What Is The Best Scrubbing Tool You've Found for Cleaning Motor Casings?

Onebadhawk
SilicdyneTRF
eggtimer rocketry
The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
And allthread can really chew up the aluminum. Slide a piece of hose on the allthread to protect the casing.

Never underestimate the power of cheap baby wipes and a little preventive maintenance. Wipe em down really good and swab it with a wipey. Spray alcohol down inside and hit it with one of Chris's brushes. A stiff nylon brush (toothbrush or gun cleaning brush) works well on the threads. A spot of grease on the threads and it's ready to go.
 
Baby wipes are cheap! The baby that necessitates getting them, not so much.
 
As qquake2K and several others have said, Baby Wipes are MAGIC when used immediately following the flight.

I usually go one step further and coat the interior of the motor case with Superlube during the Aerotech reload assembly process. This is has never failed me yet. I'm able to pretty much totally clean the cases immediately following the the flight using paper towels and Baby Wipes as needed. I bring a Home Depot bucket to launches for use as a trash can. Clean as you go.

There have been occasions when I have failed to clean a case in a timely manner. I have a large collection of gun cleaning supplies and almost all of them work to different degrees. Ballistol is pretty good stuff...expensive...but I've used pretty much all the CLP products, too. My standard procedure for caked-on deposits is to soak overnight in hot water and Dawn dish soap. A dedicated bottle brush, plastic dish basin, a couple of old toothbrushes, paper towels, and a final wipe down with Ballistol generally does the trick. Stubborn exhaust deposits on rear closures sometimes require a longer (days) soak in CLP but that all depends on what you think is "clean enough". Most of my hardware is hard to find Dr. Rockets so I try to take good care of it. YMMV.
 
o1d_dude said:
As qquake2K and several others have said, Baby Wipes are MAGIC when used immediately following the flight.

I usually go one step further and coat the interior of the motor case with Superlube during the Aerotech reload assembly process. This is has never failed me yet. I'm able to pretty much totally clean the cases immediately following the the flight using paper towels and Baby Wipes as needed. I bring a Home Depot bucket to launches for use as a trash can. Clean as you go.

There have been occasions when I have failed to clean a case in a timely manner. I have a large collection of gun cleaning supplies and almost all of them work to different degrees. Ballistol is pretty good stuff...expensive...but I've used pretty much all the CLP products, too. My standard procedure for caked-on deposits is to soak overnight in hot water and Dawn dish soap. A dedicated bottle brush, plastic dish basin, a couple of old toothbrushes, paper towels, and a final wipe down with Ballistol generally does the trick. Stubborn exhaust deposits on rear closures sometimes require a longer (days) soak in CLP but that all depends on what you think is "clean enough". Most of my hardware is hard to find Dr. Rockets so I try to take good care of it. YMMV.
Click to expand...

I also do the super-lube on the outside of the cardboard propellant sleeve. Then after firing just use a baby wipe and push it all through the tube, usually that's all it takes, then a second baby wipe and some pressure on the threads and after a few passes, they are perfectly clean. Simple, easy. Trick is to get it done right after launch.
 
grouch said:
Had no idea these existed. Thanks for posting this. Gotta place an order soon.
Click to expand...

You haven't had any small children or yours are all grown up in the last 20years :)! Magic Erasers are great for removing crayon, pencil, and other markings from walls, solid surfaces etc.
 
Nah Rich, the brushes. I knew about magic erasers. I was dumb enough to use one on my truck to try to remove some tar or something. Jacked up the paint pretty bad. Me and those things still haven't made up.
 
One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is bar keepers friend, this. Its super cheap, you can get it almost anywhere(walmart), and it works in seconds even on month old exhaust deposits.

