Help cleaning my Old 'Arn

[cpw]

Well, I have my new arbor bearings and I have to put the thing back together but there's some rust and debris on the parts. What's the best way to clean them up before I reassemble the arbor? I was planning on using mineral spirits and a brass brush. Is a Scotch Brite pad too abrasive?

 

[JimmyC]

Charles,
I agree with Mike, I worked maintenance in a generating station for years and we cleaned parts for reassembly using scotchbrite and penetrating oil.
So that should be just fine.

Jimmy

 

[Gotcha6]

I watched an 'old school' mechanic rebuild my dad's old 2 cylinder John Deere one time & all he used to clean parts for reassembly was diesel fuel. He said kerosene would evaporate (flash point 100 degrees F) and the diesel would leave a light oil film. It's sure cheaper than WD-40 - at least for now. Gas around here jumped into the $3.08-3.10 range this weekend from $2.99.