Replies

1. 
   wop | Oct 10, 2002 11:30pm | #1

   Spray oven cleaner, available in any supermarket in the world.

                                                           Philip

1. 
   forestgirl | Oct 11, 2002 04:17am | #10

   Oven cleaner, not!  I'll have to find the discussion where I learned not to do this.  Charles from Freud explained some of the chemical damage this can do to blades, and I ceased immediately, at least on my $80 and $90 blades.  I'll find it and post it if someone else hasn't already.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

   Edited 10/10/2002 9:19:40 PM ET by forest_girl

2. 
   RW | Oct 10, 2002 11:41pm | #2

   I use Easy Off and it works ten times better than anything else I've tried. That being said, there's a wealth of info which supports the idea of not using it b/c it tends to weaken the brazing that holds your carbide tips on. If you're a safe kind of guy or just worry a lot, maybe mail order something safe. If you live on the edge and threw your blade guard out with the packaging that the saw came in, I'm partial to lemon scent.

1. 
   mrles | Oct 11, 2002 01:25am | #7

   Well I am a safe kind of guy, I didn't throw away my blade guard when I got my saw I have it somewhere I just can't place my hand on it right now. I don't know how a cleaner could weaken a brazed joint but what do I know.  I have a friend that was standing by a router table when a brand new carbide bit shucked a tip off. He lost part of a finger, thats the only time I have ever heard of a failure. Thanks for the info I will give it a try.

   les

3. 
   AlanTurner | Oct 11, 2002 12:26am | #3

   Thre is a recent thread on this.  Some recommend Simple Green, which I have not tried.  I sue Oxysolve, from Woodworkers Supply, which is water soluable, non-toxic, and quick.  Spray it on, then I use a toothbruch sized brass bruch, but suspect an old toothbrush wuld also work.  Let it soak about 1 min. or so., brush, rinse off and dry.

1. 
   mrles | Oct 11, 2002 01:07am | #4

   I was trying to keep from ordering it, I have been intending to order some when I place an order for other items but I seem to forget it. It's not an item you think about until you need it. Thanks for the info and a brand name.

   les

4. 
   JeffKurtz | Oct 11, 2002 01:18am | #5

   Formula 409 works well too.  Is oven cleaner OK for the teflon coated blades?

   Jeff

1. 
   UncleDunc | Oct 11, 2002 01:20am | #6

   Teflon is supposed to be inert to everything except boiling hydrofluoric acid, and to withstand temperatures up to 800F.

1. 
   JeffKurtz | Oct 11, 2002 01:37am | #8

   Uncle Dunc,

   So taht's what I did to that blade!  Thanks,

   Jeff

5. 
   KraigY | Oct 11, 2002 02:28am | #9

   Les-

   I use only Simple Green on all my cutting paraphernalia - saw blades (Teflon coated and otherwise), router bits, you name it.  A quick soak followed by a light brushing and they are good as new.  Best of all the stuff is cheap (relatively) and makes the shop smell pretty darn good.

   Doc

1. 
   MPHarper | Oct 11, 2002 04:20am | #11

   Ditto on the Simple Green, it does well.

   Matt-

1. 
   bodier | Oct 12, 2002 04:12am | #16

   Simple Green worked better than I thought it would. Used it full strength; placed blade in a cookie sheet (don't tell spouse) and poured enough to cover blade, let soak for not even 5 min and could almost see the pitch turning loose. Very easily cleaned up. Poured used cleaner into a jar and crud settled to bottom. Decant off cleaner for use many more times. It smells good and cleans the cookie sheet, to boot.Jim

6. 
   ToolDoc | Oct 11, 2002 08:30am | #12

   I use a product called Saw-Brite, its a biodegradable product that is sold to Saw & tool sharpening services by Belsaw/foley, it comes in a 1 gal bottle which mixes with water- 1 part cleaner to 10 parts water and it works great just soak your saw blades or router bits in it and it cleans all the goop off it.. the part # is BRN3702001 and the price is $19.95 a gal.. you can order a catalog at http://www.foley/belsaw.com  or call 1-800-821-3452

                                    ToolDoc

1. 
   Upraiser | Oct 11, 2002 04:38pm | #13

   I have always used plain old WD40, spray the blade, lay it on a paper towel, spray the other side, put a paper towel on it.  Leave it set for a while, wipe it off.

