Removing rosin from blades

[Donny Lawson]

I have a good buildup of rosin from cutting alot of green wood with my bandsaw and tablesaw.Is there a good home remedy for removing this?It's not pine. It came from maple,box elder and other woods but not pine. If there is no good home remedy what can you recomend to buy that works good?
Thanks, Donny

[Paul A. Clark]

Both Woodcraft and Rockler have products that work well. They are expensive for the amount you get.

[Myk Rian]

Simple Green. Get it in the auto department. I just did all my blades with it over the weekend. Works great. Use someone elses toothbrush.

[David Gregory]

Good, old fashion, Easy Off Oven Cleaner works great. Inexpensive, won't ruin your blades, and it even comes in a "fume-Free" formula these days. Try it and let me know what'cha think.

[Dave Cav]

Good, old fashion, Easy Off Oven Cleaner works great. Inexpensive, won't ruin your blades, and it even comes in a "fume-Free" formula these days. Try it and let me know what'cha think.

Or if you're really cheap, dollar store oven cleaner works just about as well, but it's smelly....

[Mike Topham]

The guy that sharpens my saw blades got me on to baking soda. Let blades soak over night in a baking soda and water solution. Then, if needed, take a brush to knock off the stubborn stuff. Cheap and non-toxic.

[Bill White]

I used to use Arm & Hammer WASHING SODA but I can't find it anywhere now. Just yesterday I cleaned the MS blade with SIMPLE GREEN.
I DO NOT recommend oven cleaner 'cause I have read in several articles that the caustic stuff will do funny things to either the welds or the carbide tips (senior moment here-can't remember which). Besides that, get a glop of it on your hide and you won't be happy.
Bill

[Mike Harrison]

Arm-n-Hammer Baking Soda. A couple inches of HOT water in the sink, a half cup or so of soda, let set for 5 minutes, scrub with a vegi brush, rinse in HOT water, dry immediately.

[Myk Rian]

I DO NOT recommend oven cleaner 'cause I have read in several articles that the caustic stuff will do funny things to either the welds or the carbide tips (senior moment here-can't remember which).
Freud recommends staying away from it. It can have a bad effect on the brazing. I used to use oven cleaner, but not any more.

[Neil Brooks]

The Freud guy ... saying that ... can be found within the archives of SMC, in fact.

Oh, heck ... here:

link (http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=356383)

There are others, on SMC, too [nodding head up and down].

MY take on it was ... some risk:no reward (since I can use other products that -- even if it's a LITTLE more work -- do the same thing ... without that risk).

YMMV.

[Jerome Hanby]

I used to use Arm & Hammer WASHING SODA but I can't find it anywhere now.
Bill

I needed washing soda for an electrolysis rust removal project and couldn't find it either. I ended up finding sodium carbonate (technical name for Na2CO3 or washing soda) at a pool supply store.

[John Morrison60]

I used to use Simple Green for lots of cleaning chores. Until I was warned
away from it by a Navy pilot on an auto enthusiast group that I am in.
He reported that it is very corrosive, expecially to aluminum, and is not
permitted on any Navy ship for these reasons.
I did not do any further checking, but I did stop using it around tools and metals.

Baking/cleaning soda works good for me.

John

[Lex Boegen]

Good, old fashion, Easy Off Oven Cleaner works great. Inexpensive, won't ruin your blades, and it even comes in a "fume-Free" formula these days. Try it and let me know what'cha think.

I tried that once on a blade that had a black Teflon coating, and it removed the coating leaving only bare metal behind. Now I use Pine Sol or Simple Green.

[Steve Griffin]

"Reuzit"

Water based, non-fuming, works almost instantly. Very cheap since a gallon will last forever. You'll never go back to the martha stewart home remedies after using this stuff.

I put a saw blade in a pizza pan, dribble on a little Reuzit, wait 10 minutes and wipe off excess with a paper towel.

-Steve

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Simple green themselves warn against soaking carbide blades in SG. They say it can leech out the carbide. Try searching thier site about "carbide" and I think it pops up. It does dissolve aluminum and paint.

I also heard about oven cleaners, which I used to use. Freud cautions that the ammomia can affect the brazing. There are ammonia free oven cleaners, which I what I did use. Any thoughts on that?

SO, all of that beind said, I've been using 409 and a stiff bristle brush. Works okay, won't get off the stubborn stuff. I do miss the oven cleaner. It's fast and easy, if you buy the non-fuming (ammonia free) stuff.

[Dave Cav]

This thread seems to come up about every month or two. I think the discussions in the links below pretty well sum up the effects (or lack) of using oven cleaner.


http://www.carbideprocessors.com/pages/Can-cleaners-harm-saw-blades.html

http://www.carbideprocessors.com/pages/Saw-Tips-in-Oven-Cleaner.html

[David Gregory]

This thread seems to come up about every month or two. I think the discussions in the links below pretty well sum up the effects (or lack) of using oven cleaner.


http://www.carbideprocessors.com/pages/Can-cleaners-harm-saw-blades.html

http://www.carbideprocessors.com/pages/Saw-Tips-in-Oven-Cleaner.html


Thanks for those links. Pretty well settles the question for me.;)

[Dan O'Sullivan]

Years ago I got some used lacquer thinner from an auto body shop. I pour a little of this unusable thinner in a metal tray, drop the blade in and 10 minutes later the blade is very clean. Pour the lacquer thinner back in the bottle till next time. No effect on braze points.

