Abasive cleaners

[Anonymous]

Again trying not to let my age show. Getting back in HO after years of not having the time. Before on new loco's I tore them completely down and deburred and cleaned all the oil, and rewired them, then I would put Pearl Drop tooth paste in the gears and run them for a couple of hours, then reclean and reoil. Now they no longer make Pearl Drop tooth paste, now what can I use instead??? Thanks for any input on this. Carl

[selector]

I think that many white paste toothpastes have grit in them to help reduce tartar buildup. If you could stomach it, VIM might be worth a try...just be wary of the bleach content.

I assume you are talking about metal gears? Not sure that plastic ones would do well with any such treatment, but I really have no experience on which to base a negative opinion.

Another idea might be to use a fine carborundum, or a jeweler's rouge.

[Anonymous]

If you have been out of the hobby for a long time, I would suggest trying to run the locomotive as you receive it. The gears used today are light years better than what we used to have, the lubricants are better, motors are better, and on and on. There is no need to go through the tear down/rebuild thing today, just put it on the rail. If you will give a recently manufactured locomotive enough time to loosen up (like a half hour in each direction), I do believe you will be impressed.

This is just a suggestion. If you find I am wrong, you can always do it your way. By the way, welcome back, you will find things have improved greatly over the years.

Tom

[Anonymous]

Instead of pearl drops, you can use any paste cleanser. Use one of those "safe on fiberglass" cleansers for the bathtub. Does wonders.

I assume you're talking about the stanrd procedure for breaking in an Athearn "blue box" locomotive?

Mark in Utah

[Anonymous]

I just use whatever "whitening" toothpaste I can get hold of. Bought a couple of tubes of horrible cheap gritty supermarket own-brand stuff recently that while unfit for human use turned out to be ideal for bedding in loco gearing!