cleaning the saws

[boss hoss]

when the day is done-if you do the right thing-you're going to clean that saw before you put it to bed.
in the past i've put a mild engine spray cleaner and sprayed it down with water.
i may have learned a lesson in that i took the clutch out of the old poolie today.
put her in the trash can -but what i didn't do was blow it off with the compressor.
what's the right thing to do?

[Rocky_J]

I run saws for a living and I never hose them off with water. I do use my blower nozzle on my air compressor to blow out my saws on a regular basis. Here in Florida the trees hold salt due to the proximity of the oceans, and the sawdust and goop that sticks around the sprocket can eventually eat away the magnesium case. I use the air nozzle to blow out all that crud but it still leaves a little bit of oily residue behind. That's great, because the oil protects the metal. I blow out all around the outside of the carb, I GENTLY blow out the air filter (from the inside out) and once in a while I'll pull the recoil cover and blow out the oily buildup under there.

If you want to make the outside of the saw all pretty and shiny, use wd-40 and a rag to wipe it down. The wd-40 will dissolve most of the crud marks and will leave a shiny finish that will dry and not be too sticky the next time you use the saw. But I see no reason whatsoever to intentionally soak a chainsaw with a water hose. Seems like abuse to me.  8)

[boss hoss]

advise well taken-thanks.

[beenthere]

I don't blow air on mine, but do use the vacuum to suck up the dust and chips that I loosen up with a small paint brush. I don't want to drive any dust or dirt into anything that doesn't need it in there.

I use Simple Green to clean the oil residue off the face of the bar and the external parts of the case, etc. WD40 would be good too, as Rocky does.

Shuddered when I saw the 'water' treatment thing.... ;D ;D

[Kevin]

Water wouldn't be a good choice, it will get into places like the clutch bearing/shaft and cause rust.

[Urbicide]

On most Husky XP models there is a tapered hole on the end of the clutch side of the crankshaft. You simply stick the tip of your grease gun into it and give a little squirt and your bearing is all happy and good to go.   8)