Power washing a little giant?

[Derek Melton]

I may have the opportunity to buy a 25# Little Giant in the near future. It was in running condition last I'd heard just a few months ago. I've seen some pictures of it but have not seen it in person, yet.  The pictures show that it seems mechanically sound but it is nearly completely covered in heavy black grease and bits of scale. It looks like it would be difficult to determine the true mechanical state of it, any cracks, etc without doing something like a hot power wash to it.  Is there any danger of doing so? (besides the danger to the 110v motor attached to it)

Thanks!

[ThomasPowers]

Remove the motor, I'd cover the oil cups on top of the bearings if possible as well and oil things after the wash.  Hard to hurt these unless you leave water in the bearings!  And as the old method was almost "flow through" oiling it's a good sign that it shows signs of having been oiled a lot.

I have a circa WWI boys book where they build an airplane and one of the required positions besides Pilot was an oiler stationed at the engine of the plane...

[Judson Yaggy]

I've heard of guys taking the trailer with the hammer on it thru the car wash on the way home.  Like Thomas said, as long as you don't let the water sit between moving parts for long you should be ok. Proper lubrication will get it pretty greasy again in short order thou, so be prepared.  

[Frosty]

When I brought mine home from Moose Pass, I sprayed it down with a couple cans of engine degreaser let it sit for a few hours then took it to the car wash. Yeah, pulled the motor first but I was going to move it anyway. I'd stood it on end at the shop before degreasing it, laying on it''s side hid half of it. You should've seen the looks on the guys at the car wash when I pulled it into the bay. Big sign says "NO PARTS CLEANING!!" Both guys came right over to confront me about it. All I had to do is LOOK at them and they left.

Of course had they known how much oil, grease and old gooey gunk was going to end up on their floor . . . I spent about $10.00 on hot soapy high pressure water and deep rinsing. She was ready to paint when I got her offloaded. Worth every penny.

Frosty The Lucky.

[paradox1559]

Did you get before and after pictures frosty? I bet it was extremely satisfying to see it cleaned up.

[Frosty]

Pic one is taking a break at Ingram Creek on Turnagain Arm, coming home. Pic 2 is right after I got the 4" x 12" base built and stood her up for the first time in the shop. Then I laid her back down on the trailer after spraying 4-5 cans of engine degreaser and carb cleaner on her. The last pic is pressure washed, painted and in place. The scatter shield is installed in front of the spring but before I made the brake. She's clean and pretty.

Frosty The Lucky.

 

   

[HIGHSIDER]

Wow...just wow! Lovely set of photo's Frosty....

[Frosty]

Nothing like a fresh coat of paint to make a 100 yr. old machine look new. She's never been that clean again. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[CMS3900]

I dig the gold lettering Frosty.  I do that on all my machines.

[Dave H.]

If it's not covered in grease & oil, it's low on grease & oil!

 

Just ask Clifton Ralph! ;-)

 

[Frosty]

If it's slobbering oil you're using too much. Oil running down the side of your hammer is exactly what use? Only the oil I put on the slides gets loose and I'd change that if I could. I have Mr. Ralph's videos and they're outstanding, I recommend them to anyone learning to use a power hammer. But if your hammer is in good condition it'll work perfectly well with a few DROPS of oil where indicated. Modern oils have a HUGE film strength compared with old type non detergent motor oils, that's where the oxymoronic designation of 10-40 weight came from. NO nothing can have two different viscosities, that's as impossible as a brick having two different weights. 

What 10-40 actually means is the oil has an actual viscosity of 10 weight oil but the film strength of 40 weight. It flows more easily and fits in smaller spaces while having the same lubricating power of thick oil.

I use chainsaw bar oil with about 1/4 cup of Duralube engine oil additive based on some special "Super Sliperoo formula. I haven't turned my power hammer on in a couple months, one of the dovetails isn't right and a friend is making me a new one in his "spare time" but I can turn the crank plate by hand once I release the brake and it turns like it's on butter.

Truth is you could lube a LG with bacon grease or Wesson if that's what you have but they really don't need to be dripping oil, that's just . . . Icky goo. Of course that's just my opinion I could be wrong.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Same with my Star, a little oil goes a long way and after ten or so years of use the only thing that gets oil on it is the clutch (which I have recently cleaned) and the sliding hammer. All of the bearing holes get just a drop and the main bearing oil well's a squirt and she's good to go.

Never been dripping in oil under my watch. I have just recently learned the hammer will work better with a graphite grease than oil.