Cleaning Azimuth Holes/Bolts

[AdamJL]

Hi folks

So I decided to clean the bolts that control the azimuth on my EQ6-R.
Gave them a scrub and wash with some soap to strip as much grease from them as I could, then re-greased with some Geoptik stuff I bought from Testar.

Now of course, the threaded holes themselves are still filthy. Here is one bolt that has been re-greased and the other that was re-greased and put back into the hole. It might not be completely obvious at this angle, but it's sure visible from other angles. The right one is filthy!

So how do I get in there to clean out the majority of the gunk to have a nice clean base? I realise not everyone would do this, but I've dropped the bolts a few times on gravel, dusted them off so I'm sure all the gunk is crushed up inside the holes.

Can I spray some degreaser in there? Will it impact the paint? Any ideas?

Cheers

[Startrek]

Ive had both of my EQ6-R’s now for nearly 3 years and have never cleaned the AZ bolts, they only get rotated a fraction of a turn anyway during PA
I originally sprayed them with lithium grease and they have been fine. There’s no need to remove them if you have to pack away your mount from time to time , if fact it’s better if they stay screwed in whilst packed away , less chance of dust and moisture getting into the thread holes.
If you want to clean them , just pour some Kerosine in a tin, soak em for a bit wipe off with a rag soaked in Kero, dry off , apply some lithium grease or silicon grease , screw em back in and your done !!
Cheers

[AdamJL]

Thanks, Martin. I'm thinking more along the lines of the holes themselves, not just the bolts. The holes are full of gunk, and I like to keep things clean and tidy where possible. Sand and fine grit is the enemy of threads on bolts as well.