How to Clean a Power Drill Chuck

With the advent of the keyless power drill chuck, it's easy to quickly replace a drill bit and you never have to worry about loosing a chuck key. However, when the drill chuck needs a good clean job, since everything is internal, you have a job on your hands. Here is how to clean a keyless power drill chuck and get the chuck looking great and functioning properly.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Screwdriver
• Mineral spirits or other solvent
• Naval Jelly
• Distilled vinegar
• Non-iodized salt
• Metal lubrication oil or water displacing lubricant

1. Remove the chuck from the drill. Some models have a screw you can loosen to accomplish this.

2. Dismantle the chuck if possible. You may need to contact the maker of the drill for instructions on how to take apart your drill's chuck. At least remove the rubberized grip if you can.

3. Clean each part well with mineral spirits or solvent. Make sure you concentrate on the rust and get into all the crevices. You could also dunk the whole chuck in a saturated solution of vinegar salt. Make this by dissolving non-iodized salt in plain distilled vinegar. If you choose this method, let it soak several days in the vinegar salt solution and agitate it every day.

4. Wash off any salt vinegar solution, then apply Naval Jelly. This is a buffered phosphoric acid-based product that dissolves surface rust but won't harm the metal.

5. Rinse the disassembled chuck with water. If you cannot disassemble the chuck, do several boiling water baths to clear out the residual salt, vinegar and acid. Let the parts dry thoroughly before going to the next step.

6. Lubricate the chuck or chuck parts well with lubricating oil and reassemble the clean chuck. If you were not able to disassemble the chuck, soak it in a bath of water displacing lubricant.