That is correct, powder coated and screened and Cerakote isn't a proper coating anyway. Good for firearms, not good on a bar.
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Painting Chainsaw Bars
- Thread starter julian1234
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I never sell saws but if I did, it would be sans bar and chain anyway.
I believe it has something to do with the 'woke' thing. Terrible execution and aesthetically fugly as well. I don't replace bars as a rule. One, I keep the rails deburred if necessary using a bastard cut mill file and two, if the 'rock' in the bar is getting visually flat, they get re-radiused on my large diameter flat plate abrasive machine I use for chamfering products we machine for customers here in the shop. I don't believe I've ever replaced a bar.
@Sidecarflip,
As a non pro ( as in non logger, arborist, climber, feller) I began with a Stihl 026 brand new in 1994. I did my best to keep the saw in good shape, never had any formal saw training or tree company daily working to get proficient with proper technique on every type saw cut needed.
With regards to that particular saw, I am sure that either I was responsible for this, or 1 or 2 other guys who used my saw on a few of my felling jobs, but my original 30 year old 18 inch Rollomatic bar has some " bluing on the edges, much of the paint is worn off.
I basically understand more about bar/ chain maintenance NOW @ age 60 vs what I did or didn't do as a beginner @ age 30.
My question is, will a blued bar be risky to use or will it wear new chains out faster etc?
As far as I know, the groove is not pinched, binding, not chunked or gunked up with pitch or chips. If I must surmise the reason(s) that the bar shows the bluing, I would either guess it was from hitting metal in a cut or running a dull chain or in some pinched cuts or some things along those lines.
FYI, it has probably been 20 years since this saw and bar got any real regular use.
I will add some pics for reference too.
What is this " rock" in the bar you speak of? Not sure I understand "radiused"One, I keep the rails deburred if necessary using a bastard cut mill file and two, if the 'rock' in the bar is getting visually flat, they get re-radiused on my large diameter flat plate abrasive machine I use for chamfering products we machine for customers here in the shop. I don't believe I've ever replaced a bar.
The bar or any bar for that matter has to have a visual rock or 'radius' in it, between the nose and the rear (and usually the bar will really have a curve or radius where the bar fits into the saw body for ease in installing the loop)What is this " rock" in the bar you speak of? Not sure I understand "radiused"
If you sight alone the bar while holding it up and looking across it, you can see the curve or end to end radius and if it's flat or has little curve to it, it won't present the cutter teeth properly when sawing. It has to have a radius or curve and when the curve or radius becomes flatter (from use), I'll grind the radius on my flat plate 14" grinder in the shop.
Keep in mind that after grinding, you have to remove the burrs produced on both rails, both inside and outside and check the bar for proper end to end drive tang clearance and that includes top and bottom if you flip your bars over with every new and sharpened loop, like I do.
Most of your cutting (unless you are ripping, will be in the center area of the bar and on the radius. The more pronounced that radius is, the more aggressively the cutter teeth will engage the wood, which is why a new bar and a new loop always cuts better than a used one but you can restore that 'cutting action' by maintaining that radius and installing a sharp loop when the existing loop gets dull.
A dull loop does nothing but make sawdust and rob a saws horsepower and piss you off...lol
Thanks bro.The bar or any bar for that matter has to have a visual rock or 'radius' in it, between the nose and the rear (and usually the bar will really have a curve or radius where the bar fits into the saw body for ease in installing the loop)
If you sight alone the bar while holding it up and looking across it, you can see the curve or end to end radius and if it's flat or has little curve to it, it won't present the cutter teeth properly when sawing. It has to have a radius or curve and when the curve or radius becomes flatter (from use), I'll grind the radius on my flat plate 14" grinder in the shop.
Keep in mind that after grinding, you have to remove the burrs produced on both rails, both inside and outside and check the bar for proper end to end drive tang clearance and that includes top and bottom if you flip your bars over with every new and sharpened loop, like I do.
Most of your cutting (unless you are ripping, will be in the center area of the bar and on the radius. The more pronounced that radius is, the more aggressively the cutter teeth will engage the wood, which is why a new bar and a new loop always cuts better than a used one but you can restore that 'cutting action' by maintaining that radius and installing a sharp loop when the existing loop gets dull.
A dull loop does nothing but make sawdust and rob a saws horsepower and piss you off...lol
Other than some used bars I got with saws or from other people, I am sure that none of my bars I began with ever saw enough use to flatten the radius.
Learned something new today,
In reality as the chain loop traverses the bar and you put pressure on the chain to cut through the wood, the chain is reducing the rock constantly and one of the reasons the chain gets loose and needs to be 'tightened up'. A new loop will wear the pivot points and loosen up as well (and why you have to 'adjust it soon after you install it) but the radius or rock is always getting flatter as the chain loop travels around the bar. Bar oil lubricates it but it's still wearing, anytime the loop is moving around the bar and a dull loop accelerates that wear because you have to apply excessive pressure to get the dull loop to cut. IOW, more pressure accelerates the bar wear. I never allow my chains to get dull and when I start seeing pitch building up on the heel of the cutters, it's time to install a new loop and I always carry a sharp loop with me, usually in a zip lock bag and it's oiled as well, why I carry them in the baggie, so they don't get oil on everything.
I never file my chains when they get dull. I always run them on one of my 2 chain grinders and of course check the depth gage height after grinding and I set mine at 0.025 or 0.030 using an Oregon depth gage. 0.025 if I'm cutting softer wood and 0.030 if I'm cutting harder or well seasoned wood.
