# Cleaning pitch off of saw blade



## jbander (Jan 6, 2012)

Is there away to do this without having to buy some exotic chemical cleaner , Cost is alway a factor..


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

I think this has come up once or twice before. ;-) There are many ways to do it…the important thing as that it gets done regardless of which method/cleaner you use.

Saw blade cleaning discussions


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## JohnnyM (Jan 6, 2012)

I have only used a pitch remover I bought at woodcraft. I don't cut it, just use it full strength and than put it through a paint/finish strainer and back into the bottle. Been using the same bottle for a good 8 years now. The stuff works like a charm.


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## Viking (Aug 26, 2009)

I use the Simple Green Pro (purple stuff) from Home Depot. It works great and not expensive.


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

Every once in awhile I get a bunch of pine sap on my hands… STICKY as all get-out!

I've been using plain ole Dawn liquid dish washing soap.. I may have to try 2-3 times… but, it eventually works for my skin.

How that correlates to a saw blade, I don't know…

And, when I do it, the sap is *still soft*... If I were to let it harden, I doubt if the soap would do it.


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## longgone (May 5, 2009)

the simple green cleaners and the orangecleaners both work for me just fine. I usually take the blades off my table saw and miter saw every couple of weeks and give them a good cleaning. Makes a nice difference.


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## BurtC (Oct 30, 2009)

I use Simnple Green. Let blade soak in it for 10 minutes, then scrub balde with an old tooth brush, rinse and dry.


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

Another call for Simple Green


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## BobAtl (Jan 10, 2011)

It's Dawn dishwashing liquid for me. Hot water, a good squirt of Dawn and let it sit an hour or so in a baking sheet deep enough to cover the blade. Think I set the blade on a few coins or something to ensure good contact all the way around. Not sure just how long it takes because I left my blade soaking a few hours while I went to church one Sunday. I used a nylon household brush to get all the softened gunk from the gullets and around the teeth but it came off real easily with just one soaking.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Soak in soap and hot water. Scrub teeth with a bristle
brush. Simple Green works well for the soap.


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## jbander (Jan 6, 2012)

Thanks for the great response and thanks for the kind welcome, simple green sounds like it has a lot of support, is it because it is more environmentally sound or does have something extra to recommend it.


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

Jon, Dawn & other dish washing liquid soaps are OK with the environment…
... chances are you already have it too… LOL


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

Simple Green works quickly and is 'non-toxic, biodegradable.' It's an effective stain per-treat on many fabrics too.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

I've used washing soda and goof off they both work very well.


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

1+ for simple green purple. Cleans blades very easily and will not degrade carbide like regular simple green. $15 at home depot will get you a concentrated gallon that will lasts you years.


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## jbander (Jan 6, 2012)

Really, how does simple green degrade carbide, do any of the other suggestions also degrade carbide.


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## renners (Apr 9, 2010)

Methylated spirits or thinners, and an old tooth brush works for me.


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

"Really, how does simple green degrade carbide, do any of the other suggestions also degrade carbide."

Oven cleaner is also somewhat controversial…it's harsh, and is rumored to also do potential damage to carbide and/or it's binders. With so many other equally effective and inexpensive methods, I'd decided to not take the risk with the green Simple Green or oven cleaner. 409, LA's Totally Awesome, Fantastic, Greased Lightning, Goo Gone, etc., all work great IME. Spray, brush, rinse, dry…done in 3-4 minutes from start to finish. Freud suggests a kerosene soak for heavy gumming…it's pH neutral.


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

I use 409. Works for me.


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## NBeener (Sep 16, 2009)

*a1Jim* wrote:

"I've used washing soda and goof off they both work very well."

I've used washing soda, too, but if *I* goof off, the blade … well … it never gets clean ;-)


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

I have seen this subject beaten into the ground by chem. engineers, hobbiests, etc. with so many different opinions that my head hurts. I've been usin' A&H WASHING SODA and Simple Green for a long time without any degradation of the carbide or welds/brazing. But what do I know?
Bill


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

I have seen this subject beaten into the ground by chem. engineers, hobbiests, etc. with so many different opinions that my head hurts. I've been usin' A&H WASHING SODA and Simple Green for a long time without any degradation of the carbide or welds/brazing. But what do I know?
Bill


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## SalvageCraft (Jun 26, 2011)

I recall the Wood Whisperer mentioning simple green being too harsh, something about the possibility of weakening the bond between the steel blade body and carbide tooth.
This video, methinks: http://thewoodwhisperer.com/episode-28-when-the-dust-settles/

He's a smart guy, so there's likely something to this theory. But, it hasn't stopped me!


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## bbjjj (Jan 7, 2012)

I have been using a product that Foley-Belsaw sells called Super-Brite saw cleaner for about 20 years now and it is specifically used to remove pitch and resins from saw blades. 
I purchased a used Foley-Belsaw carbide circular saw blade sharpener about 20 years ago. I ordered some new diamond wheels and the blade cleaner at that time and have been using it ever since. It is a concentrate that can be mixed 20 parts water to 1 part concentrate. 
Let the blades soak and with a little help from a nylon brush on the tough areas they come out really clean. 
I then strain the mixture and save it in a plastic jug with a tight lid for the future.
Foley-Belsaw sells this product for about $20 plus shipping.


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## 747DRVR (Mar 18, 2009)

Freud cautions against using Simple Green for the reason that has already been stated.I have a bottle of CMT cleaner that I have been using for 4 years.


