Seeing what’s under time grime?

[Bobbbenner]

What do you use to clean up the grime from years of use or sitting?
Sand blasting? Dos and don’t.
Chemical sprays that wash off?
Elbow grease?
Intricate parts?
Solvent baths?
We’ve got the TT running pretty good, it’s now time to work on the cab, truck bed, wooden wheels, check out the bearings, add Rocky Mountain brakes then actually get insurance, license it, and drive it off the farm.
I know that working without gunk from time would be a godsend! How do you do that?
Lastly, thanks to all the posts, I’ve learned so much from this collective gathering. B

[John kuehn]

No magic involved here unfortunately. You listed what I would try and do. This applies to cleaning up old grime and grease from most older equipment.
Scrapeing using whatever works best for your situation. After removing the worst of it or before use a degreaser of some sort to soften things up and pressure wash it. Repeat as necessary.
I’ve cleaned up old tractors and etc doing the above before starting to work on anything and letting them sit out and dry in our Texas sun.

[RustyFords]

I attack things first with scrapers, screwdrivers, wire brushes, etc....manually.

Then I start im with those things in conjunction with solvents like acetone, degreaser, etc.

Then a final attack with just the solvents.

Then a pressure wash or steam/pressure wash, being careful not to get water in places where water shouldn't be.