To clean chainsaw chain

[Philbert]

Do you ever de-bark a whole log before milling? Seems like it could be a lot of work, depending on the type of bark.

Philbert

 

[CR888]

Most saw brands have a chain/saw cleaner in a spray bottle, l know stihl offers it. l had about 6 bottles of Solo chain cleaner and apart from being a bit toxic to breathe/touch it would just dissolve sap and gunk on a chain like nothing else. Literally spray chain in sink, let sit for a few mins and rinse off. Along with a quick harsh brush scrub, chains would return to the new shiny look with minimal effort. What's also noticeable is how well the rivets and links move as all the gunk that binds them up is gone. I only do this to badly sap infested chains that are getting stiff, but this spray works a lot better than one would expect. You need not wear a skirt or make-up while performing this task, you will be fine.
On the topic of cleaning, last night the minister for domestic affairs at home walked into my kitchen as she could smell something on the stove bubbling away....she got a suprise when she found two Mahle jugs in a stock pot.

 

[cedarshark]

I fill a 40 gallon barrel full of simple green and warm water, start the saw, dip it nose down in the barrel and bring it to 13K . Cleans the entire saw and me as well.

 

[Giles]

I thought would ask the experts. Should one clean his chainsaw chains when one sharpens them?
I have been. First I soak the chain over night in a mixture of 1 cup of ammonia to 1 gallon of water. Remove chain and rinse in WD 40. Hang to dry. Then sharpen. Soak in oil over night, then hang to drip off excess oil.
The chains look and feel like new !
I am hopeing you folks have another way that I would love to hear about. The big question is, is it necessary ?

lumberjackmoe

Dirt/Sawdust, is a contaminant. I only clean a chain before I sharpen it to eliminate gumming up the file or wheel.
Another thing that I totally don't understand is, why do people tear a chainsaw or anything completely down without cleaning first?
Just the other day, I saw a new listing for a Stihl chainsaw, can't remember the model, that was listed for buy it now at a really good price. Listing said light scoring of cylinder. All the photos showed dirt that had fallen inside the engine when they tore the filthy engine down!
Most of the cleaning I do is done with compressed air and then with Purple Power or Spray 9 Grez-Off.

 

[musicgunner]

Once I finish polishing my chains, what lacquer/clear coat would you recommend?

I'd recommend reading the post about cleaning your chain when sharpening. Of coarse he dont clean it for the heck of it!

 

[Philbert]

Most saw brands have a chain/saw cleaner in a spray bottle, l know stihl offers it.

I posted a lot of things you can use in the Chain Salvage Challenge thread above. Sodium hydroxide (lye) works really well whether it is part of a commercial cleaning product ('Super Fast', 'LA Totally Awsome', etc.), oven cleaner, or even food grade powder (yes - used in preserving some foods, making soap, etc.). ***Use with care as this stuff is extremely caustic and will eat your skin or eyes if splashed***

Other grease cutting products, like citrus based cleaners, cleaners designed for bicycle or motorcycle chains, or parts washers work as well. Many of these are as effective as, and less expensive than, some of the others. Some are flammable. Some smell more/less. Some may be more environmentally friendly. Lots of choices.

Use these with care, and make sure to re-lube the chains after cleaning or sharpening so that they don't rust.

Philbert

 

[Chris-PA]

It's not really clean unless you floss between the links.

Only floss the ones you want to keep!

 

[Philbert]

It's not really clean unless you floss between the links.

Well, . . . they are called 'teeth', . . . and I do use old toothbrushes to clean mine . . . .but personally, I stop at the whitening strips.


Philbert

 

[maine]

Do you ever de-bark a whole log before milling? Seems like it could be a lot of work, depending on the type of bark.

Philbert

never have, but ive been interested in seeing how well those chainsaw debarker attachments work.

