Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

Hi Larry,

Not sure that I can help with the rust but we used to use an industrial hand cleanser 'Swarfega' to remove dirt etc from wooden clock cases.  I think it had a very mild abrasive in it but it didn't appear to harm the wood.  We just wiped it on with tissue let it for a bit and wiped it off again with tissue.  It worked very well no water was used but with tin plate I suppose it could be washed off.  Might be worth a try on a surface that isn't seen.

I might be more help with the mechanism.  I would wind it half way up so the coils of the spring are separated and put in some solvent; un-leaded petrol would be OK.  I would use a paint brush to remove the old oil and debris, then a bamboo skewer with a chisel end to clean any old hard oil from the pinion leaves and around the bearings.   I would allow the mechanism to drain and then wash it in warm soapy water using brush and bamboo again if necessary, then rinse drain and dry with a hair dryer.  Any accusations made by Mrs B of the dishwasher being used for this is completely unfounded. It does work rather well but the hair dryer is still needed.

When dry I would use a medium oil such as car engine oil rather than light sewing machine type oil.  Oil the spring with its coils separated.

Take care Tony.