Cleaning Saw Blades

charlessenf

(;harles
Senior User
I may be crazy and have more than once been misguided, but I thought my nose may have been on to something when I returned from the Habitat ReStore with a "Rockler Router Bit and Saw Blade Cleaning Kit" at a price significantly lower than retail for what amounts to a couple of plastic containers (only one of which was of a size perfectly sized for the task) and a solution that smelled decidedly of citrus - or as first I though, "My orange hand cleaner stuff!"

I tried both solutions - too hard to get the Rockler stuff back in the bottle if I'd wanted to and Habitat doesn't accept returns or offer refunds anyway.

Frankly, the orange hand cleaner works just fine - especially given the need even Rockler admits to of wire brushing/scrubbing after soaking.

I left one blade in the orange hand cleaner over (a) night (or two), returning to find the blade a bit darker in color than it appeared a few days earlier - but the stuff that wasn't steel or carbide or brazing metal was either entirely gone or readily let with a few strokes of the brass brush.

I found the blue container and lid convenient - esp if one wanted to use the solution a few times before replenishing or replacing it - or wanted to leave a blade in solution for a few days and scrub less. The cover really helps.

The rest of the kit, however, doesn't add much value as we all have small jelly jars large enough to hold a router bit or two and wire brushes (regardless of brand - IMHO) don't warrant spending more than HFT charges for a set. If the orange hand solution isn't found to be Bad for the Blade then the "$34.99 Kit" price effectively gets you one short squat plastic container large enough to hold a 10 (or 12) inch circular saw blade. ;)
 

Gofor

Mark
Corporate Member
Lowes' sells a product called Krud Kutter Cleaner and Degreaser (red label) for about $15 gal. Its biodegradable and does not discolor the metal. It works very good for cleaning circular saw blades and chain saw chains. Just soak for about 30 minutes for most residue and it comes off with just a rinsing (water) or at most a tooth brush. Longer may be needed for burnt-on resin like you may get from a chain saw mill or a lot of TS cutting. I use a cheap oil change pan for my TS blades and a tupperware container for the saw chains. After using and letting the debris settle, I pour off the top liquid left for re-use. A gal will probably last for a couple years if you don't use it up for other cleaning tasks.

It also comes in a quart spray bottle ($7-$8) if you don't want/need to soak the blade. Being water based, it does not dry quickly, so just a good spray will work for lightly fouled blades.

I have not had any problem with it degrading the brazing, etc, for carbide blades.
 

Oka

Casey
Corporate Member
I use Turpentine, with a mix of MEK added, then scrub them with this AC Fin brush you can get fine- coarse, then clean with Dawn, they get clean. Maybe because I am not into waiting a long time.
This is going to sound funny, I have a guy I know who cleans with the orange oil degreaser (like the hand cleaner but industrial strength) he puts a small type vibrator into the solution to make a poor man's sonic cleaner, ..... claims it works great. The science is sound, but not something one would think of doing normally. :oops:
 

Charlie

Charlie
Corporate Member
I put 10" blades in a 5 gallon bucket lid and pour in ammonia. Works great and is cheap.
I know, supposedly ammonia will etch away the material that fastens the teeth to the blade, but I haven't lost a tooth in over 30 years of doing this. The last ammonia I purchased was $1/quart.
 

Matt Furjanic

New User
Matt
I been using oven cleaner on all my saw blades and router bits for many years. Don’t listen to the tales about oven cleaner ruining the braze on the carbide tips. It just isn’t true. Spray the oven cleaner and let it sit for about five minutes. Rinse with water and All the crud will brush off very easily and leave you with a like new blade or router bit.
 

pop-pop

Man with many vises
Corporate Member
Everyone has their preferred potion. Mine is LA Awesome Orange from Dollar Tree. Wet the blade in a bucket lid and lightly brush teeth with a toothbrush. Then rinse. No prolonged soaking needed.
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A buck well spent!
 

Bill Clemmons

Bill
Corporate Member
Baking soda! Put blade in pan, add just enough water to submerse blade, add 1 tbs baking soda, stir, let sit overnight. Next day, use an old tooth brush to clean gently, then rinse w/ water.
 

JimD

Jim
Senior User
I like CMT's blade cleaner. Comes in a handy spray bottle. It cleans well but typically requires some scrubbing too. Another handy tip I saw on line is to use a lunch tray to hold the blade while cleaning it. I got one pretty cheap from Amazon and I keep it and the cleaner on the table saw base.
 

Bas

Recovering tool addict
Bas
Corporate Member
Orange citrus cleaner (any brand...), Harbor Freight plastic oil pan, old dishwashing brush. Soak for 1-2 hours, scrub, rinse, done. You can reuse the cleaning solution many times. Smells nice too...

You can get a small ultrasonic jewelry cleaner at Walmart for $10-$15. Could definitely see that work for router bits, reduce the soaking time/ scrubbing effort.
 

cobraguy

Clay
Corporate Member
I use the Trend cleaner. Spray, wait a few minutes (typically under 5), brush with an old toothbrush, rinse, dry. The drying can take the most time. Other than the dry time, I cleaned two router bits yesterday in about 10 min. That included removing the guide bearings.
 
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