Downside: it will take the cute paint job off of your blade. I forget what blade I have(Infinity???) but it sure is clean.

dan

[Dennis Lopeman]

"Reuzit"

Water based, non-fuming, works almost instantly. Very cheap since a gallon will last forever. You'll never go back to the martha stewart home remedies after using this stuff.

I put a saw blade in a pizza pan, dribble on a little Reuzit, wait 10 minutes and wipe off excess with a paper towel.

-Steve


Where do you find the Reuzit stuff? BORG? I found a link (google search) for a place that has it for $15/gal... who knows what shipping is!!

[Cody Colston]

I use oven cleaner...the cheap stuff from HD. I put my blade in a plastic oil change pan I got at ABC auto parts store. Spray on the oven cleaner, brush the teeth lightly with a brass bristled brush and rinse off in the shop sink. No waiting and no apparent damage to the blade, brazing or carbide. I clean my blade every time I remove it to put on a dado stack, which is fairly often.

I tried Simple Green and it doesn't do the job. Might as well just use water.

If I ever witness a carbide tooth fly off and know that the oven cleaner caused it, I'll maybe start using the kerosene Freud recommends. Until then...

[Kevin Gregoire]

from simplegreen.com

Simple Green has been successfully used by many woodworkers over many years as a good "spray - wipe - rinse" cleaner for saw blades. When pitch is fairly fresh (typically within a 12-hr period since deposit) it is fairly easily removed with Simple Green.



Older, dried-out pitch is much more difficult to remove. We do not recommend long-term soaking of Carbide blades in Simple Green. Long-term exposure like this can possibly cause cobalt leaching that will, in turn, affect the integrity of carbide. Shorter term "spray/wipe/rinse" applications do not create that kind of problem.



It has been reported to us that long-term soaking of carbide blades covered with older, tougher buildup of pitch in strong, black coffee does a great job of removing pitch without harming the blade.

[Carbide Processors]

Hi there,

I'm with Carbide Processors located in Tacoma Washington and I believe I can help. Our company handles in router bits and saw blades and we have many articles on how to maintain saw blades. The following link takes you to our site for cleaning saw blades, I hope this helps!

http://www.carbideprocessors.com/pages/Cleaning-Saw-Blades.html


Megan Pahl
Carbide Processors
3847 S Union Ave
Tacoma, WA
253-476-1338

[Steve Griffin]

Where do you find the Reuzit stuff? BORG? I found a link (google search) for a place that has it for $15/gal... who knows what shipping is!!

I get it from a cabinet shop hardware supplier. I actually thought it was more than $15--it's been at least 5 years since I bought a gallon and I'm about half through it. Figure cost per year, and it's silly cheap.

-Steve

[Howard Acheson]

>>>> 'm with Carbide Processors located in Tacoma Washington

Unless I am misreading something the article you refer to deals with cleaning the saw blade BEFORE brazing or welding. It says, "It is important you clean saw blades and other Carbide Tools before brazing or welding." The issue with many cleaners is that they damage the brazing material or the binders in the carbide itself.

[Dennis Lopeman]

I actually found that the one place I did find it on the internet is located here in GA - but about 2.5 hours south of me in Macon! I talked to Liz and she told me that one of there guys drives up to Marietta occassionallly - well now that is much more doable and won't have to worry about $9 shipping on a $15 item!!

http://www.bibbtool.com/reuzit-abrasive-cleaning-concentrate-p-512.html

[Steve Griffin]

Good deal. Funny thing is I've been using the stuff for 15 years and never have used it to clean abrasives. Might just have to give it a try.

One thing I really like is how non-toxic it seems. No strong odors, doesn't bother my skin. I still use rubber gloves just out of good practice.

Years ago I used to use Lye. I remember getting an embarrassing chemical burn when I had a trace on my hands and used the mens room....

-Steve

[Tom Walz]

Mr. Boegen,

Thank you for raising an important point. I have amended the cleaning article to reflect your comments.

Mr. Gregory,

Thank you for posting those links.

There is a third article:
http://www.carbideprocessors.com/pages/Can-cleaners-harm-saw-blades.html (http://www.carbideprocessors.com/pages/Can-cleaners-harm-saw-blades.html)

Mr. Acheson,

Thank you. That introduction was not clear. Most of my research is for tool builders and I inadvertently addressed that article to them when it was written for a broader audience. I have corrected it now.

The longest we have soaked saw tips or braze alloy in oven cleaner is one week. We did not see any changes in that time. I think there could possibly be an effect but it would take a great, long time to be important. As nearly as we can tell from our research the effect, if it exists, is about like trying to lose weight by getting a hair cut.

Tom Walz

[Cody Colston]

The longest we have soaked saw tips or braze alloy in oven cleaner is one week. We did not see any changes in that time. I think there could possibly be an effect but it would take a great, long time to be important. As nearly as we can tell from our research the effect, if it exists, is about like trying to lose weight by getting a hair cut.

Tom Walz

Imagine that. :rolleyes: