Thread: Cleaning my table saw blades

Originally Posted by Dovetail

Using 'non-caustic' oven cleaners for saw blade cleaning is not entirely without it's problems.

I recently used such a product - Grease Monkey - with the catch-cry label 'Shock! This product actually works'. Amongst other things, the label states it's ideal for stainless steel, shiny alloys, galvanised mild steel and brass. Non-specifically, the only insight into the active ingredients is it contains a 'mild natural plant acid'. I later discovered this plant acid is citric acid but the MSDS doesn't provide a concentration.

I used it on a saw blade and with a little help from a stiff bristle brush the teeth cleaned up quite satisfactorily. Clean up is with water but after doing this I was dismayed to see snail tracks all down the saw plate where the product (and dissolved content) had run. I thought these simply represented deposition of the gums and tar from the teeth but even reapplying the cleaner and using the bristle brush would not alter them. See images.

Attachment 302742Attachment 302743

It seems to me that there has been a chemical reaction between the citric acid and something in the steel of the saw plate. I'm really surprised by this because citric acid is quite a mild acid and the contact time between the liquid and the saw plate was only as long as it took me to brush the teeth. Also, despite the label and although I haven't tried an experiment, the reaction between an acid and galvanised anything (I assume galvanised means zinc galvanisation) would cause a chemical reaction between the acid and the zinc producing hydrogen and a deposition of a salt of the acid on the metal. I can't imagine that there would be zinc in a saw plate, would there?

I presume these tracks are simply a visual blemish and I doubt very much that the brazing between the tungsten and the steel has been affected. Any ideas about how to get rid of them?

without having a closer look it is hard to say, however it looks like the acid has "etched" the steel and is highlighting the grain structure of the metal. I dont think you have ANYTHING to worry about! it is purely just the surface.
to get rid of them you could polish the blade...

I did go ahead and perform an experiment using the cleaning product on galvanised steel. The image shows the effect this acid had on the galv. (on the left) but then I went ahead and placed a similar amount of another degreasing agent - one that doesn't contain citric acid - on the plate and this shows no effect and in case the citric acid really cleaned the galv. I used white spirit on another area to remove any possible hydrocarbon (grease) on the plate. This too shows no effect. See image
Zn Plate2.jpg

Artme, the dishwashing product we use - Finish - is basically citric acid.

no name oven cleaner from franklins works quite fine. why pay more? Been using it for years with an old toothbrush.

do you honestly think a blade designed to spin at whatever rpm and cut thru timber and or aluminium will be affected by a bit of oven cleaner? even the ones with a powder covering of some sort will be unaffected. mine never are and Ive been at it for years.