Cleaning the piston

Raul Farkash

Hello guys,

I had just received the new custom piston seals, and removed the group head to fit them.
The piston is rather black, so it's time to clean it again.
Last time I used a mix of lemon and baking soda to clean it. The results were far from perfect and it took a few hours.
Is there a better way to clean the piston? How do you guys clean it?

Reiss Gunson

hi raul

your post didnt show immediately as i think the first 6 posts from a user need to be manually approved by me - its something we have been forced to do to combat spam in the pre-sales question area of the website where people can post without being machine owners but the implications there carry into this part of the forum as it is a single environment

Reiss Gunson

I'm with you, I'm interested to hear more from owners who might have a quick & efficient method to address this

i currently use the green 3M Scotchbrite pads - i think there is a slightly more abrasive version they make which is red and even better

you can use brass polish on the piston and then wash it off thoroughly with lots of water

i have also heard of toothpaste being used

i expect a proprietary coffee cleaner like joe-glo or whatever its called would also work well

kind regards

reiss.

Raul Farkash

Hi Reiss,

Thanks. I was indeed wondering why my post didnt show up, I thought it was lost in oblivion, so I reposted and only then noticed the message saying it has to be approvded

I tried the toothbrush method, the black stuff didnt budge even a bit.
I also tried one of those white wonder sponges - no joy either.

While the lemon + baking soda is slowly removing the black stuff, it's quite tedious, you have to put it on, wait, brush it off, again and again - and I ran out of baking soda.
Last night I placed it in a mix of water and cafiza I had left from my old backflushing days. In the morning I was horrified, the black grime had spread to the clean parts as well. However it's quite loose and a toothbrush easily removes it. So most of it is gone (not all though), so I'm doing another round.
I'll if the second round manages to remove the remaining tough spots.

Reiss Gunson

salt & vinegar will brighten it up fairly smartly

also i meant toothpaste more than toothbrush

Raul Farkash

I tried Colgate advanced whitening with the toothpaste of course. Really didnt budge.
I'll give it a try with salt and vinegar later if something still sticks.

Reiss Gunson

also, with the new HP piston seals you can use a fraction of the amount of Loxeal grease that you previously needed

using a minimal amount of grease will i think make the piston a lot easier to clean next time as the proprietary cleaner will be able to work directly on the coffee residue alone, rather than a slurry of coffee residue and silicone grease which is a pretty tall order

Frans Goddijn

Once, when I wanted to have the piston look golden for a photo, I used a toothbrush and toothpaste, also the cream to polish brass and silverware, and I cut strips of the hard spongy material that's used to clean frying pans and dirty dishes.

Went very well, quite easy, but it took time. Not a matter of wiping a few times and expecting it all to shine like in the commercials.

Raul Farkash

Well, eventually what worked for me was soaking in Cafiza solution for a few hours, rinsing off and then in ketchup.
Finally red scotch with some vinegar and salt solution.

[img ]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/15893839/2016-11-10 20.06.55.jpg[/img]

Not perfect but not bad either.

Reiss Gunson

nicely done! thanks for reporting back raul. reiss.

Matthew Hoffman

Ketchup? Why ketchup?

Raul Farkash

The cafiza loosens the really hard stuff but spreads it all over the piston in looser formation. Ketchup is recommended by many for cleaning brass, and while not enough to loosen the really tough dirt, it does a nice job once treated with cafiza firstly.

Reiss Gunson

Best use I've ever heard for it. I'd never put it in my mouth. #acidic

Salvatore Taibi

Last time I did it I used a small amount of Barkeeper's Friend, but Reiss's mention of "something acidic I'd never put in my mouth" has me wondering about Coca-Cola. I remember a fellow who used to clean his copper golf clubs with the stuff, and boy would they shine!

Reiss Gunson

all sauces are made with the scraps that are otherwise unsaleable and the margins in them are eye-watering. very unhealthy, but high salt & acid content sounds like it might be a winner as a brass polish .

Raul Farkash

Reiss Gunson post=12077 wrote: also, with the new HP piston seals you can use a fraction of the amount of Loxeal grease that you previously needed

using a minimal amount of grease will i think make the piston a lot easier to clean next time as the proprietary cleaner will be able to work directly on the coffee residue alone, rather than a slurry of coffee residue and silicone grease which is a pretty tall order

Speaking of which, I did only use a tiny bit of loxeal on the external side of the new seals and on the inner tube.
Worked fine and was extra smooth for a few days, however yesterday the lever started to become jumpy when releasing the lever, having a stuttering movement all the way up while making friction noise.

Not enough grease?

Reiss Gunson

perhaps, its difficult for me to say with that amount of information. add a little more and see if that resolves the matter.