Favorite blade cleaner?

[Ole Anderson]

Favorite saw blade/router bit cleaner? Go.

[glenn bradley]

L.A. Awesome from the 99cent store. Brazing safe (unlike Simple Green, EZ-Off and the like) quick and cheap. I set the blade in a shallow tray, spray around the outer edge, let it set for a few minutes and use a soft nylon brush to knock the spoil off, rinse and dry; ready to go.

[Rick Potter]

Like Glenn says. I also called Freud a while back, and they said Awesome is on their list of approved products for cleaning blades. I use a cheap oil drain pan from the same store.

Cheap, quick, approved....Bingo.

[Garth Almgren]

L.A. Awesome from the 99cent store. Brazing safe (unlike Simple Green, EZ-Off and the like) quick and cheap. I set the blade in a shallow tray, spray around the outer edge, let it set for a few minutes and use a soft nylon brush to knock the spoil off, rinse and dry; ready to go.
Just the all-purpose cleaner, yellow liquid in a squirt bottle?
My local Dollar Tree shows a whole line of LA Awesome cleaners.

[Bryan Cramer]

The Rocker stuff works good too. I got some on sale when it was super cheap and it makes a gallon when mixed.

[Cody Colston]

I'm still using EZ-Off and will keep using it until I see the supposed damage to the brazing. If I get shot by a flying tooth off the TS blade, y'all can say "I told you so." :D

BTW, this topic has been "discussed" at great length on this forum and many others.

[glenn bradley]

Just the all-purpose cleaner, yellow liquid in a squirt bottle?
My local Dollar Tree shows a whole line of LA Awesome cleaners.

Yes, the original Yellow stuff in a triggered squirt bottle. I was afraid they were going to stop carrying it as things come and go at these stores so I bought a few refills. As it turns out, so little is required I have been on the same bottle for about a year even though I use it with abandon.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Glenn...it's not the orange based stuff?

[scott spencer]

I tend to use whatever household degreaser spray is in the kitchen closet....409, LA's Totally Awesome, Fantastic, Grease Lightnin, Goo Gone, etc. Spray, brush, rinse, dry....3-4 minutes.

[Ole Anderson]

The reason I ask is that my old can of aerosol spray on blade cleaner (don't remember the name, but IIRC it was quite caustic) quit spraying at 1/4 gone and I tossed it a few years ago. My blades and bits are getting pretty gunked up and I was wondering if anything I had laying around might work. Based on Scott's comment, I might try my ZEP HD degreaser in the spray bottle. And frankly today I just felt too lazy to do a search, sorry. Yes it has been discussed before. But I don't remember the degreaser tip.

[roger wiegand]

Simple Green in the bottom of a 5 gal bucket. (will be converting to the lid based on last month's discussion of this topic). No evidence of any issues with tooth adhesion 20 years into the experiment.

[Erik Loza]

At trade shows, we use the citrus stuff. No fumes, won't dissolve plastic, and doesn't destroy your hands so much. At home, I blast things with aerosol brake cleaner if they're really cruddy. Nasty, nasty stuff but eats through anything.

Erik

[Ben Rivel]

Good info here. Quick question though, after you guys clean your blades what do you do (if anything) to them afterwords to protect them from rust, etc.? Is there something they should be coated with after they've been cleaned?

[Erik Loza]

Good info here. Quick question though, after you guys clean your blades what do you do (if anything) to them afterwords to protect them from rust, etc.? Is there something they should be coated with after they've been cleaned?

I use paste wax or Boeshield T-9. Usually Boeshield, though, because you can just spray it on and walk away.

Erik

[Mark Blatter]

At trade shows, we use the citrus stuff. No fumes, won't dissolve plastic, and doesn't destroy your hands so much. At home, I blast things with aerosol brake cleaner if they're really cruddy. Nasty, nasty stuff but eats through anything.

Erik

What about when you want to clean off acrylic? I have been cutting a fair bit of it and boy does it leave residue.

[Erik Loza]

What about when you want to clean off acrylic? I have been cutting a fair bit of it and boy does it leave residue.

I've never personally cut acrylic but have done a lot of edgebanding with PVC tape. If it's anything like that, I blow off the loose stuff with compressed air. If you are getting those boogers of melted-on plastic, I would mechanically remove them. Wire brush, etc. Since there is no sap or resin, they can be removed mechanically, not chemically. Assuming we are talking about the same thing.

Erik

[Al Launier]

I use Lestoil in the lid of a 5 gal. bucket. Pour some into the lid (cup for router bits), place the blade into the Lestoil, let soak for a while, then brush/rinse off. I've been told in the past from a differentWW forum that Simple Green will affect the braze that secures the carbide teeth.

[Jerrimy Snook]

We have found that Ammonia based window cleaner works well.

[Ted Phillips]

I like the Goof Off non-toxic degreaser from the Borg. It isn't the regular acetone-based Goof-off, it is a citrusy degreaser in a pump squirt bottle. Easy on the hands and doesn't release tons of VOCs.

[Mike Manning]

Thanks for the recommendations on the Awesome. Bought 64 oz from Dollar General today for $3. I'll fill one of the Delta spray bottles I buy from Tru-Value and see how well it works next week. Will report back.

[Brandon Conover]

I've used the CMT blade cleaner for years. A bit pricey but it seems t work.

[marty fretheim]

I had a bottle of GOJO hand cleaner in the shop and tried it on a gunked up blade and to my surprise it removed it completely and quickly. Must help with the pumice in there. Just a little bit of gojo and a light scrub with an old toothbrush. Then to the sink for a good rinse and blow dry with air gun. There are enough harsh chemicals in the shop nice to not have to deal with oven cleaner anymore.

[Chris Parks]

Favorite saw blade/router bit cleaner? Go.

Boiling water and a brush, it works.

[Nick Decker]

+1 on the CMT stuff. Doesn't take much.

[Larry Frank]

I use a spray can of Easy Off oven cleaner and good gloves.

[Robyn Horton]

Zep Heavy Duty Citrus Degreaser right now , smells like orange . Once got a small bottle of Freud Fresolv at a wood show it worked good but couldn't find it anymore. The Zep and Freud smell almost identical

[Ellen Benkin]

I used Simple Green and didn't have a pan so I got a paint roller pan. Not elegant, but it worked very quickly.

[Bob Wingard]

I had a batch of something called "ED'S RED" mixed up ... it's a gun-cleaning formula that is basically equal parts of MINERAL SPIRITS + ACETONE + KEROSENE + ATF. Worked great at cleaning guns & parts .. easily removed plastic wad buildup from shotgun chokes, etc. Since I had a couple of gallons mixed up for my ultrasonic cleaner, I thought I'd try it on some dirty blades ... worked as well as anything I've tried, and cheap to make. Filter it after use, and return it to the batch ... never seems to lose it's ability to clean. You can easily find the formula for ED'S RED online ...

[Ric Flanders]

Purple Power from the $1 store. Safe, effective and reusable. But if you leave the blade in too long, it will take off the printing on the blade.