cleaning wheels.

I first hand "lathe" heavy build-up off plastic and metal wheels with a 3x40 (or other small flat head) screwdriver.  Then I use 91% isopropyl alcohol on Q-tips (not 70% that's 30% water).  Hold the head of the screwdriver against the flat surface of a wheel at about 2 o'clock with one hand at a slight upward angle.  Turn the wheel with your other hand toward the edge of the screwdriver and watch chunks and shims of the old stuff fly off.  Cleaning with the Q-tips in a similar fashion then goes much faster and produces better results.  If you want, then shine up metal wheels with a Dremel, but be careful not to use to course an attachment and/or too high of a speed.   

I basically do the same as Sgaugian except instead of alcohol I use WD 40 or Break free CLP. Not only are my wheels clean but lubricated also. I also wipe down the metal chassis to prevent rust from fingerprints. 

I used 91% IPA for years.  After I read this article, I switched to mineral spirits.  If there is thick crud, I scrape first with a knife or screwdriver, like Dave does.

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws...ne/index.html?page=9

@Lehigh74 thanks for that very interesting article. This explains a lot and why I saw an improvement when I switched from IPA to mineral spirits. 

Lehigh74 posted:

I used 91% IPA for years. 

I've had 12% IPA from Dogfish Head and while very good, it was really potent.  Generally, I use 6% and their 9% for special occasions.  But I must say IPA is my favorite overall.

Tom Stoltz

I have posted in the past how I clean the wheels of the 100+ cars on my S gauge layout. As far as which solvent or cleaner to use, there are a number that will work and to some extent it is personal preference. I use a spray electrical contact cleaner that is plastic safe. Make a 3' long section of track on a workspace. cover it in paper towels and soak the towels with the solvent. Run each car back and forth until no more dirt shows on the paper towels while sliding the towels sideways across the rails to expose clean space. It takes no more than 20 second per car and all the wheels are completely clean when done. There is no flicker with any of the illuminated cars.

I do the scrape technique per Dave's instructions only when I buy a new collectable that has 50+ years of crud buildup.

Lehigh74 posted:

I used 91% IPA for years.  After I read this article, I switched to mineral spirits. 

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws...ne/index.html?page=9

Great article. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for sharing the article Lehigh74.  I wonder if the IPA they refer to is 30% water or 70% IPA as opposed to 91% IPA which is only 9% water.  That's what I use.  I also use CRC QD Contact Cleaner.  I used to use mineral spirits, but the fumes are much greater and my wife would always say "what are you doing down there (basement) or what's that smell on you hands".  When momma's happy, we're all more happy.  The fume-less version never seemed to work as well.  Then there's the age old debate about whether to light oil your wheel and track surfaces...  Must be a dozen strings about that somewhere.  I've found it unnecessary and prefer to use green ScotchBrite pad on rails (never sand paper, steel wool, or pumice impregnated blocks - they can score railhead, especially postwar rails and make matters worse faster), then 91% on a rag.  "Lathe" and 91% wheels.  CRC QD when and if required on either of them and/or engine/rolling stock parts.  Aerosol lube wise, never WD-40 -- turns to a tacky varnish like film in about 5 years.  CRC 5-56, CRC-PowerLube, or Blaster General Purpose.  Oils and grease some other time.   

Lehigh74 posted:

I used 91% IPA for years.  After I read this article, I switched to mineral spirits.  If there is thick crud, I scrape first with a knife or screwdriver, like Dave does.

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws...ne/index.html?page=9

Yes, really great article -- thank you.  Did a search on Goo Gone and found this from the article's author:

Goo-Gone lists its major ingredients as petroleum distillates (2.2) and d-Limonene (2.26). Therefore, the dielectric constant for Goo-Gone is 2.26, making it non-polar.

However, just because a solvent is non-polar isn’t the only consideration. Goo-gone and all citrus solvent turn into a thick pitch-like material as they age. I have heard many horror stories about people using Goo-gone to clean their track later to regret it because the residue gums things up badly.

