I still remember the early 70's late 60's Popular Mechanics series. Each month they told you how to do another bike project. Cottered cranks, hubs, pedals, headsets. I did a project each month and one of them, believe it or not, was the infamous freewheel rebuild. They recommended dental floss, which I used with no problem. You just slip it out before you tighten down. I remember it made it easy... easy enough for a 17 year old with no previous experience and only a dog bone wrench, and adjustable and a set of Mafac tools. Funny thing is now I would be afraid to tackle the project as freewheels are now worth more than entire bikes I bought used back then. Come to think of it, I found a Regina Oro 5 speed on a bike that I bought for $40 last year. The freewheel's worth $40 and I plan to sell the Kronos Modolo resin levers for $50. /Anyway most times you can get the grit out of a freewheel with mineral spirits and citrus cleaner, and taking it apart isn't needed.
Garth Libre in Miami Fl.