rmfnla

I now live in an upscale condo so I no longer have a real work space and the neighbors frown on DIY projects in common areas.

My wife is fairly tolerant of my tinkering on the balcony (mostly because I maintain her bike as well) but I need a creative way to clean dirty bike parts.

Way back when I was wrenching most shops had a Safety-Kleen unit so cleaning stuff was a snap, but those days are long gone.

I need to come up with something that is self-contained and can be stashed in not too large a space, and will hopefully not be a huge fire (or worse!) hazard.

Any suggestions..?

cny-bikeman

Not sure where La La Land is (Los Angeles?) but is there a bike co-op nearby where you could work on them?

rmfnla

Yeah, La La Land is L.A. (We love it! is form Randy Newman's song).

Co-op is not a bad idea but none near enough to not require driving, and I'd rather avoid that (again, L.A.).

Thanks, though...

Bradleykd

Upscale in LA? Should be able to afford $50...

Amazon.com: Torin T10035 Part Washer - 3.5 Gallon: Automotive

A little bigger?

6-1/2 Gallon Parts Washer

Blue Belly

There was a coop in Highland Park, a few years back. Silverlake? There has to be one near, or does the sweat of hipsters scare you?

fietsbob

gallon steel paint can with a basket to dunk parts in solvent not deluxe enough..?

I had a plastic thing sized like a Jerry can, with a hand pump that recirculated a citrus water kind of solvent .

stood on end when not using it , had a drain towards the top when laid on it's side

that was 20+ years ago IDK what is out there now.

mtnbke

I'd get the Harbor Freight parts washer and KEEP THE RECEIPT. Stuff from HF tends to be hit or miss in terms of how many times you'll have to return it to get one that doesn't burn out. I had an 18v Drill from HF that I called "random orbital" because it literally held a bit off center. The drill was just as powerful as Dewalts I've had or the Ryobi 18v +one stuff I now use, but the charger burnt out and I had to return the drill at least twice.

For those that use a 5g bucket to make their own look for a small nano pump meant for aquariums or garden fountains to circulate the fluid, or an old aquarium air pump with an airstone.

As for the condo guy, you're in for some serious litigation if you spill caustic parts cleaning fluid on the people in the balcony/deck underneath you.

Slash5

When I need to work in the house I just use paper towels and a flux bottle with low odor mineral spirits. If necessary a Chinese food container or those throw away measuring cups - great for cleaning bearings.
Amazon.com: Medicine Cups Disposable 1oz. Graduated - 1 PK/100: Health & Personal Care
FD2 WELLER Chemical - Dispensers | 50F176 | Newark element14 Canada

dedhed

Berryman Chem-Dip Carburetor and Parts Cleaner - Walmart.com

WizardOfBoz

Wow, carb cleaner for bike parts would work, but is a little overkill IMHO. Also, carb cleaner has lots of volatiles (acetone and xylene, I think) and neighbors would smell it. Heck, it might make a small apartment somewhat unlivable for a while. I do like the pre-fab basket, though.

I would use the odorless mineral spirits. Nearly has effective as carb cleaner but without the aggressive chemicals.

The trend commercially is to use aqueous parts washers. They take longer. But Simple Green mixed high-strength with a pot of hot water and some good brushes and thick insulated rubber gloves will work too.

I like the min spirits on environmental grounds. With the aqueous approach, you're washing the crud down the sink into the sewer. With min spirits, the solid crud settles out and you can reuse. When the spirits are saturated with oil and such, you take it to a community haz waste disposal day (properly labeled) and they dispose of/recycle it properly.

dedhed

This isn't you father's carb cleaner. according to their site it's "eco-friendly" non -flammable, non -chlorinated, and VOC compliant in CA. Berryman® Chem-Dip® Carburetor and Parts Cleaner | Berryman Products

Andrew R Stewart 

The classic way to clean a chain is in soda bottles with kerosene. Use 3 or 4 bottles and move the chain to each cleaner bottle after shaking and settling. In time the solids will settle out and you can pour off the nearly clean k into a fresh bottle. the crap can be disposed of easily. Shoe shining the rings, cogs and pulleys is pretty straight forward with little mess if done often enough.

Like many cleaning work, the more often it's done the less you need to do. Andy.

rmfnla

Some great suggestions here... thanks!

Your first link above led me to this: https://www.amazon.com/BikeMaster-Par...XV6Z7G10C1YFX0

which looks good because it seals up between uses; great for storage. The reviews make it sound like it may not be rugged enough but it is the front-runner so far...

Bradleykd

Man, I like the looks of that one.

Love that it seals up and also like that it already has the flow through brush so you don't have to modify the cheapie. Those flow through brushes are a must on parts washers IMO.

rmfnla

My thinking exactly...