Cleaning chain - how?

[4492011]

I use mineral spirits that you buy at home depot. And yes you should clean the oil off of your chains before you sharpen them with a grinder so that the grinding wheel does not get cloged with oil. After they have soaked I just let them drip dry or blow them off with air compressor if I am in a hurry. I then sharpen them and put them in a coffee can full of oil until the next use.

 

[superfire]

hun

use it that will clean it right up. if i have too cut really pitchy woods i will pour a little bar oil on the chain before the start of cuttin otherwise no ned too clean. saw chains are self cleaning if the oil system is workin:greenchainsaw:

 

[Grande Dog]

I had the occasion to cut a huge amount of blue gum eucalyptus. I tried a bunch of methods until I used Dawn dish detergent. I used about a table spoon to a pie tin and hot water. Leave it set over night. When you look at it in the morning it wont look much different. As soon as you touch the next piece of wood, the chain will be clean.

 

[JLROOT]

I'm late on this one but here goes. A well kept secret for the poison ivy/oak is rapid removal of the affected limb. I recommend a 3/8 full chisel chain. Don't worry about the bone dulling the full chisel unless there are 2 affected limbs. Then you really should use a half chisel. Unless you have a hotsaw the speed of the cut probably did not cauterize. So immediatly turn the saw around and use the exaust for this. Oh, you may need assistance if the 2 affected limbs were arms.
As for cleaning the chain when done the the previous posts made some great suggestions.

 

[GASoline71]

Never cleaned a chain in my life. Never even heard of it till now. Probably put hundreds of them on many saws, filed then all to nothing, they clean themselves. Silly thread, shame on you all, 'cept for Computeruser and Lakeside.

Same here... I have never cleaned a chain... just keep cuttin' with it.

Now I can add this to all the other overengineered things that are always poppin' up here...

Gary

 

[stckciv]

We use a barrell of water and a caustic soda mixture. Soak for a little and scrub a couple times in the sink with a brush then dry with towell.