Cleaning up old saws for resale?

[Rockfarmer]

Hey guys! I have 4 old Stihl saws that Id like to "clean up" for e-bay or craigslist sale. These saws are strong runners and have done everything Ive asked of them, Im confident that there worth some money. Thing is, 30 yrs of dried bar and chain oil mixed with sawdust just wont come off and just make the saws look tired. I tried a little parts blaster, elbow grease, diesel fuel, ect. How do you guys clean these things up with running them through the dishwasher Thanks!! B

 

[cobey]

simple green works

 

[cobey]

DONT use brake cleaner!!! it will eat everything, paint, stickers ect ect

 

[Rockfarmer]

Thank you for that warning! I will try the simple green in the morning

 

[Rockfarmer]

Would they survive a washing with a pressure washer?

 

[RedFir Down]

I use Castrol Super Clean straight/not diluted.
With all the covers off the saw and intake blocked off (zip lock bag cut to size with a rubber band around it) spray the saw down with Super clean let it sit for about 30-40 seconds (left on to long it will dull paint and plastic) give it a scrub down with a plastic bristled brush and hose off.
From the sounds of how dirty yours are you will see the best results with a stream cleaner.

 

[nmurph]

I spray them down with Purple Power and let them sit. Hose them off with a nozzle, rinse and repeat as necessary. Then I blow the saw out and run it enough to get it hot. I stuff an oil soaked paper towel down the intake to keep moisture out and try to avoid the exhaust opening.

 

[Rockfarmer]

heres a couple pics

 

[Rockfarmer]

Hopefully tomorrow it will be above freezing and I can do a little washing outside

 

[cobey]

warm weather/water helps too

 

[BDM53ENT]

Hopefully tomorrow it will be above freezing and I can do a little washing outside

Were supposed to be in the 60s this weekend but everything will be a mud hole from all the ice thawing, good luck! im personally a Purple Power fan, a little elbow grease and a water hose without blasting it.

 

[CR888]

You need a 'caustc soda' based cleaner. lt will desolve everything and wipe/rinse off. Very harsh on the nostrills though so use a mask or be carefull.

 

[R/C Pilot]

I have good luck with rubbing alcohol.

 

[Jeff Lary]

Simple green or Castrol super clean, my best luck is with Castrol yours should be zero problem. They are spotless to begin with compared to stuff I have cleaned using the above in the past. good luck

 

[nmurph]

Simple green or Castrol super clean, my best luck is with Castrol yours should be zero problem. They are spotless to begin with compared to stuff I have cleaned using the above in the past. good luck

Yes, those are pretty clean. But there's not anything that will clean that brown staining of the paint.

 

[Duke Thieroff]

Mineral spirits of naphtha parts washer fluid is very gentle to all saw parts. Cuts the grease like no ones business. That's what I use to prep everything on my site.

I prefer it to water based degreasers as it leaves a nice protective coating on the parts as well.

 

[redfin]

Would they survive a washing with a pressure washer?

Yes, just run them when you are done.

 

[Ozhoo]

Leave em dirty and list them here in the Trading Post. Most of us actually like a little grime

 

[Matt B]

I've had some success with carb cleaner on yellowed and stained white paint used on old Stihls. Be VERY careful as it will remove a fine layer of paint, ie the paper towel showed a little bit of paint transfer. Don't use it on labels etc. The spray can stated that it contained acetone 28%, which probably did most of the work, and methanol 18%.

The case on the left had carb cleaner, on the right just petrol.

Good luck

 

[mdavlee]

Laundry soap works pretty good for cutting grime.