Originally Posted by Phyllis nm

I am trying to clean this 96 year old white rotary. Kerosene will not touch the grime [I soaked it 36 hours]. I swear it must have set in a coal mine for years. The black crud will only come off if I use my thumb nail on it. My nail will not last long enough to clean all of it. What else can I use? I tried using a dowel stick. It is really bad, like it was oiled then baked on with grime then lacquered. A screwdriver blade works but I don’t want to scratch it up. All the chrome at some point is coated.
Thanks for your help.