Cleaning up an old saw?

[Jack_Shaft]

I have an MS260 and MS170 body/crankcase that have seen better days. Structurally they're fine, but near the exhaust and around the chain/ brake area they are covered in a dark, greasy mess that is hard to get off.

I have tried using some Simple Green and Castrol's Super Clean with some success, but what do you guys use?

 

[2000ssm6]

Carb cleaner in the can works good, brake cleaner might get it off. Spray it on a cloth then wipe. Both CRC brand, can be bought at auto zone/advanced.

 

[Wood Hick]

I have found nothing better than Acetone from the paint store, the real stuff, not the sissified stuff for womens nail polish. On metal, there is nothing beter, but on plastic parts be careful. It can start to eat into the plastic if you use too much or rub too hard. It will eat away that black crust around mufflers as soon as you wipe it on. Good luck!

 

[Scooterbum]

Dishwasher:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[16:1mix]

Dishwasher:hmm3grin2orange:

Hehehehe!

I've got the next best thing....a high pressure washer and a bunch of Dawn brand dish washing soap.

 

[huskydave]

Try purplepower from walmart. That stuff is awesome! Mix it with water and soak. It does wonders on saws. Castrol makes some of the same if you want namebrand.

 

[Sprig]

My pop layed a couple of boxes of 'excess' stuff on me since he was movin' to Winterpeg, and amongst the junk was a couple of squirt-tins of 'Goof-Off'.
Tried some on an old pitch collector (76xl) and the results were nothing short of amazing on metal parts, it does not play well with some plastics though. For that I use dish-soap and worn out 3-m scouring pads, a dab or two of gas mix onna tough carbon stain, cheap margerine and pads for pitchy messes. If you try acetone be very, very careful, it will wreck plastic/paint very quickly and is highly volatile too.

My 0.02$ fer the morning, time ta gear up and hit da wood-pile.



Serge

 

[mjbilbo]

Jack, I noticed you have a Stihl 08. I got one of those saws and it is a great cutter but have been having problems with the oiler lately. Have you had any problems with your and if so what did you do to it?

Mike

 

[ChuckinOhio]

Try white gas, or Coleman fuel whatever you want to call it.Works great and lots of folks have it laying around. Cuts the funk real quick.

Brake parts cleaner works real good also, but can attack the paint if that's a problem for you. Go to the dollar store and look for cans of whatever off brand they have for cheap.

Carb cleaner works, but the cans dont spray at the pressure that you get from brake cleaner cans.


Chuck

 

[Jack_Shaft]

3M Brake Cleaner is too weak, so carb cleaner isn't going to cut it either.

 

[Jack_Shaft]

Mine has been bang-on man, no oiling issues.

I actually had two, one in perfect working order, the other for parts. I gave away the parts saw to a friend of mine that helps with a lot of saw repair jobs that I often get myself into.

My 08 is a bit of a time piece as it was my Dad's saw from the late 60's early 70's. He cut countless cords of wood with it and even though I haven't fired it up in about two years I'm sure I could close the choke and start it up on 8 or 10 pulls right now.

 

[Jack_Shaft]

My pop layed a couple of boxes of 'excess' stuff on me since he was movin' to Winterpeg, and amongst the junk was a couple of squirt-tins of 'Goof-Off'.
Tried some on an old pitch collector (76xl) and the results were nothing short of amazing on metal parts, it does not play well with some plastics though. For that I use dish-soap and worn out 3-m scouring pads

Sounds good. I use the Dawn + pads for light work too, works well. I have seen that "Goof-off" stuff, perhaps I'll buy a tube the next time I see some. I'd like to see how well it will remove muffler crud.

 

[Sprig]

Mine has been bang-on man, no oiling issues.

I actually had two, one in perfect working order, the other for parts. I gave away the parts saw to a friend of mine that helps with a lot of saw repair jobs that I often get myself into.

My 08 is a bit of a time piece as it was my Dad's saw from the late 60's early 70's. He cut countless cords of wood with it and even though I haven't fired it up in about two years I'm sure I could close the choke and start it up on 8 or 10 pulls right now.

My poor little and (up till not long ago) 08s has been one of the most reliable and faithful machines I ever owned (near 20yrs and countless cords of wood), it is dismantled now and growing cob-webs , anyone with a decent 08 parts saw ta spare I'd gladly pay shippin' + (within' re4ason eh) just ta get my baby running again, I am not holdin' my breath though as you can still get new parts from Brazil, oi.
On the oiler, make sure the drive-pin on the nut isn't worn out (part available and quick ta fix), just a thought, abut the simplest oiler system ever imho, not much ta go wrong and parts are stihl out there

I am sad now with memories.



Serge

 

[16:1mix]

For tougher oil/gunk another possibility is Naptha. You will recognize this stuff as lighter fluid for your Zippo lighter, but it is available in quart and gallon sizes at the paint department in hardware stores, etc. Of course it is flammable but the stuff evaporates real quick in open air.

 

[Jack_Shaft]

What parts do you need exactly? I'm pretty sure my buddy just yanked the pis & cyl, the rest may be intact.

 

[andrethegiant70]

Now this is my kind of thread! I do nothing but the old crochety saws. Stay away from brake cleaner, it eats rubber parts (it will erode intake boots, seals, fuel lines, etc). Carb cleaner is pretty good at knocking down built up grease and oil but doesn't do much for pitch. I second the motion for purple cleaner.. for the tough stuff I use higher concentrations and hot water. A good stiff parts brush will make a difference, too.

One day I decided to clean a desk phone with acetone, and it completely melted off the glossy finish. I'd stay away from that, too.

Have fun, cleaning up the old ones is a totally enjoyable hobby.

 

[mjbilbo]

what is the "purple cleaner" for those of us who have no idea?

Is it a brand called purple cleaner?

 

[andrethegiant70]

Sorry it took a bit for me to get back to this..... do a search on Purple Cleaner.. there's quite a bit of information on the site. In my neck of the woods it comes in a purple bottle and is called "Super Clean." It produces some surprisingly good results, especially if you can soak the parts for a while.

I picked mine up at Ace Hardware.

 

[ChuckinOhio]

Actually did not know that about Brake Cleaner.

Thanks for the info, I'm all out of rep or you'd get some!!

Chuck

 

[lesorubcheek]

That's a new one on me too. I've always thought brake cleaner wouldn't attack rubber, that being the whole idea why its safe to use it to clean brakes. I mean if it destroyed the seals on calipers or wheel cylinders, well that wouldn't be too good! Not saying its not so, 'cause I never tried it on rubber parts of a saw, but I'll definitely remember. I do know that carb cleaner can bubble up paint though, so I try to only use it on unpainted surfaces.

Dan