Please Advise ...how to clean a chainsaw chain

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infinitymike

Minister of Fire
Aug 23, 2011
1,835
Long Island, NY
OK so after cutting for a while
what will take all the black gummy mess off?
 
floss with oak


I don't think I've ever wanted to clean a chain. I've had a bar with some pine sap, but I've cleaned that on the next tree, too.
 
Fess up, you're cutting some kind of Pine, aren't you? :lol:
Touch up the teeth with your handy dandy file and go back to work. There's trees need cuttin'.
In the 5 years since I bought my first saw, I can't say I've ever cleaned a chain......nor have I wanted to. Yep, Oak works well as a chain floss.
 
In almost 31 yrs I've never had to clean a chain.No matter what I was cutting,it always gets cleaned on the next bunch.Chains are staying pretty bright the past several months,they're eating dead & mostly dry Red/Black Oak with the occasional White Oak & Hickory.When I milled some of that Eastern Red Cedar/Juniper,there was a bit of buildup, though not much now since the wood has dried out alot in 6 months.
 
There was a reason that you carry a bottle of kerosene with your cross-cut saw. To keep the pitch from gumming up the teeth and the blade.

WD-40 is mostly kerosene, so that is what I use to clean the pitch and sap off the front of the saw and the bar. Diesel also works well.
 
Are you sure you have a sharp chain and aren't "burning" it? If I try to cut with a dull chain, because I'm almost done for the day say, I know I have seen some discolor. Just a thought.
 
infinitymike said:
OK so after cutting for a while
what will take all the black gummy mess off?

+1 on using oak as chain floss.

Also Stihl sells a spray for it's hedge trimmers that does wonders in removing super-sticky sap. I remember the stuff being pricey at $14 bucks a can but it sure saved a lot of time de-gunking hedge trimmer blades.
 
WD-40 is an excellent solvent for sticky glues, so makes sense it'd work for sap as well.
 
After a long day of cutting I take the bar/chain and soak them both in hot water, dish detergent, and amonia. After about 30 to 45 minutes, I take a stiff bristle brush and scrub the bar/chain and then let it all hang in the sun to dry.

Cleanup the power head with an air compressor, assemble the setup, and I am ready for another day.

My two pennies...

bsticks
 
Any engine cleaner works well. Take your time I have put a week into clean a saw. Let the cleaner set up for an hour and keep repeating. Even let it set up over night.

On some this will take a week to finish.
 

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As I have a shop and do this for a living(?) I clean chains in my media blast cabinet, I use ground corn cob takes all the crud off and then I can see just how badly the customer has mangled them. The corn cob has no effect on the metal and is cheap. If they are badly rusted I soak them in ATF and kerosene 50/50 mix.
 
Want to keep it clean? Don't use it!
 
On me woodworking tools I use oven cleaner. Works great. I tried it on my chainsaw chains and it does a great job also. Just make sure you oil them up before use.
 
Heres a pic of the junk I'm talking about .

I've been cutting oak,maple,cherry and locust.
I tried using brake cleaner but it didnt work well.
However I didnt try scrubbing it.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us
 
Sharpen it up, set the oiler to the max, & make a couple of cuts in the oak, it'll clean right up. I think you may be running a little light on oil & heating the chain slightly. A C
 
amateur cutter said:
Sharpen it up, set the oiler to the max, & make a couple of cuts in the oak, it'll clean right up. I think you may be running a little light on oil & heating the chain slightly. A C

+1 , Looks like that chain is getting hot.
 
infinitymike said:
Heres a pic of the junk I'm talking about .

I've been cutting oak,maple,cherry and locust.
I tried using brake cleaner but it didnt work well.
However I didnt try scrubbing it.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Normal, a little w-d 40 and it will shine in a sec. Your running your chains a little long before sharpening. Milling they come in a lot worse!
 
Something I've never considered is cleaning the chain. I agree with Jay. Sharpen that chain a bit more often. Check to see how much oil you are getting on that chain. Perhaps you need a bit of adjustment.
 
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