What to clean planer rollers with?

[Jim Becker]

bit of lacquer thinner in steel wool, what the old guys used especially from having run pine, nothing put on after

It would depend upon what the rollers are made of. Lacquer thinner is fine for metal rollers, but not necessarily ok for the "plastic" materials used on many portable planers. One must also take great personal care as the fumes can be very harmful.

[Myles Moran]

Dave and Myles, thanks for your response.
A followup questions. After cleaning with mineral spirits do you do anything special to remove the mineral spirits residue or just wipe off excess with a rag?

Never noticed anything left on after. I dampen a rag and wipe it down. More elbow grease with the rag, and less mineral spirits. Based on all the internet arguments over cleaning them, I figured light on the solvent was a safe choice.

[Frank Pratt]

It would depend upon what the rollers are made of. Lacquer thinner is fine for metal rollers, but not necessarily ok for the "plastic" materials used on many portable planers. One must also take great personal care as the fumes can be very harmful.

This. Lacquer thinner is very hard on most plastics & rubbers. It will clean off the gunk very well, and will have much more grip after cleaning, but at the cost of degrading the rubber on the roller in time.

[Patrick Walsh]

Lacquer thinner.

If I had rubber rollers I don’t know..

Works great on powerfeeder wheels also followed by 120 sand paper. I wouldn’t sand paper my feed rollers but...

[Curt Harms]

Last time I bought kerosene was before 9/11. I went Sunday afternoon to the local airport and bought a few gallons of jet fuel. Bring a big.. funnel. It stinks less then kerosene.

Wouldn't Diesel fuel be cheaper? They're pretty similar. Rumor has it that a certain Turboprop engine built in Canada will run just fine on diesel as long as it's warm.

[Bill Dufour]

Wouldn't Diesel fuel be cheaper? They're pretty similar. Rumor has it that a certain Turboprop engine built in Canada will run just fine on diesel as long as it's warm.

I was buying for a kerosene lantern and I thought jet fuel would stink less then kero or diesel when burning. I have switched to battery and propane. I used to use the Kero for starting the campfire now I bring a self igniting propane torch head.
Bill D

[Richard Coers]

Simple Green works extremely well and is gentle on synthetic rollers.

[Keith Westfall]

Last time I bought kerosene was before 9/11. I went Sunday afternoon to the local airport and bought a few gallons of jet fuel. Bring a big.. funnel. It stinks less then kerosene.

Wouldn't Diesel fuel be cheaper? They're pretty similar. Rumor has it that a certain Turboprop engine built in Canada will run just fine on diesel as long as it's warm.

Jet Fuel:

If you can find it, use Jet B, it 's more to the naphtha end of the line. Jet A (most common) is more towards the kerosene end of the line, and a bit more 'oily' than Jet B. Diesel is a bit more oily as well, and will be harder to get it all cleaned off. Jet B will almost evaporate off by itself.

35 years of burning it for a living...

[Bob Jones 5443]

I’ve bought both mineral spirits and denatured alcohol this year in sunny California, so I’m not sure which gulag you’re living in.

This thread got me wondering whether acetone would be harmful to the planet rollers. Thoughts?

[Warren Lake]

Yeah Jim i only saw rollers and not dewalt. All stuff here metal but the woodmaster moulder.

[Myles Moran]

I’ve bought both mineral spirits and denatured alcohol this year in sunny California, so I’m not sure which gulag you’re living in.

This thread got me wondering whether acetone would be harmful to the planet rollers. Thoughts?

I'm not an expert on solvents, but I'd personally avoid acetone because it does a number on plastic. Not sure how rubber would fare, but I'm guessing that its gonna try and eat the rollers just the same.

[Jim Becker]

Never thought I'd see suggesting using Jet fuel in the woodworking shop. LOL

[Erik Loza]

Brake cleaner is mostly acetone. "Yes", it will absolutely eat through anything non-metallic but do any of these contractor-type actually planers have rubber outfeed rollers?

Erik

[Jim Becker]

Brake cleaner is mostly acetone. "Yes", it will absolutely eat through anything non-metallic but do any of these contractor-type actually planers have rubber outfeed rollers?

Erik

I could be wrong, but I believe the majority, if not all, of the portable planers have plastic/rubber rollers.

[Erik Loza]

I could be wrong, but I believe the majority, if not all, of the portable planers have plastic/rubber rollers.

Really?!? See: You learn something new every day. If that's the case, obviously no brake cleaner, LOL.

Erik