You can't go wrong with Marc's suggestion. I've seen his threads and the wheels look brand new inside out. Another option to use to get to the barrels is to use a drill attachment as you've been thinking about. I've tried using the Ace TurboStick and it worked pretty well. You won't get them as clean cleaning them by hand once the wheels are off, but it's an option worth considering. A couple vendors on here carry them as well.
http://aceturbostick.com/