I had a rear closure with exhaust deposits that no amount of degreaser or soap and soaking would remove. I didn't want to use something like a green scotchbrite unless there was no other way. So, I decided to try the bar keepers first. Make sure you get the powder in the can instead of the pre-made stuff in the bottle. Anyway, it IS slightly abrasive but also has an acid cleaner in it. I make a paste and rub it on with my gloved finger. If that isn't quite enough, then a paper towel coated in the paste takes it right off! The abrasive is very fine so I didn't see any scratches whatsoever and it really wiped the baked on exhaust crust right off! Hope this helps someone who didn't have the wipes on hand! I'll be trying the wipes right after my flights from now on!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I find a rag soaked in white vinegar wrapped around a length of dowel is great for all sizes of casings. Several passes of this through the casing and it’s clean. This is most effective soon after the launch. The forward and aft closures, and any other smaller bits like the FSD, go in the ultrasonic cleaner, again with vinegar, when I get home. Works brilliantly.
 
Just bought some tonight. Ow I just have to get a few cases dirty so I can clean them.
 
I took the Bar Keepers Friend that I picked up fro the grocery store and grabbed my old CTI 29mm 3 grain case and spacers. The case was about 90% clean as were the spacers but the retainer ring had years of motor cake that I never could get off with baby wipes alone. Well I am proud to say DeepOvertone is my new best friend for suggesting this stuff. I made a small batch of paste in a paper plate and used a cotton cloth to quickly eradicate the stubborn sludge residue. I am a very happy grouch now.

I don't have an issue at all with the CTI cases but I still am a little reluctant to use it on my sexy shinny Rouse Tech cases. Maybe not so much on the inside or the Type 3 hard anodized closures but the out side of the bright blue cases are still too pretty to mess up. So for me now on out, baby wipes at the field and BKF at home for the final last bit. Awesome sauce for sure.
 
grouch said:
I took the Bar Keepers Friend that I picked up fro the grocery store and grabbed my old CTI 29mm 3 grain case and spacers. The case was about 90% clean as were the spacers but the retainer ring had years of motor cake that I never could get off with baby wipes alone. Well I am proud to say DeepOvertone is my new best friend for suggesting this stuff. I made a small batch of paste in a paper plate and used a cotton cloth to quickly eradicate the stubborn sludge residue. I am a very happy grouch now.

I don't have an issue at all with the CTI cases but I still am a little reluctant to use it on my sexy shinny Rouse Tech cases. Maybe not so much on the inside or the Type 3 hard anodized closures but the out side of the bright blue cases are still too pretty to mess up. So for me now on out, baby wipes at the field and BKF at home for the final last bit. Awesome sauce for sure.
Click to expand...

Glad I could help. Also, for you and those who may also purchase it, its also amazing on glass cooktops(takes the burnt on stuff off), makes stainless cookware look brand new, brightens copper almost immediately, and works great on glass shower doors. Thats about all the things I've tried it on. I love that stuff!
 
For smaller cases, I just drag a shop rag through them.
For larger cases, I have a round toilet brush.
For really large cases like my 75/98 mm ones, I tape the toilet brush to a mop handle.

For cleaner, I use Mean Green cleaner. It does a great job getting out the soot and grease.
 
mccordmw said:
For smaller cases, I just drag a shop rag through them.
For larger cases, I have a round toilet brush.
For really large cases like my 75/98 mm ones, I tape the toilet brush to a mop handle.

For cleaner, I use Mean Green cleaner. It does a great job getting out the soot and grease.
Click to expand...

The Mean Green manufacturers suggest caution using their product on aluminum.
 
The Huggies Simply Clean baby wipes works best with a toothbrush for me. I have ordered this pack for the baby but I also used these wipes to clean motor casing and they worked very well on it. I think most of the regular wipes will do this job. You can get them at your local store easily.
 

Similar threads

jmmome
H268R Reload in a Monster Motors 29/360 Casing- Issue
Replies
11
Views
2K
jmmome
jmmome
jmmome
Best Drill Bit for Slotting Blue Tube?
Replies
16
Views
3K
matthewdlaudato
matthewdlaudato
sailmike
Cleaning Casings
Replies
20
Views
2K
sandog
sandog

Latest posts

Back
Top