How washable are old-school magnets and metal axle train wheels?

[Phoxtane]

I went on an ebay binge recently and now have a nice haul of metal axle train wheelsets and some old-school open magnets. Is it safe to wash these in warm soapy water? I'm concerned about the axles rusting or the magnets degrading in some way. 

[ThePhatController]

I usually just wipe these type of elements with a damp cloth as I feel any kind of immersion should be avoided

[Sunil766]

I have washed them in warm soapy water, brushed them off, and rinsed with cold water. Then put them on a towel. Used a second towel on top to roughly dry. Then "blew out" to get the deeper sitting water. Then used a hair dryer from safe distance (to avoid the heat) and shake again. Then let dry for a full day or longer. They're all fine since 2 years. 

Edited July 7, 2022 by Sunil766

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Like you, I use warm soapy water and a toothbrush, but it is important to immediately dry the metal parts and the magnets-

I use compressed air and a final touch with the hairdryer to evaporate any residual moisture.

[zephyr1934]

I think the axles might be rust resistant (but try at your own risk). They are a big pain to pop out and back in but it is doable.

The magnets I know do rust. I've had a few in storage that showed rust when I pulled them out (they were probably bought used on BL and might have been cleaned by the seller). The rust wasn't bad, but it was there. They functioned just fine.

If you are really concerned, perhaps there are non-water based cleaners that are safe on plastic.

If it were me though, I wouldn't bother about the magnets being dirty, instead, I would start with the magnet holders. I'd also try one or two wheel sets without taking them apart, dry thoroughly (leave outside on a hot day?) and check in two weeks for any evidence of rust.

[Phoxtane]

Thanks for the input all!

I didn't end up washing any of the axles or magnets - I popped the magnets out of their holders (2920, not the actual plastic cylinders they're bonded into) and set them aside. I also removed the axles from from the wheel holders and set them aside as well. Everything else went into the wash for a good soak and rinse.

This lot happened to be a mix of parts from 10183 and 7897 (both incomplete, but I was mainly after the baseplates, wheels, and magnets), so I now have one of the weird proto-PF motors that came with the short-lived "RC" system for trains, along with some 9V wires and one of the old white 1x2 lamp bricks. At some point in the future I'd love to try an LED conversion on the lamp brick, it'd bring some use back to those old light pipe "prism" pieces from the 9V era.

[zephyr1934]

14 hours ago, Phoxtane said:

This lot happened to be a mix of parts from 10183 and 7897 (both incomplete, but I was mainly after the baseplates, wheels, and magnets), so I now have one of the weird proto-PF motors that came with the short-lived "RC" system for trains, along with some 9V wires and one of the old white 1x2 lamp bricks. At some point in the future I'd love to try an LED conversion on the lamp brick, it'd bring some use back to those old light pipe "prism" pieces from the 9V era.

The RC motors had HORRIBLE traction bands on the wheels, very loose. The part number and design haven't changed with PF and PUP, but the bands have improved greatly. So just keep that in mind (test them before using, or pull the bands and use them for non powered wheels, or ...)