Blacksmith39 Posted July 30, 2021 Share Posted July 30, 2021 I recently purchased a Champion 400 blower and I’m not sure what the most efficient way to clean it up is. The guy I bought it from said it hadn’t been used in a long time. It cranks smoothly and appears to be in excellent condition it’s just rusty. I want to clean it up really good before I oil it and start using it. I’m not sure how I should remove the rust and the gunk that’s inside the fan case. I’ve been wire wheeling parts of the outside of it but that’s taking forever and I know there’s probably plenty of better ways to do it. Any advice and tips on how to clean it up would be greatly appreciated. thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinDoc Posted July 30, 2021 Share Posted July 30, 2021 I am by no means an expert, but that is something I would probably try to sand blast if I could. I am sure others have better ideas that don't involve making a gigantic mess with media though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stash Posted July 30, 2021 Share Posted July 30, 2021 Whenever I get a new blower, I pull the fan cover off, remove the fan and clean the inside with whatever is appropriate- scraper, putty knife, wire wheel, etc. I pull the lid off the gearbox and flush the entire thing out with degreaser, mineral spirits, acetone or whatever is handy. If there is heavy rust buildup, scrape, wheel or sand. Thats about it. If I want to paint it, I do a rattle can primer for rusty metal and finish as desired. Other than that I put it back together, add oil as appropriate to the gear box and give it a wipe of BLO or something. I tend to keep things simple. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted July 30, 2021 Share Posted July 30, 2021 What Stash said. I always recommend, to not take it apart any farther, as it is very difficult to get it back together due to the wear pattern on all the parts that turn. Also don't over oil it, just enough for the lower gear teeth to run in as it is a splash system and the lower gear will distribute oil to the rest of the parts. As far as the outside, I have used Evap-O-Rust to take it down to bare metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 30, 2021 Share Posted July 30, 2021 Far better to leave the back side of the fan shroud rusty than to mess up the fan blade spider! (And messing with the internal gears is only for folks who don't really care if it ever works right again!) The cleaning I do is removing any fossilized grease and oil from inside the gear case with a solvent, flushing the solvent residue away and then putting the cover back on and oiling it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daninghram Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 On 7/30/2021 at 3:49 PM, Irondragon ForgeClay Works said: What Stash said. I always recommend, to not take it apart any farther, as it is very difficult to get it back together due to the wear pattern on all the parts that turn. Also don't over oil it, just enough for the lower gear teeth to run in as it is a splash system and the lower gear will distribute oil to the rest of the parts. As far as the outside, I have used Evap-O-Rust to take it down to bare metal. I am glad I read this and ThomasPowers post below, I was looking for info on how to remove the gears on a blower I just got that was very ceased. I guess I will leave the gears and shafts in the case. It does need ether the fan replaced or repaired as 2 vanes are rusted. Maybe rivet sheet metal on to the damaged vanes? Open to sugestions. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 Riveting replacement fan blades is how I have fixed several blowers. Just remove the damaged ones and try and match the profile and gauge of sheet metal to keep the fan in balance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 X2 on riveting on new blades, Ive done that an it seems to work well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daninghram Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 Thanks , I will give riveting a try. I have been soaking the blower in a gal. of evapo-rust. I never tried it before, it is working very well. I have been rolling the parts around to submerge the bits that need rust cleaned off, between that and cleaning the teeth out with a screw driver I have i spinning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 Pop rivets or regular rivets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 I used steel pop rivets the same diameter as the original. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted August 16, 2021 Share Posted August 16, 2021 I used pop rivets on mine to, but I think I used aluminum pop rivets. Like Irondragon said I used ones that were same diameter as the impeller fan blade holes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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