   Have used it for years on shaper tooling, router bits, big band saw blades.

   The really bad stuff may take a soft brass brush to remove it.

   Cleans and leaves a light oil.

   Curt

1. 
   JeffKurtz | Oct 11, 2002 05:59pm | #14

   Curt,

   I love WD40; use it clean a lot of my tools, machine tables, etc.  Not only does it clean well, but it also lubricates, prevents rust and leaves my shop smelling oh so nice!  (A bit more manly than the smell of Simple Green - sorry Forest Girl)

   I knew a couple old timers who claimed it worked wonders for their arthritis; rubbed the stuff right into the joints.  I asked a doctor friend about this, and he didn't recommend that approach.

   Jeff

1. 
   Upraiser | Oct 11, 2002 07:08pm | #15

   Jeff

   It is also used to doctor up bait for salmon fishing.  I fly fish, so don't know if it works on flys or not.

   Curt

7. 
   ScottWhiting | Oct 12, 2002 11:03pm | #17

   I will continue to disagree with Charles on the issue of oven cleaner (lye). Even though my cleaner of choice is Castrol Super Clean because I like being able to put my hands in anything in the shop. A friend of mine makes a living pretinning carbide for use in saw making and repairing. He ran some tests on carbide tips soaked in oven cleaner. His conclusion after three days was in order to affect the tooling you would have to leave it a lot longer than that. It took two days just to affect the surface color. Many saw shops use lye and even harsher chemicals to clean saw blades and other tooling on a regular basis.

   Scott

   Scott's Sharpening Service

   Glendale, Az.

1. 
   charlesm | Oct 13, 2002 02:35am | #18

   While I value Scott Whiting's opinion I do STAUNCHLY disagree on the use of caustic substances to clean carbide cutting tools. They deteriorate the cobalt binder in the carbide and, on cutters/blades with tri-metal foil, like Freud, they also attack the copper alloy. I assure you that we have extensive experience with this matter and, in spite of contrary opinions, the fact is that the use of oven cleaner can definitley lead to small carbide missiles in your shop. The alternatives are numerous, effective and cheap (like Simple Green or my preference: kerosene)

   Charles M

   Freud, Inc.

   Edited 10/12/2002 10:20:41 PM ET by CHARLES_MC

1. 
   RSRose | Oct 13, 2002 02:44am | #19

   Charles,

   You are being such a spoil sport! So what if I soak my carbide blades in oven cleaner. So maybe I like a few small carbide missles flying around my shop! It's gets so boring here anyway . . . sanding, sawing, planing, drilling . . . *sigh*

   Seriously, it's amazing that we get some advice like yours, based on much more experience and technical resource than a few individuals can generate on their own, and people come up with reasons to ignore it.

   I didn't know anything about the problem with caustics and the cobalt binder until you described it. I've never used oven cleaner to clean my blades - always have used mineral spirits - but I'll never have reason to use oven cleaner now on anything but ovens and my BBQ grill. Thanks for contributing here.

   Rich

1. 
   forestgirl | Oct 13, 2002 08:59am | #20

   Well, in addition to simply heeding Charles' advice because it's based on experience and knowledge and testing, I'm going to adopt the kerosene approach because I have gallons and gallons of kerosene and no longer have a heater to put it in.  We no longer have the option of outdoor brush burning, so I can't use it for that.  How many sawblades does a gallon of kerosene clean.  I guess I have enough to last a long, long time!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)