Step 00.18 — Degrease: IPA soak, then dry completely¶
Step 18 of 32 · Chapter 00 — Before you start
Parts:
- the seven rails, one at a time, end stops on · set out now, fitted later
- IPA ≥ 90% · consumable
- nitrile gloves · consumable
- clean towel · tool
Do:
- Cut a corner off the rail's bag and pour in IPA ≥ 90% to cover it.
- Work the carriage between the end stops for about 10 minutes.
- Drain, dry the rail on a towel, and repeat.
Check
No oil film on the raceway, no visible wet IPA, both end-stop bands still tight, and the carriage running dry and slightly notchy. src
What you're looking at
A rail in its own shipping bag with one corner cut off and IPA poured in: LDO's method makes the bag the soak tray. The rails ship coated in a shipping oil, not a lubricant; the soak dissolves it out of the ball tracks.
Caution
Gloves on and window open for the soak, with no iron, heater or flame running in the room. IPA softens masking-tape adhesive, so re-wrap any end-stop band that has slipped before the grease goes in.
Tip
the linked Nero 3D video is the reference demonstration of this whole procedure — manual p.24 QR, voron.link/agu0nes.
Good stopping point · ~30 min since the last one
all seven rails are soaked, end stops on, and laid out on a towel to dry. This is a genuine wait state: the IPA must evaporate completely (an hour at least, overnight is better) before grease goes in, so stopping here costs nothing. Do not start packing grease into a rail that is still damp.
Source: LDO rail grease guide · Voron manual p.24 · Nero 3D rail prep video · Video: Part 1 @2:20:52