Grease gun rage

[Lurkin]

Got a grease gun free... but has had grease in it. looks (from the outside) big enough to put an entire grease cartridge in it (the large ones, like Castrol MP grease)

but the prior user had grease in it with no cartridge? is this normal? thought it would be like a sealant gun - using the cartridge etc.

any ideas of what to use to get the residue out? have taken out as much as poss without chemicals etc... the prior grease was suitable for steel only - and about 50 years old

want to use the stuff I'm putting in it for greasing bushes under the car.. thus would rather the old stuff is gone.... hesitant to use any degreaser - figure this would be worse than the old grease..

ideas?

[whynot]

soak it with kero,scrub it out then dry it with a rag. Don't think it will get much cleaner than that. and any residual kero would evaporate.

[Mr Revhead]

What are you wanting to grease?

[sark.inc]

you can either fill them like what the person has done (e.g they bought grease in bulk and used that to fill it) or you can buy tubes of it if you don't use much.

make sure you don't get kero on the seals as you will stuff it.

[MR2BOY23]

What are you wanting to grease?

want to use the stuff I'm putting in it for greasing bushes under the car.. thus would rather the old stuff is gone....

[Lurkin]

think I'll take the last (slightly dodgy) options and just refill it. I was trying to figure out if they normally just place the cartridge inside, or whether the cartridge is normally emptied into the gun itself, discarding the cartridge afterwards..

[MR2BOY23]

Depends what size it is? Usually you just put the cartridge inside

[Mr Revhead]

What are you wanting to grease?

want to use the stuff I'm putting in it for greasing bushes under the car.. thus would rather the old stuff is gone....

What bushes on what car? Trying to work out way he is using grease

[evil_si]

most grease guns have the option if either being bulk filled,
or use a cartridge.

the seal on the piston /plunger must be reversed for each, cant remember which way is which, new guns normally have instructions on the side.

degreaser or brake clean and a rag will remove the residue

there are 2 diameters of cartridge, small and big, and specific to each type of grease gun.

[Lurkin]

righto - done. wiped out as much as possible, then fitted the new cartridge. works like a dream! man some pressure can be built up in these things!

Na, thought of degreaser etc - even alcohol would have done the job - but didn't really want to introduce nasties/water/any other residue. figured the old grease might be buggered - but after talking to the guy I got it off should be sweet!

cheers for the suggestions!