I sharpen a ton of loops for my arborist customers and if I get loops in where the drive tangs have any corrosion on them, they get scrapped because the corrosion on the drive tangs accelerates the bar wear.
I've got my arborist customers trained pretty much when they install a sharp loop to put the dull loop in a small bucket with oil in it. Don't matter what type of oil it is, so long as they are immersed in the oil. I even supply them with small plastic buckets for that. Even used motor oil works.
First thing I do before I sharpen any loop is they go in my large heated ultrasonic cleaner with a water-lye solution. That cleans them of all buildup and renders the loops clean and ready to be dressed (after they dry of course).
Then they get sharpened. Reason I do that is the buildup of pitch on the dull loops will foul my CBN wheels. I don't use the resin bonded wheels as my CBN wheels never need radius dressing, just an occasional cleaning with a soft non abrasive stone to clean the wheels.
I can run hundreds of loops on one wheel without ever touching them. They are expensive but again, never need dressing and another nice aspect of them is, I don't have to run the funky and hard to install guards on my grinders either, because the CBN wheels haver their super hard abrasive bonded to an aluminum rim and the are perfectly balanced when I get them so no worries about 'exploding' wheels.
I actually have a pile of resin bonded wheels sitting on the shelf I'll never use and if anyone wants them, you pay the postage and I'll send them to you as I'll never use them. I bet I have around 10 of them in various widths and grits.
I never file my chains when they get dull. I always run them on one of my 2 chain grinders and of course check the depth gage height after grinding and I set mine at 0.025 or 0.030 using an Oregon depth gage. 0.025 if I'm cutting softer wood and 0.030 if I'm cutting harder or well seasoned wood.
I sharpen a ton of loops for my arborist customers and if I get loops in where the drive tangs have any corrosion on them, they get scrapped because the corrosion on the drive tangs accelerates the bar wear.
I've got my arborist customers trained pretty much when they install a sharp loop to put the dull loop in a small bucket with oil in it. Don't matter what type of oil it is, so long as they are immersed in the oil. I even supply them with small plastic buckets for that. Even used motor oil works.
First thing I do before I sharpen any loop is they go in my large heated ultrasonic cleaner with a water-lye solution. That cleans them of all buildup and renders the loops clean and ready to be dressed (after they dry of course).
Then they get sharpened. Reason I do that is the buildup of pitch on the dull loops will foul my CBN wheels. I don't use the resin bonded wheels as my CBN wheels never need radius dressing, just an occasional cleaning with a soft non abrasive stone to clean the wheels.
I can run hundreds of loops on one wheel without ever touching them. They are expensive but again, never need dressing and another nice aspect of them is, I don't have to run the funky and hard to install guards on my grinders either, because the CBN wheels haver their super hard abrasive bonded to an aluminum rim and the are perfectly balanced when I get them so no worries about 'exploding' wheels.
I actually have a pile of resin bonded wheels sitting on the shelf I'll never use and if anyone wants them, you pay the postage and I'll send them to you as I'll never use them. I bet I have around 10 of them in various widths and grits.
Before they are painted / powder coated, many bars are induction hardened on the rails, leaving a uniform, blue, ring around the bar.my original 30 year old 18 inch Rollomatic bar has some " bluing on the edges, much of the paint is worn off.
As the paint wears off, many people misinterpret this as being due to overheating or abuse.
A concentrated area may be, but not a uniform blue ring around the entire bar.
Philbert
The bars for my 090 and 075 are like that. Never paid any attention to it actually. If your bar has localized 'blue' on either the top or bottom, that means there was lack of bar oil or the loop was too tight or the chain was dull and you applied excessive pressure to get it to cut One thing I do notice on Stihl bars (and others) is the paint (or powder coat) whichever will chip off near the bar rails. I still think the new Stihl paint job / wiggly line is fugly. I don't have any but one of my arborist customers replaced his bar with one and I was looking at his...... Don't know who came up with it but I prefer the solid paint / powder coat with the Stihl logo or 'Rollomatic on them.
Thank you FLIP. this is what I surmised happened. 1 or more of those causes you mentioned.The bars for my 090 and 075 are like that. Never paid any attention to it actually. If your bar has localized 'blue' on either the top or bottom, that means there was lack of bar oil or the loop was too tight or the chain was dull and you applied excessive pressure to get it to cut One thing I do notice on Stihl bars (and others) is the paint (or powder coat) whichever will chip off near the bar rails. I still think the new Stihl paint job / wiggly line is fugly. I don't have any but one of my arborist customers replaced his bar with one and I was looking at his...... Don't know who came up with it but I prefer the solid paint / powder coat with the Stihl logo or 'Rollomatic on them.
I prefer the same paint scheme and model designation as you mentioned too.
You have me thinking, I should post pics. that will tell the story. Other than that, I need to flip my bar and sharpen the chains plus get that saw running again. My one 026 fires up easy, this one is a bit finicky. Been using 044 and 660 more recently.Before they are painted / powder coated, many bars are induction hardened on the rails, leaving a uniform, blue, ring around the bar.
As the paint wears off, many people misinterpret this as being due to overheating or abuse.
A concentrated area may be, but not a uniform blue ring around the entire bar.
Philbert
I do have a sidecar on one of my Triumphs but in reality my name is Flip. Parents named me after my Grandfather and I like the name. I tell people I'm the only somewhat white Flip they will ever meet. Not 100% Caucasian by any means. I'm actually 1/2 American Indian, 1/4 African American and 1/4 hillbilly.
I have a hunch they will change that. I’ve heard very few that liked it.Yes, agreed. (E.g, their light 04/06 bars look terrible)
