Philbert's Chain Salvage Challenge

[Huskybill]

Geez, I use chains down to the last sharpening then save them for cutting pallets/skids. I usually heat the house one fire a night on pallets till it gets colder. That can be towards November/ December..

 

[Wood Doctor]

Geez, I use chains down to the last sharpening then save them for cutting pallets/skids. I usually heat the house one fire a night on pallets till it gets colder. That can be towards November/ December..

Save the chunks (cookies, stubs, etc.) somewhere. They won't stack, but they really burn nicely. It amazes me how many of these get thrown away somewhere at the collection site. Pallets and skids have nails in them. These little guys seldom do and are waiting to make heat.

 

[Huskybill]

Pallets, skids, crates are perfect for free heat or fire starter. Perfect for wornout chains and even old bars.

 

[Philbert]

OK gentlemen, this thread is on salvaging chains, not scrounging firewood, please.

Thanks.


Philbert

 

[Wood Doctor]

But, Philbert, saw chains are often ruined and then need to be salvaged if being used to scrounge what Huskybill listed in post #583. Knowing what wrecked the chain might be important to the guy trying to salvage it. Just MHO.

 

[Brufab]

This chain came wrapped around the handle of a garage sale saw. For perspective, this saw actually had moss growing from the spot where the muffler used to be.

Part of the chain is recognizable. The rest is rusted into a solid, spiral hunk that cannot be separated or moved. All I know is that it is 3/8 low profile pitch chain. I can’t even count the links.

(*see attached photos)

View attachment 316185
Chain Number One

1. Cleaning with the purple stuff (see thread above). It’s a Sabre! About 34 links are in surprisingly good condition. I could actually break these links off, sharpen them, and use them right away. Maybe the greasy coating protected them?

Too bad that the shortest loop I can use is 40 drive links (for a pole pruner). If this was a more common chain, I could maybe spin/splice it to another piece to make a longer loop.

View attachment 316186

2. Tied an overnight white vinegar bath for the rust; this has worked for me on some rusty tools and on some vintage tie straps.

The vinegar dissolved some rust, but cosmetically turned most of the shiny metal black (this will wear off or can be scrubbed off of tools). Note that several of the chromed cutters are still shiny, even on the heavily rusted links.

I was able to separate the overlapped spirals of frozen chain, but not straighten anything.

Philbert

View attachment 316187

Thanks philbert!!! Looks like my chain I'm struggling with. The guys directed me here. I didn't have enough vinegar last night so I used diet doctor pepper. Not much results based info to share as the experiment didn't show any progress

 

[Philbert]

I didn't have enough vinegar last night so I used diet doctor pepper.

People have used CocaCola for years, since it contains phosphoric acid. But the sugar adds to the mess.

Philbert

 

[Brufab]

People have used CocaCola for years, since it contains phosphoric acid. But the sugar adds to the mess.

Philbert

No messing around now lol.

 

[heimannm]

I started out with the NOS McCulloch "F" chain that was a bit rusty.



I bought this Metal Rescue at our local Menards.



I was busy so it was soaking for a couple of days. Following that I gave it a bit of a scrub in the parts washer with solvent and a wire brush.





As Philbert has pointed out, removing rust does not replace the oxidized metal.



This was the second time I used that particular jug of Blaster, it says to keep using it until it is no longer effective, it does get pretty dark after a couple of sessions but seems to keep working so far.

Mark

 

[Wood Doctor]

Blaster ain't cheap, but yes, it works. Seems like cleaning vinegar is still a Best Buy soaker. Heloise loves it too, but it will remove both the shine and the rust.

 

[Jhenderson]

You fellas do realize that mounting the rusty chain and actually cutting wood with it will accomplish the same end , don’t you?

 

[Wood Doctor]

You fellas do realize that mounting the rusty chain and actually cutting wood with it will accomplish the same end , don’t you?

But, sometimes the links are so frozen with rust that the chain cannot be mounted. I run into that all the time.

 

[Philbert]

You fellas do realize that mounting the rusty chain and actually cutting wood with it will accomplish the same end , don’t you?

Does not clean the rust between the plates, around the bearing parts of the rivets, and places that the wood does not touch.

Philbert

 

[Jhenderson]

I keep a spare bar and chain on the floor of the forwarder in case of emergency. It sometimes is over a year between uses. Often the chain is a stiff ball of rust. It’s lumpy but in about 5 minutes it’s mounted and working. I’ve never had one I couldn’t get to run, but that’s me. Considering a new Oregon 20 inch chisel chain is about $16 at my local shop , the idea of spending time and $ on one that’s worn, and so rusty as to be locked up tight baffles me.

