Steam cleaning chainsaws

[Rich2484]

Do you smoke while doing so?

Petrol, check

Air, check

= Ignition, check.

PS

AIR line only and reasonably regularly.

 

Yep. I like living on the edge. Just the way I roll. :lol:

 

Nothing wrong with using petrol. When going deep it doesn't matter as your replacing parts anyway. A deep clean is always given when repairing a saw.

[skyhuck]

I have never cleaned a chainsaw.

 

[difflock]

Not even blown out/ blown down the air filter?

[Eddy_t]

Do you smoke while doing so?

Petrol, check

Air, check

= Ignition, check.

PS

AIR line only and reasonably regularly.

 

What's wrong with having a cigarette whilst working? I smoke whilst fueling, using the tool, cleaning the carb in an US filled with white spirit, whilst cleaning the tools with petrol or WS, etc. not caught fire yet!

 

 

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[RobRainford]

I find resin solvent good for bringing plastics back to good condition. A combination of that and a degreasing spray can get saws back fairly clean. Using a compressor with a blower nozzle helps.

 

I clean mine every now and again. Depends what work they have been doing. Lots of conifer and cutting near the ground gets them caked up. So they deserve a bit of a clean every now and again.

[skyhuck]

Not even blown out/ blown down the air filter?

 

Thats not cleaning, thats maintenance, IMO.

[difflock]

Conifers, check

cutting near the ground, check.

Quite often cutting below the surface, well it is only pine needles and

peat.

OK

cleaning vis-a-vis maintenance.

IF one cleand down the air filter as part of maint, one must therefore clean in around the sprocket and oilways when changing the chain.

And round the plug when changing it.

What else is left to clean, that is not maintenance cleaned.

Edited April 13, 2013 by difflock

[WorcsWuss]

I use an air line with a needle blow gun, 'big wipes' bio spray, stihl resin solvent and aerosol carb cleaner and a paint brush which covers pretty much everything. Plastics get washed in a bucket of warm soapy water on rebuilds. My own saws get a regular blow over to keep them nice.

But I am a thrifty type, I like to make things last. I 'refurbished' a pair of saggy handles off our french doors this morning with new springs and lubrication, rather than £15 fora new set....!

[openspaceman]

What's wrong with having a cigarette whilst working?

 

Bad for your health to smoke at all

 

I smoke whilst fueling, using the tool, cleaning the carb in an US filled with white spirit, whilst cleaning the tools with petrol or WS, etc. not caught fire yet!

 

 

 

It's quite difficult to light petrol vapour from a glowing cigarette in the absence of more oxidant. It has a low flash point, so a flame or spark will start combustion but high autoignition point so the cigarette may not be hot enough. gasoil is opposite, difficult to light with a flame but heat it up to above 300c and away it goes.

 

IIRC Daimler was looking to convert a gas engine that ran on town gas (hydrogen and carbon monoxide) for use in a motorcycle.

 

He heard of a lady who was using a form of petrol to get grease off her husband's clothes and sitting across the room from an open fire when the vapour caused a deflagration. He decided that a low flash point liquid would be ideal to vapourise to gas and run his engine.

[Mark_Skyland]

Don't steam clean it, you will cause more problems than you solve.

 

Pro saws need far less cleaning than you think.