brought up Sikkens M-600 degreaser.  I purchased a gallon of this stuff about 20 years ago and it is about gone.  Here in good old California it is no longer CA compliant and or available.  At least not in my area.  I found that Oregon people, god love them, are not so worried about the environment  and it can be purchased there.  I contacted APIoregon.com (automotive paint distributer), just this past week, and found that I can pick it up in Medford on my way to the NW Regionals next spring.  It isn't inexpensive, $53 gallon, but is sure works great.

Shawn

[Mark Scarborough]

It is interesting that Bill Byles brought up Sikkens M-600 degreaser.  I purchased a gallon of this stuff about 20 years ago and it is about gone.  Here in good old California it is no longer CA compliant and or available.  At least not in my area.  I found that Oregon people, god love them, are not so worried about the environment  and it can be purchased there.  I contacted APIoregon.com (automotive paint distributer), just this past week, and found that I can pick it up in Medford on my way to the NW Regionals next spring.  It isn't inexpensive, $53 gallon, but is sure works great.

Shawn

hmmm 53$/20 years=2.65 a year,,
actually sounds pretty cheap from my chair 
agreed,, it seems pretty spendy to buy a gallon,, but when you think about the labor saved in not having to redo stuff because youcould actually get it clean? its not very expensive at all

[billbyles]

It is interesting that Bill Byles brought up Sikkens M-600 degreaser.  I purchased a gallon of this stuff about 20 years ago and it is about gone.  Here in good old California it is no longer CA compliant and or available.  At least not in my area.  I found that Oregon people, god love them, are not so worried about the environment  and it can be purchased there.  I contacted APIoregon.com (automotive paint distributer), just this past week, and found that I can pick it up in Medford on my way to the NW Regionals next spring.  It isn't inexpensive, $53 gallon, but is sure works great.

Shawn

All solvents have gone way up in price compared to just a very few years ago.  Dope thinner that I used to buy for $18.00/gallon is now about $42.00/gallon; MEK used to be about $17.00/gallon is now around $40.00/gallon and up.  All volatile solvents whether they be petroleum distillates, esters, ethers, etc. have gone way up thanks to government (EPA) regulations regarding their use and who can sell them.  Acetone is about the only solvent that is defined as "free" meaning there is no regulation about its VOC or health hazard in its use.

[Jim Kraft]

I use PB Blaster from Walmart to clean my dope finished planes, and it takes dried castor right off. Just another way to do it. Also a very good nut and bolt penetrating oil.

[Steve Helmick]

Ronson lighter fluid would be perfect...good applicator, too. If you want to use naptha, that'd do the same, but you'd need to bring your own eyedropper.  Steve

[bill bischoff]

How about a couple of drops of fuel? Fuel is a great solvent for gummed up engines, so why not hinges?

[Tim Wescott]

How about a couple of drops of fuel? Fuel is a great solvent for gummed up engines, so why not hinges?

Because then the oil in the fuel just congeals again.  I'd like to at least start with clean hinges.