Cleaning Machinery

[lukevanoort]

I don't know how bad your lathe is, but I have yet to run across something I can't clean with good 'ol isopropanol. If you can find a shop in your area with one of those nifty ultrasonic cleaning devices, it'd probably take care of the grime in no time. (At some point I'd like to try to build one of those, but it is probably a bit hard and unlikely that I will)

[Jay H 237]

Two other cleaners I could suggest that don't have heavy fumes are Simple Green and Power Disolve Dawn.

I've used both of these in my 20 gallon parts washer when cleaning car parts of grease and oil (similar to your situation) with success.

They are available in spray bottles that will work well for your situation and also 1 gallon containers like I use. The Power Disolve Dawn has been known to attack some paints if left on for some time, I found out the hard way about this.