I probably should have done this before but finally doing detailed cleaning on the core engine. A fair amount had been done but not a thorough job. A lot of time has been spent debating about painting. Righ now I’m inclined to leave the engine as-is without doing much painting. I really like the “old” look. It’s authentic. You can see the stories just looking at it. Patina. Steampunk. Whatever you want to call it. It will be more difficult but I can always paint it later if I change my mind. I went over the engine with a coarse wire brush just to get the loose paint off then a quick wash down with mineral spirits. I wasn’t sure how it would look but I think it’s okay.
Now I’m working on cleaning up the lower part of engine that had not been thoroughly cleaned before. This involves partially disassembling the bearing caps. I may pull these off anyway for inspection and pre-lubrication. Tools of the moment are basic: various wire and plastic brushes, dental picks and even an old Smith Corona typewriter brush. And lots of paper towels and mineral spirits. Some of the gunk is like hardened tar and only comes off with a bit of encouragement. This may not sound like fun, and it isn’t, but it is way better than dealing with rust.
This cleaning will take some time but then I’ll start working on rebuilding some of the removed sub-assemblies. I’m keen to take a look at the oilers.