Cleaning crud- maybe help for others

[canuguzzi]

I'm going through two recently bought bikes that need crud removed. Tried degreaser, barely touches it. Marvel Mystery oil is ok but a lot of work.

I heisted my wife's portable steam cleaner, the kind you can get at OHS or other similar stores. You fill it with deionized water and it heats it up and puts out a pretty good steam. I figured, why not put some degreaser in there and use that. I got some that isn't flammable and filled it 50-50 with DI water and the degreaser. Sure enough, it cuts through everything. The nice thing about the small portable steamer is that it is quiet, no big monstrosity to pull around and the steam isn't going to blast into something you don't want or shoot across the room.

After degreasing that way the item gets a water rinse and its super clean. If the item can rust, best to prevent that right away because any rust preventative that was there is now gone.

I'm gifting my wife a new steamer.

[Huzo]

Starting soon on my Mk 2 Le Mans, engine is not filthy but what you'd expect for a bike it's age. I don't want it to look brand new but clean in a used way, I'll take that suggestion on board. Some of the results I've seen from soda blasting removes that "factory finish" look from the castings.

[Toystoretom]

Nice! We have a steam cleaner at work in our detail shop and they use some sort of special premix that I've never paid any attention to, I'll have to check that out. It may be similar to what you are using. I've seen those steam cleaners on E Bay from about $125 on up. You really could use that on all sorts of things.

[Turin]

I use shout detergent and a toothbrush. Works great.