 

[Icehouse]

See'n as how I normally don't take the chain off until it's time for a new one, in this neck of the woods when it's time to sharpen just make a couple quick cuts in a white fir tree. Don't know what's in it but sure cleans chain especially when you been cutting red fir or tamarack. Maybe there are other kinds of wood with those cleaning characteristics.

 

[Hexa Fox]

Most saw brands have a chain/saw cleaner in a spray bottle, l know stihl offers it. l had about 6 bottles of Solo chain cleaner and apart from being a bit toxic to breathe/touch it would just dissolve sap and gunk on a chain like nothing else.

Has anyone else noticed that STIHL is changing a lot? They offered a "heavy duty degreaser" that came in a green bottle that they no longer offered. They also just moved the "Farm Boss" model down to the MS 270 whereas it was the MS 290. They just removed the word "Magnum" from the MS 660. Additionally, they just discontinued the STIHL USG (grinder) as well. This could all just be a coincidence but it is starting to get a little concerning.

Anyway, before I started cleaning my chains I noticed my file would get fouled up and need to be cleaned up in the middle of sharpening. I also noticed that if I cleaned my file and chain I got much better results when returning to the job. However, if I needed to get back to the job quickly I did not let the chain get very dull before I touched it up onsite.

Having that said, I personally believe one way of thinking of it is that if you sharpened chains for friends, family or even customers you would not want to return it fouled up. Additionally, you would not want it fouling up your expensive grinder either (assuming you have an expensive grinder). I know that a lot of you guys probably would not worry about how it was returned as long as it cut. However, I think that weekend warriors that were paying you to sharpen their chains would not appreciate it very much.

I heard that the very best cleaner to use is Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) to about a gallon of water. I heard it will take eat absolutely anything off of a chain will not compromising it either. Not sure how true it is, but I have seen it said more than once before.

 

[Philbert]

I clean mine with a commercial, water-based degreaser that contains sodium hydroxide. I tried using plain lye, in my 'Challenge Chain' thread. It worked.

Talked to a chemist for one of the companies that makes these products. He pointed out that the commercial degreasers contain a mix of chemicals, detergents, etc., to help clean a variety of things, not just dissolve grease .

Solvent-based degreasers, such as those used in parts washers, also work. I prefer not to use those at home.

Philbert

 

[Wood Doctor]

Heloise says to use vinegar to clean lots of things. It also knocks the rust off of saw chains. But, it takes the shine off the cutters. Purists may not like that. So, I use EvapoRust instead. Much more expensive, but it works and leaves the shine on the cutters. Frankly, I have no idea whether the cutters work better with shine on them. So, many of my chains that I use personally get cleaned with vinegar and I save the EvapoRust for customers, many of which are spoiled millennials.

 

[Kenlip]

And for that, you are doing a service. In fact, you are doing a better service than anyone else, hence why he is coming to you. If you and your name are attached to this "product", I would make it represent it well. Why wouldn't you want them to look their very best? Keep on cleaning those chains, I say. And that's just from a business/customer service angle.

It's a bit like the guy who services your car. If it comes back washed and vacuumed and has clean windows it leaves a good impression. The car is not going to perform any better because it is clean but that doesn't mean it is not worth doing.
It also makes sense to be working with clean metal when using a file or grinder. Crud on the chain can't be doing any favours for the files or stones.

 

[Fatherwheels]

I usually clean a chain with compressed air, tap it a time or Two against wood
to knock off anything still there, wipe each cutter with a cloth, sharpen
clean with a paintbrush to flick off filings, then compressed air,
tap against wood again and steep in oil bath, hang to drip before use, takes less time than it sounds.
Clean chain doesn’t clog files near as much.

 

[Henry E]

I soak it in Rubbermaid degreaser strong solution mixed with water in a Rawlings Baseball bucket. The cleaner is Sodium Hydroxide, (LYE). It gets it all out. No gunked up, caked up sticky pitched covered chain with all those hundreds of moving parts performs as well as a bright blue clean sharp chain with lube flowing in all those clean parts. Not physically possible.

