Thread: Saw Blade Cleaning

Thanks, I'll give it a go.

Exellent detective work woodcutta, always nice to find a locally available alternative.

Now can you find me some parallel clamps on par with the price of those available in the US

I've been using Simple Green (available from hardware stores and some supermarkets and it is very green), it does a good job and is supposed to be environmentally friendly.

I use it neat, let soak for 15 mins, scrub the good bits with a brass brush and rinse well in water. Air or towel dry and they're good as new, albeit with a few minor scrub marks.

BUT, I've recently read (can't remember where, shopnotes?) that these types of cleaners can weaken the carbide bonds and over repeated use may be a problem. No info on how bad it can get. There was a replacement product mentioned, that I haven't found yet in Aus. Simple Green Aeronautical or Extreme or similar name. It's approved by Boeing not to eat your metal....

Great tip Woodcutta.

Thanks wood cutter.

I was only just looking at my blade in the felder and was wondering how to fix it. I cut some green sheoke and it clogged up quick.

Regards
JAMC

Yep, it works well and is a cheap easy to find alternative, but like with paint stripper, just dont leave it on too long(over night) as it turns a rusty green colour & gets very hard to remove. It may even corrode the blade? I'm not sure...
Woodcutta/anyone else, do you recommend putting the blade, or any freshly cleaned metal into the oven @ low temps to evap any moisture that remains???
Maybe a quick going over with SWMBO's hair dryer might be the go

Another "recipe" is 50/50 mix of Kero and Turps, soak for two hours followed by a light scrub.

I simply spray mine with a good dollop of WD40 every time I take a blade out of the tablesaw and a quick brush then a wipe with a paper towel. They look just like a new one.

If you have an air compressor you can blow the blades/bits dry, or use the hair dryer. My problem with the oven are the harmful rays of hatred that get beamed my way when tools are discovered in the kitchen.

FWIW I have been using non-acid mag wheel cleaner with instant results on all blades, router bits and anything else that gets pitch. I rinse with water (!) and blow dry. I have seen no rust on tools with this procedure. I follow with a spray of dry glide (teflon) which may be self-delusion, but it seems to make the blades go longer before they get really funky with pitch build-up.

I have a mate who is a real tool snob-he uses oven cleaner

Originally Posted by alanm

I've been using Simple Green (available from hardware stores and some supermarkets and it is very green), it does a good job and is supposed to be environmentally friendly.

I use it neat, let soak for 15 mins, scrub the good bits with a brass brush and rinse well in water. Air or towel dry and they're good as new, albeit with a few minor scrub marks.

BUT, I've recently read (can't remember where, shopnotes?) that these types of cleaners can weaken the carbide bonds and over repeated use may be a problem. No info on how bad it can get. There was a replacement product mentioned, that I haven't found yet in Aus. Simple Green Aeronautical or Extreme or similar name. It's approved by Boeing not to eat your metal....

I'm also a Simple Green Fan but beware the following from the SG website;

"BLADES, CARBIDE & SAW BLADES
Simple Green has been successfully used by many woodworkers over many years as a good "spray - wipe - rinse" cleaner for saw blades. When pitch is fairly fresh (typically within a 12-hr period since deposit) it is fairly easily removed with Simple Green. Older, dried-out pitch is much more difficult to remove. We do not recommend long-term soaking of Carbide blades in Simple Green. Long-term exposure like this can possibly cause cobalt leaching that will, in turn, affect the integrity or carbide. Shorter term "spray/wipe/rinse" applications do not create that kind of problem.

It has been reported to us that long-term soaking of carbide blades covered with older, tougher buildup of pitch in strong, black coffee does a great job of removing pitch without harming the blade."

I think I just found a good use for old stale espresso beans!

Originally Posted by BobL

It has been reported to us that long-term soaking ......of pitch in strong, black coffee does a great job of removing pitch without harming ...."

I think I just found a good use for old stale espresso beans!

Not so fast. I soaked in eight cups of espresso today and haven't noticed any pitch removal yet.

I've been using "BAM" bathroom cleaner from WWorths - about$7 odd for spray bottle and works just as well. Was mentioned somewhere else on forums so gave it a go. SHMBO wondered why I was interested in bathroom cleaners until I said it was for my shed.
David