No more Goo gone for me.  There still is the question of which ones are okay for plastic wheels.  And what to clean traction tires with?

Tom Stoltz

Sgaugian - I note you said to (you) never use WD-40, but in the chart part of the article it showed a WD-40 Contact Cleaner (which I've never used or heard of) rated much higher than 'Regular WD-40'. Perhaps the Contact Cleaner product has different qualities than the Regular? (eg. Dry Lube)

I've been using Goo-Gone with a Centerline track cleaning car for over 30 years with no ill effects.

Metal wheels, plastic wheels, traction tires.  No problems.

Rusty

Goo Gone says not to use on rubber and I lost two traction tires after using it… clean first, read instructions second.  So, with that in mind, do I go after the plastic wheels with the non-polar kerosene? 

I remember from the tape-recording days that rubbing alcohol was used to clean the rubber capstan roller.  What do you think about traction tires? -- except it's polar...

Tom -- you mention "As far as which solvent or cleaner to use, there are a number that will work and to some extent it is personal preference. I use a spray electrical contact cleaner that is plastic safe. "  Which one do you find best?

Ray, you have a large fleet, what do you do?

Tom Stoltz -- feeling bi-polar

in Maine

I use Naphtha. Track, metal wheels, plastic wheels, traction tires, plastic car bodies, metal locomotive shells, whatever you need to clean, it will clean it. Does not harm paint.

I scrape the heavy gunk off with an X-Acto knife blade, then finish up with the Naphtha.

Larry

Ballistol gun cleaner and lubricant.  Works for me.

The dielectric constant of naphtha is 1.8, which is great.  However, the health concerns are many…

Kerosene anybody?

Tom Stoltz

Tom, for cleaning the plastic and metal wheels on the rolling stock Goo Gone or CitraSolv will work but I use a spray contact cleaner that is plastic safe. I spray it on the paper towels as described above. The one I have is made by CAIG Laboratories Inc. Fry's had it on sale in six packs. Fry's is a SoCal Electronics big box store.

I also use this to clean the track. That way it has completely evaporated before any engines with traction tires run over it. I am sure there are may other products that will safely clean the track and wheels, I found this works so I have stayed with it.

The DeoxIT DS on the dielectric constant list as non-polar is made by Caig.  I have their contact lubricant and it seems to be good stuff.  I checked their website and as usual there is a ton of products to choose from.  I’m assuming their DeoxIT D-series is the one mentioned in the article.  There is a DeoxIT D5 spray on Amazon Prime, $14.29 for 5 oz – seems pricey.

I too have used Goo Gone for years, however after reading the supplement to Joe Fugate’s article about GG, I’m thinking that is the reasons things get dirty so quickly.  Anyway, I think it is time to try something else or maybe a new hobby.

Tom Stoltz

@Tom Stoltz  I have a can of the Deoxit D5 and yes, it was expensive.  It's gotten great reviews for marine uses, electronics, and audio equipment in particular.  I haven't tried it as a track cleaner, but I did use it on a Flyonel Geep.  The geep ran poorly even after cleaning the wheels and contacts so I applied some of the Deoxit and it made a huge difference.  Throttle became responsive and it started running very smoothly.

Mike A.

Mine is part #DCC-V510, called a Val-U Series Wash. It was not expensive and has worked great for the past 4 years on my layout. Once all the wheels are clean and all the track is clean the cars seem to be good for a year, judging from when I see slight flickering of illuminated cars. The high traffic areas of the track need a quick cleaning about every 3 months. I am using the MTH nickle silver flex track.

I estimate I operate the layout on average about 5 hours/week. Not having to clean the track frequently is a major improvement from when I was using the citrus based cleaners. It did not matter on my 5'x9' seasonal layouts with Gilbert track but on this layout I have 700' of track of which 40% is hidden.