Cleco renewal

I have a box of clecoes that has been sitting in the shop for 10+ years.

Some of them get a little sticky. Usually, I just put in a drop of oil and work the action a bit and they loosen up and are fine.

I am about to embark on a proseal / tank project and don’t really want to take a risk of contaminating the proseal with oil.

What’s the best way to get the clecoes all loosened up and functional?

Lacquer Thinner is my go to solvent. I would do a soak twice to be sure the cleco’s are oil free and dry.

I think your best bet is an ultrasound tank. It's a good tool to have for all sorts of things and kind of a must have for fuel injector maint.

An example for ~$90: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083KBN9M5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

I use a vibrating brass cleaner. The kind reloaders use. Cleans them up and they look new. Gun stores have them. I got mine used for 40 bucks.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FFLF35...uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

I’ve got a good sized ultrasonic cleaner; maybe degrease with simple green.

What do people recommend to get the things unstuck and moving freely to where they clamp all the way without using oil?

Or do I oil them and get them freed up and then degrease…

Try this:

Ultra sonic cleaner with 5:1 Simple Green Extreme with heat for an hour or so. Rinse thoroughly in hot hot water. Dry them out good.

If you want them shiny, tumble them with walnut media in an ammo tumbler for a couple of hours before lubricating. Add a little car polish to the mix before adding the clecos to spread it around if you want them real shiny.

After that, mist them with LPS 1 and work the action. If they're still sticky, toss 'em.

Works for me ...