Cleaning and Protecting 1-2-3 Blocks

Work outside if possible and wear gloves.  Remove the wrapping paper from the blocks and using paper towels, wipe off as much of the Cosmoline as possible.  Pour some mineral spirits or other solvent into a small plastic container, dip a toothbrush into the solvent and use it to scrub the outside faces of the blocks.  Then, dip a bottle cleaning brush into the solvent and use it to scrub out the threaded holes.  Dry the blocks with a cloth towel and let them rest on some newspaper until the solvent evaporates.  Repeat if necessary.  Wipe the outside of the blocks with an oil impregnated cloth and then wipe off the excess oil with a dry cloth.  You can store the 1-2-3 Blocks in their original cardboard shipping box.  If you have a skinny packet of desiccant, you can slip this into the bottom of the box.  It’s a good idea to write the date on your desiccant so you can rotate out the oldest packets.