How do you clean out an empty bottle of Labelle gear oil?

[Paradise275]

Hi.
I was thinking of using an empty bottle of labelle gear oil as an aplicator for Neolube.
How can I clean out the inside of the bottle (or do I have to)?

Rick

[central.vermont]

Rick,
I would use a few drops of dish detergent in the bottle and then fill it with hot water about 3/4 way, close the top and shake it for a while. Dump out and repeat until clean.

Jon

[peteski]

Naphtha, acetone, lacquer thinner, all will readily degrease the bottle (remove the lube). Partially fill the bottle and shake, then pour out. Rinse it out at least twice to remove all the residue.

[pwnj]

SuperClean degreaser does a fantastic job of cleaning out any trace of oils and grease, and it's safe on plastics (I use it for stripping paint and prepping shells for painting).

[peteski]

SuperClean degreaser does a fantastic job of cleaning out any trace of oils and grease, and it's safe on plastics (I use it for stripping paint and prepping shells for painting).

Make sure to wear gloves when using that stuff - the main active ingredient is lye (sodium hydroxide):  The same stuff murderers use do dissolve human bodies. 

[Paradise275]

Thanks all for your input and Petski for the morbid warning LOL.

I think it will make a great applicator for the Neolube in tight spaces.

Rick

[victor miranda]

Make sure to wear gloves when using that stuff - the main active ingredient is lye (sodium hydroxide):  The same stuff murderers use do dissolve human bodies. 

peteski...
please tell me you watch a lot of TV ...

[peteski]

Probably less than 3 hours of TV per week Victor.    I figured I made it clear that lye and human skin don't get along.

As far as Neolube goes, depending on the specific application, you might be disappointed. SInce it is alcohol-based, it has a low surface tension and tends to spread and creep after application.  You might think that you applied to some specific area but it will probably spread out on you.  I was thinking that a Micro-Brush would be a good applicator of Neolube in small areas.

[victor miranda]

... I've made soap on the odd occasion.

the TV question is a joke. pointing out that such ideas come from somewhere.
it is supposed to be scary when such a thing gets said out of the blue.
(the murderous dissolution)

the find the teeth in the trap right?

victor

[peteski]

the find the teeth in the trap right?

victor

Exactly!  We must have seen the same movie!   

[mmagliaro]

I wouldn't use any type of drop or pinpoint applicator for Neolube.   It is watery thin, and no matter how small the applicator, I think you'll find that it runs out like crazy and makes a mess.

Very small artist brushes are the way to go.  You can get some on the brush, and reach way in
to anywhere you need to go without making a mess.   When I did my NP W-5, you may have noticed all that piping all over the smokebox.  I Neolubed that smokebox AFTER all the piping was on and the engine was painted, and I was able to get in, around, and behind it without any problems.
See this photo and look at the silvery gray smokebox with all the piping on it, especially on the sides. And note the joint/rivet line between the smokebox and the rest of the boiler where it goes from paint to Neolube.   All that Neolube is just carefully brush painted after the whole body was painted and detailed.  I think a pinpoint oiler would have let it run all over the place.



You can clean the brush with alcohol afterward.