Cleaning winches

[Tanqueray]

Here are some winches I got off a derelict old boat, and how I got them back into working order...

These are on my boat and have been working fine for several years now.

The drums are not perfect, but they are certainly useable.

Greg

https://youtu.be/tbeIp38Y6Fs?si=FnVrY6y3A-2urE4u

[SofaKingFishy]

Originally Posted by fxykty

You can use a stainless cleaner and polisher.

No you can’t. Those are chrome over brass. Gonna need to get them re-chromed, and for that hassle & cost, just buy new. We do this professionally- oil absorbing mats spread out as needed, pour some Mineral spirits in a plastic dishpan & methodically clean everything and reassemble with a light coat of Super Lube. Done.

[meirriba]

Originally Posted by Leadfree

Take a cardboard box that's a little bigger than the winch and cut it such that it just fits over the winch, and reach in to take the winch apart. This will contain the little parts that may go flying.

Attachment 295088

Second that!!!

[lestersails]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Replacing the pawls and spings is good practice, particularly if old. They don't need to be replace every time, but certainly this time.

Can you hang some numbers on this "old"? Or is it one of those very broad ranges but depends on the visible condition of things. I have a 2016 boat (bought used) with winches that I suspect have never been serviced.

[Cpt Mark]

[QUOTE=SofaKingFishy;3943454]No you can’t. Those are chrome over brass. Gonna need to get them re-chromed, and for that hassle & cost, just buy new.

Buddy of mine had a CT41. Stripped the chrome off and just had gorgeous bronze winches after

[sinnerman]

I used mineral spirits (Home Depot/ACE hardware) for the solvent.

An old toothbrush to work off the old grease.

When rebuilding, I installed new pall springs & pawls. As a minimum you should change the springs...

My main (genoa) winches needed to be removed from the boat to take out the lower gear (access from teh bottom...)

VERY LIGHT grease on the gear teeth, mating surfaces and rotating asssemblies.(shafts)

Use Oil ONLY on the pawls. Grease may make them stick.

Lewmar sells a maintenance pack for the winches. Oil, grease, pawl springs. The brush that comes with it is to apply the grease. Just a light brushing of grease is all that is required.

There are winch repair manuals / parts lists on line on various blogs. You will need to know your exact model name (Ex: "Wavegrip" etc.) to figure out which manual/parts are applicable for you.

Do a google search then match up the pictures online to what winches you have on your boat to figure out your model.

Parts for older winches may be hard to come by with the exception of pawls, springs, bearings. I had to have some parts made for my old lewmars...

Winch covers will keep the rain water out of them. (My winches were corroded inside from standing rain water)

My two cents

cheers

[GarryD]

Assuming you don't have any diagrams, before you take each part off, take a photo of the assembly. Hopefully you will then be able to re-assemble.

[thinwater]

The OP is not interested in cleaning the inside or function. He's just selling the boat. He just wants to make them pretty.


"From what i see they work ok. Not perfect but usable till the boat is sold. Any way to clean the winch exterior while still mounted?"

[Nicholson58]

I removed and disassembled totally one at a time. Soak them immersed in solvent for as long as it takes to remove all grease. I had the luxury of a commercial solvent bath where I worked. Started the soak in the morning and took the bucket home at night.

[sailcrazy]

We've had really good luck using spray can Brake Cleaner. It cleans, removes the grime, and dries very quickly. Easy to use, can pin-point the spray-tube, does an excellent job of cleaning, and leaves no residue.FWIW.

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by thinwater

That looks like pitted chrome plating over bronze to me. You can polish it some, but it will still be pitted.

Correct. There are companies rechroming such parts. Some have even moderate prices.

[barnakiel]

If they are bronze - the drums, then you can have them re-chromed (I think it is not always chrome, probably also nickel has been used on some).



They will look NEW.


The plastic part avoid Vaseline or other petroleum based ingredients. I found silicon based material is safer on the plastic parts.


A cleaned winch, an older one, may rattle. This is often easily solvable by adding a new, thicker, bronze ring on top (below the drum, over the body).


b.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by lifeofreilly57

When re-assembling the winches on our boat I've been using green grease, which is available in full size tubes from a number of auto parts stores.
It was picked as a best value by Practical Sailor in a comparison test a number of years ago ...

The colour of a grease does not change the performance characteristics, and it is only the manufacturer who determines what colour their grease is.

I expect that lifeofreilly57 is referring to the brand of OMNI Waterproof “Green Grease”, marketed by Omni Lubricants/CITGO Petroleum Corporation - not a generic green-coloured grease.

Data Sheets ➥ https://greengrease.com/pages/datasheets

[more]

you can soak in good piss ,1 million year still be pitted plating brass.
late remove old plating, polish, heat to 600°C plating nickel/chrome what you want

or late remove old plating, polish, heat to 600°C paint transparent
next time buy SS winch.
PS soon I remove lewmare windlass and try remove old plating ,repaint and sale
I order new windlass lofrans pure SS 316L