 

[Brufab]

. 404 .058 chain is becoming harder to find these days

 

[PogoInTheWoods]

Does not clean the rust between the plates, around the bearing parts of the rivets, and places that the wood does not touch.

Doesn't do a sprocket much good, either.

the idea of spending time and $ on one that’s worn, and so rusty as to be locked up tight baffles me.

You're clearly in the wrong thread..., on several levels.

 

[Philbert]

the idea of spending time and $ on one that’s worn, and so rusty as to be locked up tight baffles me.

If you go back to the start of this thread, you will see that it was mostly driven by “salvaging“ chains that could easily be repaired/returned to service, that people were discarding. Along the way, it became a “challenge“, of sorts, for fun and interest, to take on more difficult chains. I personally learned a lot about chains, and have tried to share that knowledge with any others interested.

Some people derive satisfaction from keeping useful items out of the scrap pile. Some people have more time than money. Some chains, from collectible saws, are no longer available.

The rust question came up early, and is explored in the first few pages. I was surprised, as I was mostly thinking about addressing physical damage and sharpening errors.

Some guys like to refurbish old saws, bikes, guns, furniture, tools, etc. Some guys like to throw old stuff away and buy new. This thread is clearly directed towards the first group, but hopefully is also helpful for folks trying to troubleshoot a chain problem, and maybe avoiding those problems in the first place.

Philbert

 

[Brufab]

Thanks for the thread! I got one soaking in vinegar now I will know more tomorrow afternoon when it's been a full 24 hours. I'm curious to see what happens. If my results are half as good as philberts I will be pretty happy. I'm hoping to salvage the chain since it doesnt look like its been sharpened once yet and .404 .058 64DL isn't something a shop carries on the shelf.

 

[Philbert]

I tried lots of different chemicals and suggested recipes. They are detailed in the early pages of this thread.

Avoid ‘inorganic acids’ (hydrochloric, sulfuric, nitric, etc.), which are nasty to work with, and will ‘eat’ the underlying metal too.

Most ‘organic acids’ (acetic, citric, oxalic, etc.) will work, although, they may color the underlying metal if left too long. Phosphoric acid is good on rust, but not recommended for chrome, which is a problem for saw chains.

You can order most of these acids in dry, powder form, fairly cheaply, from places like Amazon. Some of these are even “food grade“, so they are fairly safe to work with, with reasonable care.

Products like ‘EvapoRust’, ‘WD 40 Specialist Rust Remover’, and the brand that Mark used, work well, but are somewhat more expensive.

I had a bad, first experience with electrolysis on a saw chain, but ought to give that another try, since it worked so well for me with other items.

One of my favorite tools for removing rust on chains is a fine, stainless steel, ‘scratch brush’, about the size of a toothbrush, available from many welding supply stores for a buck or so. It is really helpful for cleaning around the rivet heads, and other tight places, along with water, or your cleaning solution.

Degrease the chain thoroughly first, so that your acid or cleaning solution actually reaches the rust. Don’t forget to rinse and dry well, and to re-lubricate the chain after. Of course, rust prevention is the best method!

Philbert

 

[Jhenderson]

If you go back to the start of this thread, you will see that it was mostly driven by “salvaging“ chains that could easily be repaired/returned to service, that people were discarding. Along the way, it became a “challenge“, of sorts, for fun and interest, to take on more difficult chains. I personally learned a lot about chains, and have tried to share that knowledge with any others interested.

Some people derive satisfaction from keeping useful items out of the scrap pile. Some people have more time than money. Some chains, from collectible saws, are no longer available.

The rust question came up early, and is explored in the first few pages. I was surprised, as I was mostly thinking about addressing physical damage and sharpening errors.

Some guys like to refurbish old saws, bikes, guns, furniture, tools, etc. Some guys like to throw old stuff away and buy new. This thread is clearly directed towards the first group, but hopefully is also helpful for folks trying to troubleshoot a chain problem, and maybe avoiding those problems in the first place.

Philbert

I realize the impetus of the thread. I followed early on. The chains I referred to were the last posted. Either of which I would mount and run as is and an hr later you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between one that had been acid bathed and one that hadn’t. Just a case of practicality vs hobby.