Granny Cruiser, bearing cleanup

Decided to start cleaning up the chain and crank + fork bearings in order to advance the details of this project in the “background”. The parts to be cleaned up are simply left to soak in mineral turpentine for a few days, during which most of the dirt and grease will dissolve from the parts. Afterwards, only rinsing and/or light brushing is needed to remove the remainders.

1st batch of parts after being soaked for a couple of days.

A cut-up plastic canister makes a pretty decent soaking tray. Rinsing can be simply performed by tilting the canister from side to side and there’s also plenty of room for brushing the parts. For the latter, a toothbrush is pretty good for detail work. I like modifying a toothbrush more “ergonomic” by heating the shaft right next to the brush tip (a heat gun works the best) and then bending the handle slightly to an upward angle.

Dirty bearing vs. a cleaned one.. Plus the "ergonomic" brush :)

Chains after the first rinse.

Removing the dirt exposed quite a bit of rust on the chains. After all, the estimated 25 – 30 years of use (given for Donor #1) should show somewhere.. ;). Anyway, as long as the chains aren’t rusted stiff, they’ll be just fine once fresh chain lube is applied. The bearing cups had a few rust spots in them, so I have to see whether replacements might be needed.

"Results" after the 1st batch.

The chains still had some small lumps of dirt here and there so I tossed them back in with the 2nd batch. Next rinse in a day or two..

2nd batch of parts soaking up. The turpentine still looks somewhat transparent.