Cleaning steel parts is a snap compared to aluminum or magnesium alloys. Just boil it. With lye. Not only will it remove all of the grease, it also takes off the paint and much of the rust.
A 55 gal oil drum cut in half and fitted with a lid makes a good parts boiler, a kind of poor-man’s hot tank. Or cold tank, although things happen more quickly when the stuff is hot. Provided with a pump, blower and a bit of plumbing, you can do a fine job of heating it using old lubricating oil. (If you’re interesting in foundry work, the same burner assembly provides enough heat to melt a good-sized crucible of aluminum in about twenty minutes.) The importance of the tin-ware is often overlooked. If you’re doing an overhaul you may find my previous post ‘Easy Tin’ of value.
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