Thread: Washing Soda

I've been looking for a quick and easy method to clean the brown coloured sap/pitch/gunk from my saw blades and router bits. Our US woodworkers seem to have a plethora of spray on cleaners and I've even heard of using oven cleaner. I've tried turps, lacquer thinners, kerosene and other solvents with no effect.

I stumbled upon Washing Soda recently and was amazed how effective it is in removing the build-up on my cutting tools (without any scrubbing). It is readily available in the washing powder aisle in supermarkets. I dissolved about a quarter of a cup of washing soda in half a bucket of warm water and submerged the cutters into the liquid. I left the cutters in the solution overnight. The brown build-up had detached from the tools. I rinsed the tools in hot water to remove the washing soda and to hasten drying.

I've also since used the washing soda solution to clean clogged sanding belts that are resistant to the usual hard rubber cleaner. The wood build-up is removed in the solution but PVA wood glue ground into the belt resist the treatment. (I think I'll keep the washing soda for my metal tools and treat my sanding belts with more respect.)

I believe washing soda consists primarily of sodium carbonate and forms a caustic solution so skin and eye protection should be used.

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