How To: Clean your parts

[James P]

Yep, never discount boiling hot water (W or WO liberal amounts of Vim or Fantasik) after using a putty knife to scrap off crusted on gunk. Then brake cleaner (or another kettle of boiling water) to really wash off and dry the metal.

[Tony Smith]

Not just dirty, old parts! I find that ordinary plain boiling water is ideal for removing Cosmolene from NOS parts. If you do it in the kitchen sink (plugged) with water from the kettle (naturally, only when the wife is out of the house!), then the new parts come out with a slight waxy finish ready to use, and when cooled the Cosmolene can be recovered from the surface of the water for re-use. Cosmolene doesn't need petrol, parrafin or any other solvent other than boiling water.

You do this with the plug in the sink, because if you wash the molten Cosmo down the drain, eventually somewhere it will cool and reharden and block the drains. Guarantee you won't have that unblocked before the wife gets home and then you'll have some explaining to do!