General Wheel Cleaning

[Doneldon]

Joe-

The very low vapor pressure of acetone is a big part of what makes it dangerous. In that regard it's more dangerous than gasoline. Gasoline is very difficult to set on fire though gas vapor is exceedingly explosive. Acetone vapor can also explode and it becomes a vapor very fast, much faster than gasoline. It's also readily flammable unlike gasoline. And it is very destructive of the central nervous system. Just because people who use it can still spell their names and aren't (yet) incontinent doesn't mean that damage isn't accumulating. People can drink wood alcohol and gasoline for a long time before they begin to see spiders climbing all over the wall, but we wouldn't urge anyone to use those substances.

I'm not trying to convince anyone to avoid acetone because it is too dangerous. On the contrary, I routinely use it myself. I do maintain that its potential for fire, explosion and central nervous system damage should be respected.
                                                                                                                                    -- D

[jonathan]

Folks,

I've been following this thread, and thought some visual aids might be helpful to someone out there.

Admittedly, I have tried every method discussed in this thread, and past threads as well.  Overall they all seem to do a pretty good job of cleaning wheels, both locos and rolling stock. AND I've tried every evil chemical out there.  Don't have a favorite... 

The past couple of days, I have set about to clean my layout, including track and rolling stock. Here are a few photos of the wheel cleaning.

The chemical du jour was Goo Gone (smells nice), along with a few paper towels, toothpicks and soft cloth.  I sprinkled a little cleaning fluid on a paper towel and ran the stock along the top, like so:



For passenger cars, it takes two towels:


Don't need this example, but I just finished building this caboose:


The paper towels look like this afterwards:


For diesels, as mentioned previously, one can set one set of trucks on the paper towel and let the other truck pick up power from the track:


Steamers are a bit more complicated.  I turn them upside down in a self-made cradle and apply power by using some alligator clips I made:


If you're in a hurry, this "speedi-driver" works in a pinch:


Anyway, I apply the cleaning solution to each driver with a toothpick, followed by wiping with a soft cloth, all while power is turning the wheels.  I like about 50% throttle for this operation:




I also spend some time picking out fuzz with a toothpick and fine tweezers.

I clean the tender wheels individually, pulling them from the truck, dipping in the solution and wiping dry.  Don't forget the tender pick up brushes.  They get gunky:

And they do wear down over time.  This loco gets a ton of run time.  I wonder how long the brushes will hold up?

Hope this helps the discussion.

Regards,

Jonathan

[jbrock27]

Good idea on the pics Jonathon, thank you.
Is that "brush/spring" you are holding in your last picture, made of copper?  If it is, what I do with the copper clips from "A" blue box motors, is take them off and soak them in a small bowl with white vinegar.  Cleans them like new.  Not sure if vinegar would do the same for brass

Doc, you make me wonder if you are from California

[jonathan]

Vinegar is a weak acid.  I soak brass in vinegar, in order to etch it prior to applying primer and paint.  I think the Bachmann brushes are phosphor bronze.  Don't know what vinegar would do to them. 

Regards,

Jonathan

[jbrock27]

Thank you for the info Jonathon.

[jbrock27]

I meant to say Jonathan.  Sorry.

[Doneldon]

Doc, you make me wonder if you are from California

jb-

Interesting supposition, I suppose, although I'm not sure just what you mean. You are partly right, however.

I was born in Chicago and lived there until I was four and my family moved to NW Indiana. We lived there through grade school and for eighth grade. We lived out in the country, in a subdivision not a farm, and it was a fabulous place to be a child. I went to a tiny country school which only expanded to three rooms the year I started first grade. However, we spent just about every summer in the Los Angeles area so we could see my father. He worked for the Santa Fe Railway, with a schedule which had him gone for five days and then home for five days. At least that was the plan. The truth is that he was lucky to have a single night at home between trips (he traveled from Chicago to LA and back) during the summer travel season and at the holidays. So he worked a train which ran from Los Angeles to the racetrack at Del Mar, California, just north of San Diego, for the racing season which was Memorial Day to Labor Day. It was a five day a week job and we actually got to see him. We always hit national parks and stuff when traveling back and forth and we usually missed some school at the beginnings and ends of the school years. I liked school but a shorter year was cool. We lived in LA all year when I was in seventh grade, then returned to Valparaiso for a year, and then back to LA. He died that Christmas so we returned to Chicago where my mother had family and job connections. Then I lived in Chicago for high school and college. Finally, I moved to Minneapolis for graduate school and I've been here ever since except for two years of involuntary servitude with the government. As you can see, I lived about three or four years, total, in the LA basin.

I'm not sure what tipped you off to my time in California but you were quite astute to pick it up.
                                                                                                                                               -- D

[jbrock27]

Doc, ever hear the expression, "even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in while?".  That's me.  I was totally joking.  I only said that about you and CA bc of what I see as your cautious nature concerning chemicals (not w/o justification when it comes to certain ones) in relation to the labels one sees out of CA about "everything being known to cause cancer".  I believe it even says that on Plasticville kits-I can remember someone posting a question on the board asking if he had reason to be concerned over the warning label  

[Doneldon]

jb-

You still showed some fine intuition. As for California, well, there is a large element of Looney Tunes out there. It's the proverbial wonderful place to visit but you wouldn't want to live there. I, too, have noticed that just about everything seems to be known by the state of California to be hazardous to one's health in some way.

[jbrock27]

Thanks Doc.
I agree with your assessment 100% and no, I would not want to live there.
And yes, I believe in fact that I came across one of the Looney's yesterday.