blade cleaner

[Travis Teichmann]

Yesterday I was looking for something to clean my table saw blades and I found something that works great..."Purple Power"! I had bought some at Advanced Auto or Autozone to clean/degrease motorcylce and car parts and it works ok for that (Simple Green is still better I think), but it really shines on woodworking blades. I put a blade in a milk jug with maybe an inch of cleaner and started rotating the blade to start the soaking...the resin and gook immediately started running off the blade. It took about an hour to clean both sides of four blades.

[Lance Norris]

Formula 409 works equally well.

[Sonny Edmonds]

I still use Easy Off Oven Cleaner.
And I don't give a damn what anybody thinks. It works and works nearly instantly. Then I rinse and dry and inspect while drying. ;)

[Myk Rian]

+1 for Oven cleaner. I have a couple small plastic lazy susans that the blades sit right inside. Spray them down, and scrub with my wife's toothbrush.

[Sonny Edmonds]

and scrub with my wife's toothbrush.

:eek:

Well, I suppose fair is fair.
She probably uses yours for the toilet bowl. :p

[Clifford Mescher]

After reading this thread I think I will find a new place to store my toiletries. Clifford.

[Myk Rian]

Too much. :):)

[Howard Acheson]

While this invariably leads to contention, here is Frued's position on blade cleaning. At least a couple of other manufacturers espouse the same.

QUOTE

Definitely avoid oven cleaner and other caustics. They attack the cobalt binder in the carbide and can lead to carbide failure (translates to tiny missiles of carbide at 100+ mph). Also, Freud and some other brands of blades have a tri-metal brazing foil that uses copper alloy for a cushioning layer. The copper can also be affected by these cleaners (translates to larger missiles of carbide). We recommend soaking overnight in kerosene in a vented container and using a stiff nylon bristle brush to clean. Teflon coated plates will clean up with a soapy cloth (except for the teeth as mentioned earlier). There are commercial blade cleaning products that are not caustic but we don't officially sanction them.

The manufacturers of Simple Green recommend not using their product for carbide tool cleaning. Freud recommends using kerosene.

Charles M.
Freud, Inc.

CLOSE QUOTE

[Jacob Mac]

I just bought the Boeshield triple pack about a month ago. I dislike the T-9 and the rust removal, but the blade and bit cleaner works really well.

I will have to remember the purple power when I need some more blade cleaner.

[Paul Grant]

OK boys let me pay this favour forward as I have of a few forums. Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda is the best blade cleaner going. Period...end of storey. A box will last a lifetime and is only a few $$. Mix a spoon or two in warm water ands place blades to soak for 15-30 depending on how dirty they are. A gentle cleanse with an old toothbrush and it's sparkely clean again. Forget all those overpriced brand name cleaners that don't do half the job with twice the effort. As soon as you drop the blade in the gunk starts to melt off.

[Byron Trantham]

I don't care how you clean them, it still amzes me how much sharper they feel after cleaning. Not to mention they look brand new. ;)

[scott spencer]

While this inveriably leads to contention, here is Frued's position on blade cleaning. At least a couple of other manufacturers expouse the same.

QUOTE

Definitely avoid oven cleaner and other caustics. They attack the cobalt binder in the carbide and can lead to carbide failure (translates to tiny missiles of carbide at 100+ mph). Also, Freud and some other brands of blades have a tri-metal brazing foil that uses copper alloy for a cushioning layer. The copper can also be affected by these cleaners (translates to larger missiles of carbide). We recommend soaking overnight in kerosene in a vented container and using a stiff nylon bristle brush to clean. Teflon coated plates will clean up with a soapy cloth (except for the teeth as mentioned earlier). There are commercial blade cleaning products that are not caustic but we don't officially sanction them.

The manufacturers of Simple Green recommend not using their product for carbide tool cleaning. Freud recommends using kerosene.

Charles M.
Freud, Inc.

CLOSE QUOTE

There are lots of effective blade cleaning solutions/methods....citris cleaners, degreasers, TSP, baking soda, commercial blade cleaners, kerosene, etc. In addition to the info Howard has included about oven cleaner being caustic, it's also messier than many other very effective methods, so I see no advantage vs something like 409 or Totally Awesome....spray, brush, wipe....on and done in 3-4 minutes.

Regardless of what method you use, the important thing is to clean them...if you clean them often, they'll not only perform better, but they're also easier to clean when the build up is fresh....then almost any liquid will work.

[Myk Rian]

While this inveriably leads to contention, here is Frued's position on blade cleaning. At least a couple of other manufacturers expouse the same.
Well, I certainly learned something.

[Dave Cav]

I still use Easy Off Oven Cleaner.
And I don't give a damn what anybody thinks. It works and works nearly instantly. Then I rinse and dry and inspect while drying. ;)


Easy Off? Heck, I use the stuff from the Dollar Store and it works fine, too. That and an old pizza pan.

The Arm and Hammer washing soda thing sounds interesting, though...

Dave

[BOB OLINGER]

All I can say is that I just purchased a couple of Freud blades and started using them in last month or so. Before that, I used carbide blades purchased at the borg plus a few old steel ones. I am so impressed with the Freud that, believe me, I'm not using anything harmful on them - I'll do whatever Freud says.

[Chip Lindley]

DITTO Sonny! EasyOff RULEZ!

I really don't care to watch a blade *soak* overnight OR 30 minutes! Some of that GUNK on a blade is burned-on resin! Caustic soda (lye) effectively eats away organic matter FAST! (burnt or not)

After scrubbing with a brass bristle brush and warm water, a blade is clean and dry in about 5 minutes!! Since the 70s I still have all my Teeth! (carbide too)! Its not like these blades spend days or weeks submerged in a caustic soda solution. *I payz My Money and I takes my Chancez*

[Kyle Kraft]

After learning that there are as many solvents to clean blades as there are woodworkers, I decided to use what I already had on hand...the water based Goof Off stuff in the orange spray bottle. Smells like 409 on steroids. I laid the blade in a 5 gallon bucket lid and sprayed the stuff on. The crud started to melt off! A quick swipe with the kids toothbrush and they sparkle like new!!