Grease on Brake shoes

I found an almost new set of brakes shoes for my 3400 ford. But they have quite a bit of grease on them. Seems years ago we would put them in an oven and cook for a while to get grease out. How should I cleran them up ? Thanks
 
If the linings are riveted on, you can cook the grease out of them. If they linings are bonded, heat will probably release the adhesive that holds them on.

I have resurrected clutch disks by cleaning them as much as possible with solvent or brake cleaner and then placing them on a hot plate outdoors and cooking them until about an hour after they quit smoking. (For show tractors, not something I was planning to work to its full load.)

keep in mind that whatever you try it may leave the shoes just sticky enough to really grab when you apply the brakes.
 
Wash in clean solvent, steam clean, brake clean and let them lay out in the sun.
 
None of these methods work in my experience....I want to try cleaning them in an ultrasonic cleaner , but I don't know if it would clean deep enough into the brake material.Or worse yet , disintegrate it !!
 
Never had 100% success getting them clean. Would only try to clean them for off road use.

Best I could do was scrub them with brake cleaner, lacquer thinner, or acetone. Anything that's non petroleum and dries without residue. Blow them dry.

Then shove them down in the clay oil sorb barrel, leave them there overnight or a couple days if possible, stir them around a few times.

Repeat the process a few times if time allows. Then hit them with some 60 grit sand paper.
 
When the brake shoes were oil soaked on my Ferguson TO-35, I used a propane torch and boiled the oil out. Replaced the seals and now the brakes work fine. These were bonded linings also..
 
I've always soaked them with gas or brake cleaner and lit them on fire. You aren't supposed to do it with bonded ones but I have never had an issue. I used to do it with car shoes but have the money now to just buy new. It's probably best that way. I've done it with tractor shoes in recent years.
 
Another thing that I have used. First is that synthetic kerosene you can buy in desperate depot. Around 10 bucks a gallon but I have gotten oils out of a lot of stuff with no damage. The other thing is try 190 proof booze. No kidding, straight grain alcohol down at the liqure store. Let them soak over night or so and then take them out and lite them. Use a one gallon zip lock bag. Try cleaning your glasses with that stuff. Clean! They clean Optical glass with it. Do not try to drink a little of the stuff straight. Not a fun thing to do.
 
The very best solvent for oil and grease is Ammonia ; NH3 . Very hot if not boiling water with a concentrated Ammonia solution will remove oil and grease from just about anything . I am not sure if this will damage the friction material but it might be worth a shot if all else fails .
 

Best solvent for grease is sodium hydroxide, plain old oven cleaner by the gallon at the dollar store. Soak them overnight in 50% solution, rinse, install.
 
When I was in high school, a buddy of mine drank some straight 180 proof. I think it was a couple of days before he sobered up and got back to whatever was normal.
 
When a rear axle seal would leak and get grease on the brake shoes we would take the drum off, sprinkle a bunch of baking soda on the shoes, put the drum back on and run 'em. Seemed to work. Of course the front brakes provided most of the stopping power.
 
I feel brakes are a VERY important item to have working right.
How much are NEW shoes for this model ? Are they riveted on ? then just get a lining kit.
 
I read this this morning and thought here is a guy with a perfectly good set of shoes getting grief about how they are no good. Then I saw the " almost new" in the post. THROW IN GARBAGE__BUY NEW ONES! Nobody installs used brake shoes.
 
(quoted from post at 10:58:57 08/04/16) I read this this morning and thought here is a guy with a perfectly good set of shoes getting grief about how they are no good. Then I saw the " almost new" in the post. THROW IN GARBAGE__BUY NEW ONES! Nobody installs used brake shoes.

For a Ford 3400? when they are good for fifty years? I would certainly clean them up and put them on.
 
They have a washing machine at Cat that uses steam an a degreaser
Dawn, hot water has worked for me, but once contaminated, linings will NEVER be free of oil and are always replaced in the trucking industry

Heat from fricton pulls oil to the surface, causing brake fade
 
Well... you could probably spill a couple cans of brake cleaner on them and bake them with a torch and get them half azzed clean.... enough to give you poorer brakes than a 3400 had to begin with. That'll probably cost you 20-30 bucks for the brake cleaner depending on how good of a deal you get on it..... or you could just buy new shoes for both side for probably 100 bucks and know you have good brakes?
Me... I'd put new shoes on it.

Rod
 

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