Blade cleaners revisited

[Leon]

The latest Shop Notes has an article on bit and blade cleaners and while my favorite did not win it required the least combination of time, amount of the product to get the job done, and was in the middle of the pack price wise. Most required soaking, Formula 2050 sprays on and is wiped off.

Assuming all things being equal.

Lestoil was the clear winner however it is not environmentally friendly and needs to be properly recycled. The deed was done in 5 minutes.

Rockler was next at 10 minutes but you have to mix 1/3 cleaner with 2/3 water.

A new product "Extreme" Simple Green was next at 15 minutes and required 2 to 8 times more product than the other brands and was much more expensive. Don't confuse this with the regular Simple Green cleaner and see the note below concerning the original Simple Green.

Formula 2050 and Goof Off required 30 minutes however neither had to be soaked or mixed. formula 2050 is biodegradable, Goof Off is not.

Baking soda was the cheapest but required all day, 8 hours and had to be mixed.

A word of caution from the manufacturer of Simple Green. The original cleaner is effective however Simple Green recommends that you SHOULD NOT use the original Simple Green to clean your carbide blades. The contents of the original Simple Green cleaner will cause the carbide to leach from the metal.

It is cautioned also that lye based cleaners, like oven cleaners, will break down cobalt binders that hold the carbide together.

[RayV]

Don't ruin the ending for me. I'm still reading the article on how to power your shop with a shop-built nuclear reactor made from a sheet of MDF and an old blender...

Don't know if it leaches carbide or not but golf grip solvent works great. Smells like oranges.

[Leon]

That sounds like Formula 2050 which undoubtedly is a citrus based solvent also.

[bridgerfafc]

hell, hot water by itself isn't bad, and with a little scrub with a stiff bristle brush it's probably as fast as most.

[Doug Miller]

[...]

*Baking* soda???

Did they even test washing soda (my favorite)?

[beecrofter]

The biggest factor in cobalt leaching from carbide tips is the amount of time the saw spends in the alkalai solution. If you spray lye based oven cleaner on the blade and clean things off inside of a half an hour or so you will notice no appreciable degradation of the saw or it's teeth. Just use some form of light oil or wax afterwards so the saw plate doesn't flash rust on you. The wood acids in the pitch you leave on the blades also attacks the cobalt binder. ( this message was provided to benefit carpenters, if you are a "woodworker" you may need to buy something that costs $100 a gallon for your blades)

:)~ Tom

[Smaug Ichorfang]

I've used the Rockler kit with good results. I bought it because I was in their store and it was on sale for something like half off. I cut really resinous exotic materials (dalbergia sp., etc.), so I sometimes go for the "nuclear option" - half and half mineral spirits and isopropyl alcohol (100%, not the watered-down drug store stuff). I've also used "Ed's Red" gun cleaning solvent because it also has rust preventative. Because of this, ER is good for cleaning before storage too, just remember to wipe off the blade before the next use to avoid the oils staining the wood.

Ed's Red is equal amounts (usually one quart each) of deoderized kerosine, automatic trans fluid, alephatic mineral spirits, and acetone. If you're using this on your gun, you can add a pound of anhydrous lanolin per gallon. It makes the mix easier on your hands, and adds more lubricant.