Simple Green to clean sawblades?

[Fred Voorhees]

I distinctly remember a thread a long time ago about different solutions to clean table saw blades and I know that Simple Green was mentioned, but I am not sure it was praised or panned as a solution. Is the stuff good to use for cleaning or not. Would appreciate any help here.

[scott spencer]

Not....at least it's not recommended for soaking. Shouldn't be a problem to just spray, brush, rinse and wipe though. I think they have a new purple version that's ok. Freud suggests kerosene for soaking. I tend to use whatever degreaser we have....409, Fantastic, Totally Awesome, Goo Gone, etc.

[Peter Quinn]

I got some of that boeshield bit and blade cleaner about 6 years ago, just finishing the first bottle i bought now. Amazing stuff, it eats even crusty stubborn pitch quick. Spray it on, wait 45 seconds, wipe it off. Nasty spots might take a second light shot. I haven't tried anything else that both works and doesn't stink/ hurt/ suck. Simple green doesn't do much IIR. I tried it, not quick enough for my needs. I'm planning to try that Trend bit and blade cleaner next time I get up to woodcraft, looks promising too. But I will hedge my bets and get another bottle of the boeshield cleaner too.

[Victor Robinson]

Purple Simple Green (Pro HD, available at orange box store) works really well IME and is safe for the carbide for longer soaking. 20 minute soak, brush with toothbrush or bristle brush, everything just melts off.

[Dan Hintz]

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?30453-Simple-Green-as-a-carbide-cleaner

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?81102-Carbide-and-Lye-%28Oven-Cleaner%29-Problems

[jason thigpen]

i love using simple green. just spray it on and go straight to work with a toothbrush. it cuts right through the pitch and resin without needing much time to soak at all.

[Van Huskey]

Thats a question akin to asking 1,000 cooks what they put in a gumbo. You will get 1,001 answers, go figure. I use the CMT cleaner just because it works and it isn't expensive enough to worry about when the total cost of my blades and bits probably top $5k.

[Clisby Clark]

I used SG, then got a bottle of PitchRx and IMO it works better, faster than the SG.

[glenn bradley]

The endless Simple Green discussions . . .

From an old thread . . . .

"A conversation on a local WW'ing forum concerning cleaning carbide and carbide tipped blades and bits lead to some concern about Simple Green for this purpose.
SG is all I use so I submitted this question on SG's web site via their feedback form and received a reply saying that SG is fine to use for cleaning carbide tipped tools.

Then this afternoon a fellow from SG called and said that was sent in error.

According to him, their testing has shown that submerging a carbide, or carbide tipped tool in regular, consumer SG can cause hydrogen embrittlement, which could cause the carbide bonding to weaken.

He strongly recommended not using SG for this purpose.

He did recommend Extreme Simple Green (removed url) for cleaning carbide products."

There's plenty of stuff that is deemed safe and inexpensive so I just use some of that. There are other things (SG, Oven Cleaner, etc.) that are deemed unsafe and are inexpensive but, why would you? Specialized cleaners cost more and . . . oh wait, that's all; they just cost more . . . oh, and they come in a cool bottle :D.

[Steve Griffin]

i love using simple green. just spray it on and go straight to work with a toothbrush. it cuts right through the pitch and resin without needing much time to soak at all.

Work? I don't like work.

I use Reuzit. Set blade in a pizza pan with a table spoon or two of this stuff, wait a minute or two and wipe off with a paper towel.

Simple green is a super product, but not for cleaning saw blades. Though I suppose it's better than exposing yourself to oven cleaner or some of the other martha stewart ideas for cleaning sawblades.

[Larry Frank]

This subject has been beat to death a number of times in the forum. I can not find any evidence anywhere that Simple Green causes hydrogen embrittlement. As a metallurgical engineer, I find it very difficult to believe that this can happen. Even the stories about it damaging bicycle chains does not appear to be true.

Just for information, the comments that oven cleaner damages the carbide material is also not true.

The bottom line, is that it is pretty safe for the saw blade to use any of the materials mentioned. One needs to be careful with some of the materials as they are hazardous to the skin, eyes and breathing passages. This is especially true of such things as oven cleaner.

I think that personal safety and cost should be the considerations for picking which to use.

[Joe Spear]

I use regular Simple Green. I just mix a little with the same amount of water and sponge or spray it on the teeth. After a half minute, I brush the teeth with a stiff-bristle nylon brush. Then I rinse with clean water, dry with cloths, spray with WD-40 to get rid of any residual moisture, and wipe with a dry cloth or paper towels. The blades come clean. Note that I do this before the teeth build up a horrendous amount of crud. As soon as I see that the teeth are starting to accumulate a visible amount of build-up, I clean. Working with pine requires cleaning more often than maple, for example. If you wait until the teeth are really filthy, then you probably would need to soak, which would make you concerned about your cleaner breaking down the carbide or brazing.

[David Cefai]

My understanding of this subject is that alkali damages the brazing that joins the carbide to the metal not the carbide itself. Alkalis (caustic soda, washing soda, for the chemists: hydroxides and carbonates) will attack and dissolve tin, zinc, aluminium, cobalt and very likely other metals. These are found in the brazing compound.

Unfortunately most cleaners have an alkaline component. How rapidly the damage occurs is a totally different question and I personally have no idea worth communicating.

Larry Frank (above) is correct in stating that Simple Green and oven cleaner do not damage carbide. However a weakening of the brazing, with the possibility of the teeth flying off the blade could occur.

My personal approach is: if the product can be safely handled without gloves then it is safe for shortish periods as it does not contain caustic and any carbonates will work very slowly.

Essentially I agree with Joe Spear's approach.

[Bill White]

Arm & Hammer WASHING SODA. Stupid simple and inexpensive.
But then I live in Mississippi where stupid simple prevails.
Bill

[James Hamilton]

I really like the new Trend blade cleaner, and it's pretty cheap.

[Larry Frank]

I do not think that oven cleaner or any other commercial cleaning product will hurt either the carbide or the brazing material. This topic has been gone through a number of times. I think that the best source of information for this topic is from Tom Walz of Carbide Processors. He knows a lot about these things and has done research on them. It would be worth reading the following link from his company. It will address a lot of the comments made and questions asked.

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

[James White]

I really like the new Trend blade cleaner, and it's pretty cheap.

I may be over simplifying it. But I find it interesting that the MSDS shows only one ingredient. 2-butoxyethanol also know as propylene glycol butyl ether. The same solvent in Simple Green Pro HD, Glass Plus and Formula 409.

http://www.guhdo.com/whats-new/documents/MATERIALSAFETYDATASHEET.pdf
http://www.simplegreen.com/pdfs/MSDS_EN-US_PG-HeavyDuty.pdf
http://www.rbnainfo.com/productpro/ProductSearch.do?brandId=17&productLineId=316&searchType=PL&template=1

[Tom Walz]

Larry Frank, Thank you for posting the link to my site and for the kind words.

The research we did showed you can use anything. Cheap BBQ and grill cleaner worked very well. We don't recommend brake cleaner because it is very expensive, works slowly and is carcinogenic.

If anyone wishes I will be happy to send them some pretinned saw tips (Carbide with braze alloy on it). You can soak them in whatever you wish as long as you wish. I have done it in oven cleaner for a week and not seen any difference at all.

Tom Walz

[Darrin Davis]

Easy Off oven cleaner has always worked for me.

[Gil Knowles]

I agree with Bill White. Arm & Hammer washing soda works very well.
Gil