Saw cleaning trifecta !

[Hank Chinaski]

... one flick and got crud in my eye, nose and mouth.

extra points if you're able to make it in your ear.


I'm working/cleaning the oldest 3120xp in North America (till proven different lol) that I purchased from a member here, and thought I'd pass along some cleaning tips that have worked well for me. Anyone else feel free to add/jump in as well.

-carb cleaner is for raw metal and carbs
-brake cleaner is _usually_ a little safer on paint than carb cleaner
-wd40 works GREAT for cleaning pretty much everything except carbon buildup and is v.good for bringing back a shine on most plastics
-a couple chopsticks w/shaped ends (beltsander, pocket knife) make GREAT cleaning pics, scrapers etc. strong and don't damage anything
- compressed air, nuff said
- cardboard: makes a cheap, very good, semi absorbent mat to work on. You can also draw a picture of what assembly you're working on and shove the bolts you take off thru the picture on the cardboard in their relative places and makes re-assembly a snap
-keep a notepad handy and note any failed, missing, damaged/soon to fail parts so you can get them ordered next time you're placing a big order from Baileys*
- sharp chains are sharp. remove these first thing and save the nicks you'd get. Bars that need to be dressed are sharp too. Fix em now.
- roller paint trays make a good shallow, disposable crud tray. toss in a couple paper towels to help absorb/catch cleaning fluids
- keep a clean papertowel/rag for use to re-enter the house. Dirty door knobs don't make for happy spouses.

feel free to add/discuss

anyway, anyone else got















*no, I don't get paid, but they can slide me a discount next order, hint hint GD, lol...

 

[watsonr]

- cardboard: makes a cheap, very good, semi absorbent mat to work on. You can also draw a picture of what assembly you're working on and shove the bolts you take off thru the picture on the cardboard in their relative places and makes re-assembly a snap

That is pretty smart! I've always tried to pile them close to the object or bag them in sandwich bags.

 

[D&B Mack]

You forgot the beer, no cleaning session is complete without it. :msp_smile:

 

[lone wolf]

Hot water cleans the best!

 

[ptjeep]

spent a hour or so today at work pondering on better brushes or scrapers to use in my parts washer and come home to find this thread, lol. The cardboard is a good idea. I often take pics with my cell phone if theres something complicated to disassemble/reassemble. I've found that a small piece of some what stiff wire works well for cleaning goop out of small places, kinda like your chopsticks. My parts cleaning brush is pretty soft so i plan to look for a stiffer brush and then buy a second brush to cut the bristles off close to the handle to make them even stiffer for really stuck on grime like pine sap. Great thread, hope to gain more useful ideas from it.

 

[Cliniford]

I use a muffin tin for the small parts.

 

[WKEND LUMBERJAK]

Those magnetic trays work well to just can't remember where I got it. Could use another.

 

[Warped5]

I might be daffy, but I use egg cartons for all small parts ... after the eggs have been eaten.

Then I write down on a pad which parts are which in which carton. :biggrinbounce2:

Seriously.

... and I don't usually have parts left over!

 

[lone wolf]

Those magnetic trays work well to just can't remember where I got it. Could use another.

harbor freight

 

[parrisw]

We need pics for proof of this dirty 3120xp.

 

[Hank Chinaski]

We need pics for proof of this dirty 3120xp.

I'd love to say "but it's all clean now", but in the process of attempting to tune the carb, it's dirty again lol. I'll get up some pics tomorrow and show off my 3120xp bulb...

 

[HeRoze]

pressure washer outside when a grungy saw first gets home. mind the flywheel side a bit.

diesel.

+1 on the chopsticks... I thought I was the only one addicted to those things. get around 100 pair for $3.00 at the Asian food store. Also makes great wooden dowels in filling holes.

 

[gomlin]

Bought a three pack of those magnetic trays at TSC for like $6 just the other day. I love um too.

 

[parrisw]

I'd love to say "but it's all clean now", but in the process of attempting to tune the carb, it's dirty again lol. I'll get up some pics tomorrow and show off my 3120xp bulb...

:msp_thumbup:

 

[HeRoze]

I didn't mention copper knives to keep from damaging the metal parts scraping off gasket/gasket material.

 

[RandyMac]

Pizza boxes make good clean-up trays.

 

[andrethegiant70]

Shish ka-bob skewers are fab as cleaning picks also.... tough, cheap, disposable, and biodegradable. The product Oil Eater rocks.... 2:1 with water, cleans everything with no risk to plastics or paint. I keep one spray bottle of that, and one with just water in it.

I'm too nervous about getting water into bearing to use a pressure washer.

A small ultrasonic cleaner can save a lot of carbs that kitting can't. I think I spent 35 bones on mine.

 

[Philbert]

- I use old toothbrushes to scrub parts;

- spray-on citrus-based cleaner (less toxic/nasty than organic solvents) on oily stuff;

- Fantastik or 409, followed by ArmorAll on plastic parts;

- 2" chip brushes (cheap paint brushes) with bristles cut off at about 3/4" for lighter dust;

- instead of chopsticks I use popsicle sticks, with one tip cut off at an angle (with a pair of side-cutters) to a point, to scrape crud out of corners;

- toothpicks and Q-tips for special situations;

- the tang of a used sawzall blade (teeth wrapped with duct tape) to scrape bar grooves;

- lots of paper towels and/or rags;

- magnetic bowls are great;

- compressed air is priceless.

Philbert

 

[Old Crosscut]

Lots of great ideas, thanks!
Here’s my 2¢
Things we all have (no need to buy parts trays or chopsticks):
1. One-gallon ice cream buckets - Ended up with so many in the pantry that I finally took a bunch out to the shop. Great parts trays--and they crib. Dang, why didn’t I think of that a long time ago!
2. Paint mixing sticks - Hey, we all have a pile of these squirreled away somewhere, right? Just take a knife and split one long ways. The split will usually turn out somewhat pointed on one end and a ½ inch or so wide on the other. Trim it to your liking. The pointed end will get into all the narrow, tough places, and the wide end works great for the first pass at super crud scraping.

 

[Philbert]

Pics include:
used toothbrushes (you could splurge on new ones at Walmart);
cut-off brush;
my custom, one-at-a-time toothpick dispenser (courtesy of Walgreens);
modified painter's tool for cleaning bar grooves (*note - some are too thick to use for this!);
a deluxe sawzall-blade-bar-groove-cleaner (shrink wrap instead of duct tape);
angled popsicle sticks;
citrus cleaner and ArmorAll with no-scratch Scotchbrite pad.

Philbert