Wow these saws are filthy....... How do i clean these?

[PaladinMan187]

So I bought a bunch of saws from a guy who was winding down his business. About 10. They are all packed full of dirt and rock hard sawdust mixed with bar oil. As I'm cleaning them up and fixing them to prep them to run again, what are you guys using to clean up really nasty saws? I'll spend the next 3 Paychecks on brake clean if I were to go that route.

 

[PaladinMan187]

Better pictures as an example......

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Purple degreaser and a hose and brush

 

[lone wolf]

Purple degreaser and a hose and brush

With hot water from behind the washing machine, use a black rubber hose or the equivalent.

 

[LoneOak]

 

[Mad Professor]

No sense in using solvent first on thick/caked on. I scrape off the thick stuff first. Paint scrapers, screwdrivers, parts brush/old tooth brush, nails/picks, etc. Blow out loosened with air.

Then (parts) brushes and diesel fuel, rinse repeat. Dish detergent to get the diesel and diesel stank off, rinse with a hose.

Here's a 038 done that way. Ready to get the 038--->038M conversion

 

[dandan111]

I’d probably use diesel fuel and an old tooth brush. I’ve cleaned my cover in the sink with dawn dish soap. Cleans up easy

 

[Agrarian]

I would never use sprayed water on a saw unless you were planning to run it that day. I've bought too many saw carcasses that looked nice on the outside because someone had sprayed them. However water got into the crankcase and destroyed the case (magnesium), crankshaft, internal bearings, clutch bearing, etc. Water can get in through the muffler, carburetor, decompression valve. Notice on the saw in the video, there is no deflector on the muffler (at 18 sec) so water easily poured in.

I use naptha (PSC1000 from TSC). It's low odor and about $45 for 5 gallons.

 

[MacAttack]

I like Brakekleen and a blow nozzle if it's a saw that I just want to put back into service.

That's just me though

 

[Okie]

When I get a nasty dirty saw or any equipment I first see if I'm whipping on a dead horse. (not wasting my time making it look pretty)
It might just be a pile of parts that can be cleaned as they are needed.

 

[David Ellis]

For some of the plastic and aluminum parts remove the larger chunks manually. Then wait until your wife isn't home then place them in the dishwasher with a little extra soap . Yup. I

 

[Okie]

For some of the plastic and aluminum parts remove the larger chunks manually. Then wait until your wife isn't home then place them in the dishwasher with a little extra soap . Yup. I

AND you best get them out of the dishwasher before wiffee see's them or she will clean house including you. You might be wearing some of them saws as a head ornament.

 

[Sidecarflip]

Not something that concerns me as I clean my saws after every use. Before I put them away I take a toothbrush and blow gun and clean all the swarf off of them and under the side cover, grease the sprocket noses, fill them with canned fuel and bar oil and put them up. ( on a shop towel so the peeing bar oil from the oilers don't get everywhere) and when the shop towel gets soaked, off to the burn pile it goes. Every couple times, I remove the bars and clean the gunk from in the bar grooves (I use an old credit card) and flip the bars over and check the loops and if they need dressed, take care of that as well.

Even my ancient 028 WB is clean, I don't like filthy saws, dirty vehicles or a dirty shop either.

 

[Sidecarflip]

I've found that ZEP concentrated degreaser works as well as Purple Power and costs less when you buy it in 5 gallon containers, but then I'm partial to ZEP anyway, plus the empty containers make excellent used oil containers for a trip to the recycle center (or the burn pile as an accelerant if required)...lol I get a lot of used motor oil here when I'm servicing all the tractors and vehicles.

 

[GMB74]

I've found that ZEP concentrated degreaser works as well as Purple Power and costs less when you buy it in 5 gallon containers, but then I'm partial to ZEP anyway, plus the empty containers make excellent used oil containers for a trip to the recycle center (or the burn pile as an accelerant if required)...lol I get a lot of used motor oil here when I'm servicing all the tractors and vehicles.

ZEP Punch used to be da bomb back when I worked on cars. Probably can't get it anymore, or they have changed the formula so it is safer. And less effective. Gunk engine degreaser was real good too.
Spray it on, let it sit a bit, scrub a little with a brush if you can, rinse with water.

 

[singinwoodwackr]

I would never use sprayed water on a saw unless you were planning to run it that day. I've bought too many saw carcasses that looked nice on the outside because someone had sprayed them. However water got into the crankcase and destroyed the case (magnesium), crankshaft, internal bearings, clutch bearing, etc. Water can get in through the muffler, carburetor, decompression valve. Notice on the saw in the video, there is no deflector on the muffler (at 18 sec) so water easily poured in.

I use naptha (PSC1000 from TSC). It's low odor and about $45 for 5 gallons.

I only pressure wash saws that will be completely torn down for this reason. Even with closing off intake, exhaust and anything else you can think of, water will find its way in.

 

[singinwoodwackr]

I disassemble a saw completely if really nasty. Scrape off as much of the big chunks as possible. I have 2 5gal buckets, one with of degreaser (Totally Awesome from Dollar store) that I soak parts in overnight, or longer, and the other to pour off into after soaking to then rinse out the crud left on the bottom. Small stuff goes in the HF Sonic tank with Awesome for a couple cycles. Medium size parts, plastic I don’t want o fade as much or anything aluminum go in the large sonic tank with Dawn, Tide liquid and water. Bearings, cranks, etc get blown dried immediately and then back in the the HF with Berryman’s carb cleaner, then blown out again. (Don’t put anything rubber in this stuff). A lot of bearings can be salvaged but if here is any doubt, replace them. Crank rod bearings are pretty tough and usually clean up fine.

When really nasty I spray with degreaser and pressure wash parts or whole saws, then disassemble and final clean as needed.

He two saws pictured ain’t even close to being dirty, lol
I’ll find some pics…

 

[MacAttack]

Here's the recoil cover off a McCulloch 10-10 I was just working on. You're looking at a 1 inch thick layer of oil / sawdust. I could have used a shovel on this thing...

 

[singinwoodwackr]

Here's the recoil cover off a McCulloch 10-10 I was just working on. You're looking at a 1 inch thick layer of oil / sawdust. I could have used a shovel on this thing...

View attachment 1205463View attachment 1205464
View attachment 1205465

Bah, you can still see paint,

 

[MacAttack]

Bah, you can still see paint,

This was AFTER I doused the thing in engine degreaser and hosed it off haha.