Lye and carbide
 

I recently tried using a lye (sodium hydroxide) solution for cleaning pitch,
gum etc... from my woodworking tools and it is amazing how good it works.
Today I bought a new blade from Freud and it says do not use custic cleaning
agents. Why? I know it will dissolve aluminum but I thought it didn't harm
steel or tungsten carbide, actually I think this blade says titanium
carbide. Thanks

Lye and carbide
 

mark wrote:

I recently tried using a lye (sodium hydroxide) solution for cleaning pitch,
gum etc... from my woodworking tools and it is amazing how good it works.
Today I bought a new blade from Freud and it says do not use custic cleaning
agents. Why? I know it will dissolve aluminum but I thought it didn't harm
steel or tungsten carbide, actually I think this blade says titanium
carbide. Thanks

Possibly it will attack the brazing or cement used to attach the carbide
teeth.

Pete C.

Lye and carbide
 

In article ,
"mark" wrote:

I recently tried using a lye (sodium hydroxide) solution for cleaning pitch,
gum etc... from my woodworking tools and it is amazing how good it works.
Today I bought a new blade from Freud and it says do not use custic cleaning
agents. Why? I know it will dissolve aluminum but I thought it didn't harm
steel or tungsten carbide, actually I think this blade says titanium
carbide. Thanks



Titanium, magnesium, and aluminum, being close "chemical cousins", are
similar in their chemical behavior - Something that eats aluminum will
very likely eat titanium just as well, and will probably also eat (or
maybe even cause it to burst into flames...) magnesium.

--
Don Bruder - - If your "From:" address isn't on my whitelist,
or the subject of the message doesn't contain the exact text "PopperAndShadow"
somewhere, any message sent to this address will go in the garbage without my
ever knowing it arrived. Sorry... http://www.sonic.net/~dakidd for more info

Lye and carbide
 

mark wrote:

I recently tried using a lye (sodium hydroxide) solution for cleaning pitch,
gum etc... from my woodworking tools and it is amazing how good it works.
Today I bought a new blade from Freud and it says do not use custic cleaning
agents. Why? I know it will dissolve aluminum but I thought it didn't harm
steel or tungsten carbide, actually I think this blade says titanium
carbide. Thanks



It's the brazing it atacks.
...lew...

Lye and carbide
 

As long as you keep the exposure short enought to dissolve the pitch
and gum and then give the blades a good rinse you will probably
encounter no real difficulties.

Lye will leach binder from the carbide and zinc from the silver braze
that holds the teeth on as well as get under and peel sections of the
anti friction coatings from the plate.

Don't soak them for long periods.
Ammonia also works, so does powder dishwasher soap which is mostly
washing soda. Castrol super clean works, so does the cleaner
Hef-T-Blue.

Lye and carbide
 

On 26 Feb 2006 09:28:13 -0800, wrote:

As long as you keep the exposure short enought to dissolve the pitch
and gum and then give the blades a good rinse you will probably
encounter no real difficulties.

Lye will leach binder from the carbide and zinc from the silver braze
that holds the teeth on as well as get under and peel sections of the
anti friction coatings from the plate.

Don't soak them for long periods.
Ammonia also works, so does powder dishwasher soap which is mostly
washing soda. Castrol super clean works, so does the cleaner
Hef-T-Blue.

For my blades..I simply give em a spritz with a can of oven cleaner
from the 99cent store, let sit for a few moments, then wash clean.

Been doing it for years, works great for getting rid of pitch buildup.

Gunner



"A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them;
the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences."
- Proverbs 22:3

Lye and carbide
 

On Sun, 26 Feb 2006 13:35:38 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, "Pete
C." quickly quoth:

mark wrote:

I recently tried using a lye (sodium hydroxide) solution for cleaning pitch,
gum etc... from my woodworking tools and it is amazing how good it works.
Today I bought a new blade from Freud and it says do not use custic cleaning
agents. Why? I know it will dissolve aluminum but I thought it didn't harm
steel or tungsten carbide, actually I think this blade says titanium
carbide. Thanks

Possibly it will attack the brazing or cement used to attach the carbide
teeth.

Right. One of the guys on the Wreck years ago posted something along
that line. The potential result is enough to keep from using oven
cleaner for pitch removal.

(Try Simple Green, Mark. It works great!)


- Woodworkers of the world, Repent! Repeat after me:
"Forgive Me Father, For I Have Stained and Polyed."
-
http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Design

Lye and carbide
 

wrote in message
oups.com...
Don said:

"Titanium, magnesium, and aluminum, being close
"chemical cousins", are
similar in their chemical behavior - Something
that eats aluminum will
very likely eat titanium just as well, and will
probably also eat (or
maybe even cause it to burst into flames...)
magnesium. "

As a "thumbnail" generalization the above is a
fair assumption.

You ought to be aware, though, that Titanium
tubing is used extensively
as sea water condenser tubes; ie. Ti is very
corrosion resistant in
ocean water. You wouldn't want to try that with
Al or Mg, what???

Further, Ti is also MUCH more heat resistant
than the other two: Ti is
used for the skin panels of the SR 71 Blackbird
SST, where, at cruising
speed the skin gets so hot that Al would turn to
the consistency of
putty.

Yet, in thin ribbon form Ti will burn just as Mg
does.....so be careful
with the turning swarf!

Wolfgang


The reason titanium is corrosion resistant is
because it is so active. A new surface immediately
oxidizes to form an adherent coating that protects
id from additional corrosion

Lye and carbide
 

The story about strong caustic comes from a corruption of our US patent
5,624,626

In this process you use a strong, hot caustic soda solution and
eclectic current to clean and roughen tungsten carbide so it brazes
well. You have to use electric current to separate the tungsten
carbide from the cobalt binder. The caustic soda cleans off all oils,
creases etc. It also serves as the medium to transfer the electric
current from the electrodes to the carbide.

Caustic dip tanks are very common in good saw shops as a means to clean
saw blades as the original poster is doing.

The CRC Handbook of Physics and Chemistry lists Tungten carbide and
cobalt as only being soluble in acids.

If Freud is using anywhere near the standard braze alloys and the
standard carbide then a caustic solution will not attack them.

The strong caustic will remove paint and ink for directions and warning
labels.

tom

Lye and carbide
 

Thanks for the info.

wrote in message
oups.com...
The story about strong caustic comes from a corruption of our US patent
5,624,626

In this process you use a strong, hot caustic soda solution and
eclectic current to clean and roughen tungsten carbide so it brazes
well. You have to use electric current to separate the tungsten
carbide from the cobalt binder. The caustic soda cleans off all oils,
creases etc. It also serves as the medium to transfer the electric
current from the electrodes to the carbide.

Caustic dip tanks are very common in good saw shops as a means to clean
saw blades as the original poster is doing.

The CRC Handbook of Physics and Chemistry lists Tungten carbide and
cobalt as only being soluble in acids.

If Freud is using anywhere near the standard braze alloys and the
standard carbide then a caustic solution will not attack them.

The strong caustic will remove paint and ink for directions and warning
labels.

tom

Lye and carbide
 

On 27 Feb 2006 09:24:18 -0800, wrote:

The story about strong caustic comes from a corruption of our US patent
5,624,626

In this process you use a strong, hot caustic soda solution and
eclectic current to clean and roughen tungsten carbide so it brazes
So where do you get "eclectic" current? The only kind I can get around
here is plain old current.
well. You have to use electric current to separate the tungsten
carbide from the cobalt binder. The caustic soda cleans off all oils,
creases etc. It also serves as the medium to transfer the electric
Do those creases come from people not being careful when they press
the carbide powder? It seems like I always get the creases wrong when
I iron my own shirts. Would caustic soda work to take the creases out
of my shirts faster than steam?
current from the electrodes to the carbide.

Caustic dip tanks are very common in good saw shops as a means to clean
saw blades as the original poster is doing.

The CRC Handbook of Physics and Chemistry lists Tungten carbide and
cobalt as only being soluble in acids.

If Freud is using anywhere near the standard braze alloys and the
standard carbide then a caustic solution will not attack them.

The strong caustic will remove paint and ink for directions and warning
labels.

tom
Thanks for the good info Tom.
Cheers,
Eric R Snow