Stripping winches

[Olly75]

So I've just spent five hours stripping and cleaning years worth of grease, salt and general crud from one of my winches (to be fair it took me a while to work out how to put it back together again....). As I have another seven to do I'm wondering if there's a tried and tested way to speed the cleaning process up? Or do I just need to man up and accept I'm going to spend the next couple of days stabbing myself with a screwdriver and a dentists pick......

[robert sailor]

Don't know what brand of winch you are cleaning but usually a small paint brush and a pan of kerosene will get the job done, an old tooth brush for the tougher areas. Make sure you oil your pawls and learn how to hand pack bearings and you'll be good to go.

[Olly75]

Thanks, I've been using mineral thinners and started with a tooth brush, and ended up using a putty knife, small screwdriver, dentist pick and finally a wire brush (not steel) to get in all the nooks and crannis.

Would kerosene be more effective tan mineral thinners at just disloving the caked on crap?

They are old barient winches if that makes a difference?

[scherzoja]

Have you let the parts soak over night (or longer) in solvent?

I've just finished cleaning about 10 winches. Some were my old winches, others were ebay purchases. Most of the grime came off (paint thinner). most of the grease came off quickly, but there were hard deposits of the dense grease crud you are trying to clean.

You tried burning it off with a torch? (just joking!).
Good luck. That dense crap takes a while.

[redsky49]

I have used diesel fuel to clean old grease, along with a stiff (industrial style ?) toothbrush.
Soaking overnight certainly helps.
Sorry, but there us no magic solution. Just grunt work.

[Jim Cate]

Sometimes one of the commercial degreasers will do better. Spray on a heavy coat, let soak for as long as convenient, then hose off with as high pressure water as you have at hand. More than one application may be needed, but you can be working on one whilst the others are soaking. Each one will likely be easier... longer soak times coupled with more experience... you'll fly through the last one!

And you will enjoy better winching experiences for months to come.

Jim

[Olly75]

I'll try a long soak, but not sure I can use a commercial degreaser the marina will have a fit if they see me washing it off with water!

Elbow grease is the way forward!

[TheOffice]

A little PB Blaster goes a long way. Spray them all and let them sit for a while then soak in a degreaser overnight

[robwilk37]

put mine in the oven and warmed them up to 200 or so. then engine de-greaser. worked a charm.

[OZwingle]

Now that you're started the key is to service winches frequently; say every six months. Don't let the grease get dry and hard. Remember that most greases absorb salt, therefore clean frequently. And use a very light machine oil on the pawls and their springs. I like bicycle chain oil: designed for high salt and grimy road environments.

Dedicate an old dishwashing tub to hold all the parts, paper towels, oils and greases, etc. while working. This keeps the mess off the deck. Teriaki sticks make great tools to clean small and hard to reach spaces. The bamboo is strong enough to be a good scraper, but won't mar or damage the parts. Use a pencil sharpener to renew the point as needed.

[Blue Stocking]

Invest in a plastic bucket that is slightly larger than your biggest winch, and some PURPLE BLASTER de-greaser. Best product since sliced bread !

No connection, just use it to service winches regularly.

[Benz]

I use WD-40. It's very cost-effective if you buy it in gallon cans and decant into a squirt bottle.

[puffcard]

I use kerosene or diesel, about the same stuff does well with toothbrush. Cheap and leaves a protective film.

[Suijin]

Whatever solvent/degreaser you use the key is to soak overnight and a stiff toothbrush.

Also go easy on the grease when you reassemble. A light smear on mating/contact parts is all that’s needed.

[thinwater]

One of my favorite tools for working on winches on-board is a plastic cafeteria tray. Nothing rolls away and the mess is contained. Many uses on-board.