Thread: How to slow-clean gearbox housings?

Soak them in diesel for a few weeks, then wash with detergent or degreaser.

caustic soda will do the trick, especially if your going to melt them down.

what are you casting ??

Diesel sounds like it would do the trick, although might be a bit of a fire hazard having half a 44 full sitting behind the shed long term? Someone on another forum has suggested a biodegradable cleaner called 'simple green', perhaps I should do a small-scale experiment with cost vs effectiveness of each.

Originally Posted by goingbush

caustic soda will do the trick, especially if your going to melt them down.

what are you casting ??

Posted simultaneously...
been in the process of slowly setting up a home foundry for about the last 18 months, just getting to the pointy end and did my first actual part today, a gear quadrant for my universal dividing head. Came out a treat. Have a few other parts in the queue, next is a replacement for a broken power-feed gearbox on my milling machine.

Caustic soda sounds like a distinct possibility- would need a plastic drum rather than a steel one?

Transfer case housings come out pretty good when you put them through the dishwasher!

That sounds useful, I just bought this the other day - hasn't arrived yet

6"/160mm Vertical & Horizontal Rotary Table, 3-Jaw Chuck, 3-Dividing Plates Kit | eBay

A DIY forge is on the agenda , more to do some tempering and case hardening of bits Im making on the mill rather than a foundry - that might disturb the neighbours

Originally Posted by goingbush

That sounds useful, I just bought this the other day - hasn't arrived yet

6"/160mm Vertical & Horizontal Rotary Table, 3-Jaw Chuck, 3-Dividing Plates Kit | eBay

Very handy bit of kit. I was looking out for ages for an original Elliott universal dividing head to go on my Elliott universal mill, found a nice Italian one instead and am having to make the missing parts so I can do compound dividing and helical stuff. Looking forward to making the gear train for it.

Originally Posted by rrturboD

Transfer case housings come out pretty good when you put them through the dishwasher!

I actually thought about looking out for an old dishwasher for the workshop, but as these bits aren't needed in any hurry I thought just a soaker would be simpler.