Bent Track & Dirty Track

[Casbah]

I did the search and couldn't find previous topics on bent track, and couldn't find an answer to the specific question I had about cleaning dirty track. 

I just received a nice lot of old Scalextric/Hornsby track. And I mean old... Probably from the late 80's/early 90's. I had good results removing surface oxidation, rust, and pitting with Dremel Abrasive Buffs which also cleaned the male ends of the track connectors quite well. However, how do I go about cleaning the female portions of the connectors? Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

Several pieces of track were bent (wavy) in such a way that they wouldn't lie flat. I tried massaging a couple with my thumbs, rolled over a dowell, and hung off the side of my workbench. None with good results. Any tips/techniques on flattening track? 

Thanks in advance!

 

[Andy P.]

You can use a vice and or a very big flat screwdriver.

There are pipe cleaners with tought bristles that can be used to get into the holes of the female end.

Otherwise use a small screwdriver with something abrasive over it.

This will take a LOT of work to be honest, but if it is free what the heck...

You may want to put copper tape over the rails. Curves can be a pain but it does make a good connection. Search copper tape on here.