Cleaning flocked Stihl filters

[Trigger-Time]

OK,I'm confused....Why not bring this filter inside one evening,wash it,let it dry all night...End of story,good to go...Am I missing something here???....

No, I don't think you are missing something..........After I wash mine
I lay it on the Heating or AC vent in the house, dries in a few hours.

 

[stihl 440]

air cpompresser

I blow mine out with compressed air, works very good. It also gets the filters very clean.

 

[B_Turner]

Cmon, you allowed that in YOUR DISHWASHER??

Troll, I think you created an alter ego in Sawwitch, just to mess with the rest of us.

:jester:

That's what I thought (he's got too much time on his hands) but he's (she's) come up with pictures of SawWitch, so there you go.....

 

[Lakeside53]

Even if it's a little damp when it goes back in the saw,it won't hurt anything.

Yep...

I wash them (many a day at the shop), blow them out (Fleece, NOT FLOCKED) and put them back on the saw. No problems.

 

[jhellwig]

There is supposed to be something on the steel mesh? I always blow mine out with air.

 

[begleytree]

oh gimme a break!!!

another mountian from a molehill thread.
so what if the filter isn't as clean as it possibly can be? so the saw runs a tad rich.
with all the folks gettting hurt with saws, lack of ppe, incorrect chains and bars,improper cutting methods, here we are arguing over how to remove a few flakes of sawdust from an air filter! comon! tap the darn thing off and get back cutting. in the grand scheme of things, this ranks right up there with the color of ignition wire insulation. has anyone here actually worn an air filter out? I never did, I always replaced it before it ever started looking bad, and you know that you do too. same with your fuel filters and spark plugs. its called preventive maintence and costs mere pennies a day.
me thinks there are some very bored people here.
-Ralph

 

[ValleyO'Giants]

another mountian from a molehill thread.
so what if the filter isn't as clean as it possibly can be? so the saw runs a tad rich.
with all the folks gettting hurt with saws, lack of ppe, incorrect chains and bars,improper cutting methods, here we are arguing over how to remove a few flakes of sawdust from an air filter! comon! tap the darn thing off and get back cutting. in the grand scheme of things, this ranks right up there with the color of ignition wire insulation. has anyone here actually worn an air filter out? I never did, I always replaced it before it ever started looking bad, and you know that you do too. same with your fuel filters and spark plugs. its called preventive maintence and costs mere pennies a day.
me thinks there are some very bored people here.
-Ralph

:jawdrop:

Too much coffee? :hmm3grin2orange:

But seriously, You are right.
However as a new guy here I like the "lighter" topics that provide me with the means to feed my O.C.D. (obsesive compulsive disorder)
Nothing like spending 3 hours cleaning a filter for nothing more than appearance sake!

 

[IchWarriorMkII]

another mountian from a molehill thread.
so what if the filter isn't as clean as it possibly can be? so the saw runs a tad rich.
with all the folks gettting hurt with saws, lack of ppe, incorrect chains and bars,improper cutting methods, here we are arguing over how to remove a few flakes of sawdust from an air filter! comon! tap the darn thing off and get back cutting. in the grand scheme of things, this ranks right up there with the color of ignition wire insulation. has anyone here actually worn an air filter out? I never did, I always replaced it before it ever started looking bad, and you know that you do too. same with your fuel filters and spark plugs. its called preventive maintence and costs mere pennies a day.
me thinks there are some very bored people here.
-Ralph

In lack of, Give you Beer.

Easy big fella, just askin a question....

 

[bigbadbob]

I went to our "Canadian Tire" store looking for the "Purple Cleaner" but found none. We have "Simple Green" only. Who makes the purple stuff??? Does Wal-Mart have it?? The U.S. has some much more to choose from than us, I love going there just to shop for all the stuff we don't have and can't get!! Milk Duds are the top of my list.opcorn:

 

[PA Plumber]

I blow mine out with compressed air, works very good. It also gets the filters very clean.

Me too. Always blow from the inside out. The snap together filters (026) can easily be split a screwdriver. Others... from the inside out. I don't wash my filters often, but every couple of outings, I do blow them out with compressed air.

 

[JoeCanuck]

What if the filter is Royally Flocked??:taped:

 

[Lakeside53]

What if the filter is Royally Flocked??:taped:

Then you can get fleeced when you buy a new filter

 

[bigbadbob]

Then you can get fleeced when you buy a new filter

you beat me to that one!!!

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

another mountian from a molehill thread.
so what if the filter isn't as clean as it possibly can be? so the saw runs a tad rich.
with all the folks gettting hurt with saws, lack of ppe, incorrect chains and bars,improper cutting methods, here we are arguing over how to remove a few flakes of sawdust from an air filter! comon! tap the darn thing off and get back cutting. in the grand scheme of things, this ranks right up there with the color of ignition wire insulation. has anyone here actually worn an air filter out? I never did, I always replaced it before it ever started looking bad, and you know that you do too. same with your fuel filters and spark plugs. its called preventive maintence and costs mere pennies a day.
me thinks there are some very bored people here.
-Ralph

I heard clogged air filters cause crankcase vacuum, that sucks on seals, causing premature seal failure and complete saw melt down.

 

[J.Walker]

I just got the ultrasonic cleaner in that Lake recommended today and tried it out on air filters. Mixed up some purple cleaner and gave each one a good cleaning, couldn't believe what came out of my "clean" filters.

I use a paint brush to brush them off when I top off the saw, at least on the ones without a prefilter. On the big saws, I carry extra felt prefilters.

Grear idea from Lake. For brushes I like flux brushes from the hardware store. Much softer than toothbrushes.

 

[Lakeside53]

I heard clogged air filters cause crankcase vacuum, that sucks on seals, causing premature seal failure and complete saw melt down.

In servicing I see a lot (almost all!!!!) of really blocked filters.. but the saws are fine.. Where did you hear that?

 

[Trigger-Time]

This filter came off of a saw I bought for parts.
The previous owner needs to read this thread

 

[Lakeside53]

Ah.. yes... I see way too many of those.. That's the old "flocked style", sans flocking...

I has one last week where the guys has actually removed ALL the flocking with a wire brush - he thought it was dirt! Piston was shot... he was pissed at me for telling him... hmmm?

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

In servicing I see a lot (almost all!!!!) of really blocked filters.. but the saws are fine.. Where did you hear that?

If I remember correctly, it was at a FISTA training deal. The theory set forth was, the high vacuum sucked contaminants under the seal and those contaminants caused seal wear by riding between surfaces.
Is there a way to quantify how much vacuum a seal can hold vs. how much vacuum a big, powerful saw can create with a clogged filter.

 

[Lakeside53]

I haven't seen any data on seals verses saw.

On that theory, if you slam on the choke when the saw is running a full power the seals could be toast.