I got the idea for the lye-based degreaser from this dude here. After practicing what this guy said, I won't go back to dirty chain.

Lye is used to strip the old coating on cast iron skillets. It removed the polymerized vegetable oil or lard. I expect that baked on bar oil would be very similar.
It is said you can put the skillet in the lye and leave it in there for months with no damage. But that it should only take a day for it to strip off the old coating. It does nothing for rust.

 

[RED-85-Z51]

I just did an old chain yesterday that got hot and was run dull, then sat dry and dirty. I ran both sides across a brass wire wheel, soaked it in gas for an hour, then scrubbed it with a brush, rinsed...then soaked it in CLR for 2 hours...rinsed, and warmed up some motor oil to the point it smoked and let the chain soak overnight. Pull it out, blew it off...ran ir across the grinder and hung it up on a nail...looks and feels very nice and it only took about 10 minutes and about a quart of gas....

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[Philbert]

I ran both sides across a brass wire wheel, soaked it in gas for an hour, then scrubbed it with a brush, rinsed...then soaked it in CLR for 2 hours...rinsed, and warmed up some motor oil to the point it smoked and let the chain soak overnight. Pull it out, blew it off...ran ir across the grinder and hung it up on a nail...looks and feels very nice and it only took about 10 minutes and about a quart of gas....

That's a lot of work! Seriously.

I soak dirty chains in a 50:50 mix of SuperClean (water based degreaser containing lye) for about 5 minutes, then clean with an old toothbrush, rinse, and dry in an oven (200°F for 15 min on an old cookie sheet). Takes care of most gunked up chains. If really bad (some chains look like they are coated with tar or asphalt) it goes back in for another 5 minutes and I hit it with a fine, stainless steel scratch brush (like a toothbrush, but used for MIG welding). Hit heavily with WD-40 after repairs, sharpening, etc.



If a chain just has sawdust and bar oil on it, blow it off with compressed air or wipe it with a rag.

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/philbert-meets-the-stihl-rs3.202969/
If I find light rust underneath, I soak in a mild, organic acid (citric, acetic, oxalic, etc.) and brush. EvapoRust type chemicals work too, but they are expensive. Have to remove all the grease and oil first for these chemicals to work.

Philbert

 

[holeycow]

However, most times "cleaning a chain" is entirely unnecessary.

I bet most folks have never cleaned a chain.

I was just out in the rain (hallelujah!) clearing dead fall off of fenceline (with one of my trusty jonny 590's wahaha), anyway the saw (and me) are soaking wet. So I made sure to run the chain a bit before I left the saw to air. This lubes the chain thoroughly and prevents rust. I almost always do this as standard procedure even when things are not wet. It only takes one rusty chain to adopt this shutdown procedure..,

 

[RED-85-Z51]

That's a lot of work! Seriously.

I soak dirty chains in a 50:50 mix of SuperClean (water based degreaser containing lye) for about 5 minutes, then clean with an old toothbrush, rinse, and dry in an oven (200°F for 15 min on an old cookie sheet). Takes care of most gunked up chains. If really bad (some chains look like they are coated with tar or asphalt) it goes back in for another 5 minutes and I hit it with a fine, stainless steel scratch brush (like a toothbrush, but used for MIG welding). Hit heavily with WD-40 after repairs, sharpening, etc.

View attachment 834359

If a chain just has sawdust and bar oil on it, blow it off with compressed air or wipe it with a rag.

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/philbert-meets-the-stihl-rs3.202969/
If I find light rust underneath, I soak in a mild, organic acid (citric, acetic, oxalic, etc.) and brush. EvapoRust type chemicals work too, but they are expensive. Have to remove all the grease and oil first for these chemicals to work.

Philbert

It sounds like alot but, mainly just transferring from one pan to the next. Wheeling and grinding included maybe 10 minutes of my time. I figure im out in the shop fixing stuff...

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