Mark Stonich wrote:
How do people who overhaul a lot of SA hubs deal with "varnish" on
the internals?
Here in the, US old bikes with SA hubs are quite common. In most
cases they are very low mileage, so the hubs show little wear.
But they are usually gummed up with dried up lube. I soak the bits
overnight in a citrus degreaser, and then use a stiff bristle brush
but it seems to take a lot longer than it should.
You are in too much of a hurry Mark. I leave parts with dried up lubricant for as long as a week in Tetrosyl, which I presume is similar to your citrus degreaser. It is usually then "blown" off with a pressure gun containing Tetrosyl without having to use anything abrasive. My 89 year old friend, who still works on S-A hubs as he has done for the last 68 years, still believes in paraffin, and he too leaves things for several days.
Peter Brown, Lincolnshire, England