GASoline71
Mr. Nice Guy
LMAO... 
400%??? You mean I've been doin' it wrong all these years???
Gary
400%??? You mean I've been doin' it wrong all these years??? Gary
anything u do to clean up a dirty chain?? "clean" not sharpen
- Thread starter diesel&coffee
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Lakeside53
Stihl Wrenching
LMAO...
Gary
Me too...
GASoline71
Mr. Nice Guy
Give this a try... take the nastiest, dirtiest, "rustiest" chain ya got and throw it on your saw... Then go cut a few rounds in clean and green wood... then tell me what happens... but it needs to be sharp!
Trust me... clean chain.
Gary
stihlboy
Guess who's back
my nastiest is rust frozen to the point that i can pick it up and it still stays in the same shape and it is real tough to loosen up..........(i forgot it outside for mmmmmm 3 months
but i have done it on other chains and it works nicelyMR4WD
ArboristSite Guru
my nastiest is rust frozen to the point that i can pick it up and it still stays in the same shape and it is real tough to loosen up..........(i forgot it outside for mmmmmm 3 months
Wow. Throw it out and buy a new one cheapskate.
I find most of my chains stay clean by cutting wood?
Lakeside53
Stihl Wrenching
Then you need to soak it in something that removes the rust (like evapo-rust), not just hit it with a wire brush. me? Recycle bin...
Mr. Clean!
I can't believe this thread.
The one and only time I "cleaned" a chain is when I glued it up with pitch from a honkin' Douglas fir.
-Pat
I can't believe this thread.
The one and only time I "cleaned" a chain is when I glued it up with pitch from a honkin' Douglas fir.
-Pat
stihlboy
Guess who's back
cheapskate??? hey buddy its the chain from a poulan they dont get much cheaper than that...... plus i have like 6 or7 of them
i left a chain in the bed of my truck for a month maybe during the summer. lets say it got pretty rusted. so i asked my dad if i should toss it or try to clean it. he goes throw it on the saw and cut with it, it'll be clean by the time it needs to be sharpened again. guess what he was right its still in my rotation now but i have no idea what one it was. they all look exactly the same now. now i keep all my chains in a plastic box under the seat in my truck.
D&C,
There have been a bunch of threads on this - I know 'cause I started at least one of them. You might have missed them, or might just have wanted to provoke Gary.
I do some disaster cleanup, and also like to rescue abused chains, so I know what you are getting at.
The Easy-Off oven cleaner ('EOOC') method makes me nervous, 'cause it can also take away the oil between the links, leading to corrosion. Plus, it is nasty stuff.
The coffee can/Costco cashew container chain cleaner ('CC/CCCCC') full of diesel fuel/ etc. might work, but sounds messy, and might require a 'rinse' in clean B&C oil to get rid of the suspended stuff that settles back onto the chain. You also have to really like the letter 'C'.
The green wood method ('GWM') might work if you have a bunch of green wood in your shop, and as noted, the chain is already sharp. Not criticizing, but the chains you describe are not what I want to put on my grinder to sharpen prior to cleaning.
Based on some expert advice from my local STIHL dealer, I have settled on the bolt-in-board with bristled-brush ('B'nBw/BB') method. Stick a bolt through a board so that the end sticks through about an inch (or screw a wooden knob to the face of a board). Loop the chain over the bolt and stretch it tight. Hit the sides of the chain with a stiff bristled-brush to knock the crud off. Rotate the chain until all the links have been hit, then turn it over and repeat.
I spray the chain with WD-40 to loosen up the gummy stuff because it leaves a lubricating film after the solvents evaporate. I also have a short section of PVC tubing around the bolt to avoid nicking the drive links.
It helps to wear gloves to avoid accidental contact with the cutters. It also helps to clamp the board to a table to minimize movement. Also wear old clothes. Or do it in the closet so that you too can be a 'closet chain scrubber'.
Philbert
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volks-man
Arboristsite.com Spooner
you guys are slipping...
1: remove dirty chain from your saw
2: install chain on ms361.
3: all clean now.
1: remove dirty chain from your saw
2: install chain on ms361.
3: all clean now.
GASoline71
Mr. Nice Guy
Either way... if you have to "clean" a chain... you're prolly cuttin' in dirt or ash...
I have been cuttin' for 30 of my 40 years on this planet, and have never "cleaned" a chain in my life...
Don't overengineer it... just go cut wood...
Gary
I have been cuttin' for 30 of my 40 years on this planet, and have never "cleaned" a chain in my life...
Don't overengineer it... just go cut wood...
Gary
diesel&coffee
ArboristSite Guru
Gee - all I did was ask a simple question :monkey: I was just cleaning up the saw and looked at the chain and thought about cleaning it up before puttin the saw up.. :chatter:
ps: it is salvage wood cutting - no clean standing trees ! I don't cut standing trees right now!
ps: it is salvage wood cutting - no clean standing trees ! I don't cut standing trees right now!
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Yup. Some people must have an awful lot of spare time.
MR4WD
ArboristSite Guru
Wood's a pretty good solvent in terms of cleaning a chain or bar. I know on my dirtbikes, I don't clean the chains. I wipe the lumps off and oil the chain again. Using a cleaner can remove the oil from the rollers, causing a chain to wear out prematurely.
Maybe its another PNW thing like all the other good ideas
Marc
Addicted to ArboristSite
While I agree with everyone here that says... cut wood with the chain to clean it...
If you really wanted to clean the chain without cutting wood with it, put it in an ultrasonic bath for about 20 minutes in a mild to mid range solvent/cleaning solution. Presto-chango, clean chain, even between the plates. This is how I clean my mountain bike chains... and most other parts that will fit in the ultrasonic cleaner (bushings, bearings, pivots, whole derailleurs, pedals, etc.).
Works great.
If you really wanted to clean the chain without cutting wood with it, put it in an ultrasonic bath for about 20 minutes in a mild to mid range solvent/cleaning solution. Presto-chango, clean chain, even between the plates. This is how I clean my mountain bike chains... and most other parts that will fit in the ultrasonic cleaner (bushings, bearings, pivots, whole derailleurs, pedals, etc.).
Works great.
jburlingham
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:agree2:
I have only been cutting for slightly more then half of your 30, but I agree 100%
blackoak
Addicted to ArboristSite
This is coming from a knuckledraggin closet chain soaker.:hmm3grin2orange:
