How To Clean Your Chainsaws Without Making a Mess

[chipper1]

I have an air booster. With a water line to give it some mass 300 psi with a lil water really cuts the crud without a full sized pressure washer.

I bought a 346 one time that was leaking bar oil, no problem, seen that before. Then as I wiped it down I realized it was leaking from between the cases, most likely it had been pressure washed, not sure how else you could do that with vacuum alone since the gasket was inside the case lol.

 

[Canyon Angler]

View attachment 783048 Here’s another arrow in your quiver for saw cleaning. It’s good for getting at those pesky little areas like oil inlets and outlets.
Rather expensive @ 7$ per can.
Disclaimer: be sure to wear safety glasses!

Way too harsh-o!

Golly me! Now I need to go find a Safe Space!

Anything more aggressive than this

is just OPPRESSIVE!

 

[Gypo Logger]

Way too harsh-o!

Golly me! Now I need to go find a Safe Space!

Anything more aggressive than this

is just OPPRESSIVE!

I prefer the much more aggressive Q tip myself.

 

[John Lyngdal]

I just finished cleaning 3 grungy NTM saws using compressed air, a 5 gallon bucket of de-greasing solution, compressed air, followed by warm air drying.
I'm going to try something different next time. My thoughts were to make a bucket of hot de-greasing solution and feed it through my compressor powered sandblaster attachment.
It wouldn't be as harsh as a pressure washer, but the hot soapy water should do a good job on deposits of grease and wood chips.

So I tried this today and the results were quite good. The test case was a Poulan 3400 that I recently picked up and hadn't be cleaned for some time and now I wish I would have taken before pictures.
I pulled the covers off the saw and removed as much of the sawdust and oil "paste" deposits as I could, then I sprayed the pieces with Simple Green and let them sit over night. The next morning I gave the exposed area a quick once over with a brush then sprayed them with hot water (without soap) passed through my sandblaster attachment. I heated the water to almost boiling and next time I will boil the water as it cools off significantly during the spraying process.
And the results....




Afterwards I hot air dried the parts then took the pictures. All in all, I thought it worked really well.
I have a Husky 372 that needs serious cleaning, and I'll take before pictures as well as after when I do it.

 

[lambs]

I keep a small synthetic paint brush with my other tools in the field, and everytime I stop cutting to change out a dinged chain or to get gas / oil, I brush off the clutch cover and the crankcase underneath it, along with the fuel and oil cap areas of the saw. When I get home, I drag out my air compressor hose to a grassy area (ok, weedy area) and blow off the outside of the saw, bar and the carb / air filter area as needed.

All used chains go into the basement workshop for regrind or just filing if that's all they need.

 

[pioneerguy600]

View attachment 784170
I prefer the much more aggressive Q tip myself.

Aggressive, man, all we use is,

 

[SEAM]

Many years ago I bought a Stihl Contra from a seller in Germany (when shipping was still OK). They pressure washed and dried the saw prior to packing and shipping. The engine/crank bearings were locked when it arrived here 3 or 4 weeks later - water had entered the engine in the cleaning process (possibly via the seals as the intake and exhaust were plugged, they said). No water and no pressure on my saws - these tools are not made like cars or bikes (and even with bikes one needs to be careful).
If one of my saws get wet (during transport, etc.) I make sure to run it afterwards to make sure it's put away dry...

 

[SEAM]

Even Stihl does not really bother in their advertising...

 

[quantico]

Your supposed to clean them ??

 

[quantico]

Gypo.. i have cleaned tape decks and portable tv cameras for 40 years with compressed air.. never a single issue

 

[Gypo Logger]

Aggressive, man, all we use is,

Can I get that at Home Hardware?

 

[pioneerguy600]

Can I get that at Home Hardware?

Only through Ronconic Inc. and he is not on here any longer.

 

[The Lorax]

Stihl sell a spray can called Superclean designed to clean saws
https://www.stihl.co.uk/STIHL-Produ...ers-and-Lubricants/21064-1560/superclean.aspx