The latest Shop Notes has an article on bit and blade cleaners and while my
favorite did not win it required the least combination of time, amount of
the product to get the job done, and was in the middle of the pack price
wise. Most required soaking, Formula 2050 sprays on and is wiped off.

Assuming all things being equal.

Lestoil was the clear winner however it is not environmentally friendly and
needs to be properly recycled.
The deed was done in 5 minutes.

Rockler was next at 10 minutes but you have to mix 1/3 cleaner with 2/3
water.

A new product "Extreme" Simple Green was next at 15 minutes and required 2
to 8 times more product than the other brands and was much more expensive.
Don't confuse this with the regular Simple Green cleaner and see the note
below concerning the original Simple Green.

Formula 2050 and Goof Off required 30 minutes however neither had to be
soaked or mixed. formula 2050 is biodegradable, Goof Off is not.

Baking soda was the cheapest but required all day, 8 hours and had to be
mixed.


A word of caution from the manufacturer of Simple Green. The original
cleaner is effective however Simple Green recommends that you SHOULD NOT use
the original Simple Green to clean your carbide blades. The contents of the
original Simple Green cleaner will cause the carbide to leach from the
metal.

It is cautioned also that lye based cleaners, like oven cleaners, will break
down cobalt binders that hold the carbide together.

On Oct 15, 8:42 pm, "Leon" wrote:
The latest Shop Notes has an article on bit and blade cleaners

snip

Don't ruin the ending for me. I'm still reading the article on how to
power your shop with a shop-built nuclear reactor made from a sheet of
MDF and an old blender...

Don't know if it leaches carbide or not but golf grip solvent works
great. Smells like oranges.

"RayV" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Oct 15, 8:42 pm, "Leon" wrote:
The latest Shop Notes has an article on bit and blade cleaners

snip

Don't ruin the ending for me. I'm still reading the article on how to
power your shop with a shop-built nuclear reactor made from a sheet of
MDF and an old blender...

Don't know if it leaches carbide or not but golf grip solvent works
great. Smells like oranges.


That sounds like Formula 2050 which undoubtedly is a citrus based solvent
also.

hell, hot water by itself isn't bad, and with a little scrub with a
stiff bristle brush it's probably as fast as most.

In article , "Leon" wrote:
The latest Shop Notes has an article on bit and blade cleaners and while my
favorite did not win it required the least combination of time, amount of
the product to get the job done, and was in the middle of the pack price
wise. Most required soaking, Formula 2050 sprays on and is wiped off.

Assuming all things being equal.
[...]
Baking soda was the cheapest but required all day, 8 hours and had to be
mixed.

*Baking* soda???

Did they even test washing soda (my favorite)?

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

The biggest factor in cobalt leaching from carbide tips is the amount
of time the saw spends in the alkalai solution.
If you spray lye based oven cleaner on the blade and clean things off
inside of a half an hour or so you will notice no appreciable
degradation of the saw or it's teeth.
Just use some form of light oil or wax afterwards so the saw plate
doesn't flash rust on you.
The wood acids in the pitch you leave on the blades also attacks the
cobalt binder.
( this message was provided to benefit carpenters, if you are a
"woodworker" you may need to buy something that costs $100 a gallon
for your blades)

~ Tom


A word of caution from the manufacturer of Simple Green. The original
cleaner is effective however Simple Green recommends that you SHOULD NOT use
the original Simple Green to clean your carbide blades. The contents of the
original Simple Green cleaner will cause the carbide to leach from the
metal.

It is cautioned also that lye based cleaners, like oven cleaners, will break
down cobalt binders that hold the carbide together.

I've used the Rockler kit with good results. I bought it because I was in
their store and it was on sale for something like half off. I cut really
resinous exotic materials (dalbergia sp., etc.), so I sometimes go for the
"nuclear option" - half and half mineral spirits and isopropyl alcohol
(100%, not the watered-down drug store stuff). I've also used "Ed's Red"
gun cleaning solvent because it also has rust preventative. Because of
this, ER is good for cleaning before storage too, just remember to wipe off
the blade before the next use to avoid the oils staining the wood.

Ed's Red is equal amounts (usually one quart each) of deoderized kerosine,
automatic trans fluid, alephatic mineral spirits, and acetone. If you're
using this on your gun, you can add a pound of anhydrous lanolin per
gallon. It makes the mix easier on your hands, and adds more lubricant.