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## Greedo (Apr 18, 2010)

whats up with buying all these toxic fancy products when the trees provide us with all we need!
I use turpentine, guess what, it's distilled wood sap, it's the solvent that makes sap liquid!
Moisten the blade with it and brush with a toothbrush, all the goo will come off wether it's fresh or hardened.

Don't put the rags in the dust bin until they have dried or burn them! White spirit works aswell.


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## Viking (Aug 26, 2009)

I got the Rockler blade /bit cleaning kit for Christmas (same one in Stumpy's video) and plan to try it soon.


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## MrAl (Sep 3, 2007)

Been using oven cleaner for years. Dollar Tree-$1.00.


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## jbander (Jan 6, 2012)

Thanks every one, I tried 409 and a concentrated cleaner that we have here and a dish soap. The bits and blades were bad, never cleaned them before. So it was oven cleaner that did it finally.


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## juniorjock (Feb 3, 2008)

Oven cleaner isn't very "user friendly". Next time you're at Lowes, pick up a jug of Krud Kutter and one of those dishes that you put under house plants to catch the water (big enough for your blade). Mix some water and some of the KK (a little dab will do) in the dish and put the blade in (make sure its not resting on the bottom). Then, forget about it for a couple of hours. Come back and go around the blade with a toothbrush. Rinse and you have a very clean blade. The secret isn't in what chemical you use, its in letting the blade soak…. maybe even overnight.


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## tefinn (Sep 23, 2011)

I just watched the WW video and Marc *recommends *using Simple Green. He says not to use oven cleaner or harsh degreasers.

I've used SG for years as well as chemical degreasers with no ill effects. I think I will stop using the degreasers after what I've learned here though!


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## roundguy (Jan 19, 2011)

From Simple Green's website:

"Simple Green has been successfully used by many woodworkers over many years as a good "spray - wipe - rinse" cleaner for saw blades. When pitch is fairly fresh (typically within a 12-hr period since deposit) it is fairly easily removed with Simple Green. Older, dried-out pitch is much more difficult to remove. We do not recommend long-term soaking of Carbide blades in Simple Green. Long-term exposure like this can possibly cause cobalt leaching that will, in turn, affect the integrity or carbide. Shorter term "spray/wipe/rinse" applications do not create that kind of problem.
It has been reported to us that long-term soaking of carbide blades covered with older, tougher buildup of pitch in strong, black coffee does a great job of removing pitch without harming the blade."

I'd like to get their definition of 'Long-term soaking'.

If I'm paying $100 for a saw blade, I'd prefer to buy something that's made for cleaning saw blades.

see http://www.simplegreen.com/cleaningtips/pdf/126.pdf for the original.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

It hasn't been mentioned here, but in case anyone is trying different ideas, DO NOT try clorine bleach.
That stuff eats the molecular bonds out of alloy steel. Makes it become very brittle and develope cracks.

On a side note, i'm a foundry engineer and a jeweler as well as a woodworker. I have seen white gold jewelry turned into something brittle as glass from being soaked in clorox.


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## jbander (Jan 6, 2012)

Coffee is my next try , I'll give it the overnight treatment and see what happens.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Dawn dish washing liquid in warm water-filled sink. Put a sponge or cloth under the blade so that you do not scrape the teeth on the sink and get in trouble with the woman of the house! Use an old toothbrush on the saw teeth after about a 5-min soak. Simple chemical free way to do it. I still have the expensive can of blade cleaner sitting out in the shop but do NOT use it.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Living life thru chemistry. Don't guess that we'll change anything real soon. Never lost a tooth with SG yet.
I'll let ya know if it happens. My new Onsrud blades are waitin' for a wash job.
Bill


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## devann (Jan 11, 2011)

I've been using oven cleaner with good results for the past 15-20 years. No, I haven't had any problems with teeth being damaged, *ever.* I spray it on, let it sit, use a small wire brush to clean the teeth, then wipe off the blade with my hand while rinsing the blade with water. It knocks a layer of callouses of my hands, makes 'em soft for a couple days. After cleaning I use Sandaro (dri cote) carbide lube to prolong the cleaning till next time.


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

I bought some of the Trend cleaner, and reviewed it on my show. I know it isn't a homemade option, but it is the cheapest stuff on the market by far, and it works great!

(The greatest woodworking show mankind has ever known is now online!)


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## northeaster (Jul 30, 2011)

Has anyone else tried rubbing alcohol? I use it fairly frequently, so never really have to fight with a lot of pitch accumulation all at once. It's not such a bad lipid/grease solvent, dissolves water-based crud well, and shouldn't come close to touching silver solder (or whatever is used to attach carbide to blade) since it's not an acid or base, either.


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## roundguy (Jan 19, 2011)

Rocker has this on sale.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=18197


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

All of you are wrong.

The best stuff to use is *spray-on oven cleaner*. I lay down a square of aluminum foil, put the blade on it, spray the blade, turn it over and spray the other side. I leave it for about fifteen minutes and then wash off the blade in the sink. As a precaution against rust I usually spray the dried off blade with WD-40 before putting it back on the saw.

Planeman


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## lcurrent (Dec 15, 2007)

Mr Al Is right as rain 
Oven cleaner takes everything including paint and any oils


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## Philzoel (Dec 26, 2011)

I bought cheapest stuff from woodcraft for $8 and it works great. bras brush it and gone.


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