degreasing a grease gun?

[The motor guy]

I use grease guns for the 14oz tubes and the guns always get grease on the outside body of the gun and I drives me nuts. What's a good way to remove this grease without taking the paint off the gun? Spray with brake clean? Or does that destroy the paint?

 

[Rand]

uh dont get grease on the outside? I mean how does that happen with a flex hose?

I'd wipe it off as good as possible then maybe some WD-40 or a kero rag.

 

[Dave9]

I don't try to completely clean the grease off, I just wipe it with the towel that I wrap around it when I store it, in case a little oil separates out of the grease and leaks out of the gun. I used to use newspaper instead but the old towel is a nice upgrade.

I wouldn't care if the paint on mine got destroyed because it's never going to rust, because there's a light coating of grease on it.

 

[eljefino]

Assuming the seals aren't perfect on the gun, spraying it with brake cleaner would get that solvent into the grease inside that you still plan to use, making it begin to fall apart.

Just wipe it off if it bugs you.

Regular gasoline would be cheaper than brake cleaner, BTW.

 

[Food Scientist]

Just did this the other day - I used a degreaser followed up with brake cleaner. Paint didn't come off by any means.

 

[supton]

Any sort of solvent I'd think.

FWIW I just hang my grease gun in the plastic recycle bin, used to put it into the one I had for metal but the bin gave out. Keeps it out of the way, less likely to touch something greasy if it was hanging on the wall.