Removing sap from saw blades

symphonyincminor

symphonyincminor

Joined
Oct 5, 2005
Messages
2,400
I have Leatherman Juice Pro that has been with me for 6 or 7 years, and I've gotten my money's worth from it. Figured it was time to give it some TLC, and after sharpening the blades, re-lubing, and removing all the grime that has built up over the years - I'm left with one last tool that needs cleaning: the saw.

I did some wood work with it about a year ago and never cleaned it off, and now there is sap and wood stuck on like super glue. I tried soaking it in Zippo fluid (that stuff always removes tape residue and other gunk from my knives), but to no avail.

I've heard gasoline works, but would like to avoid that.

Any tips on removing the sap?
 
Go to an automotive parts store. Go to the chemical wall. Pick up a can of brake parts cleaner. That stuff will remove just about anything....and, it kills wasps on contact.
 
Rubbing alcohol here too, and I like using the gel handcleaner stuff since you can get it to stay in place.
 
I used full strength Simple Green!! Come to think of it, I use this stuff for ALOT of cleaning duties!! Watch that brake cleaner on anodize/plastics.. John :thumbup:
 
jmh33 said:
I used full strength Simple Green!! Come to think of it, I use this stuff for ALOT of cleaning duties!! Watch that brake cleaner on anodize/plastics.. John :thumbup:
Click to expand...
Yes, brake cleaner will eat plastic, remove anodizing and paint....along with tree sap.
 
I've used oven cleaner on pruning saws with good results. Spread on, wait a few minutes, rinse off.
 
Jelled alcohol for me too. Since I keep a little bottle of Purell hand sanitizer in my pocket that's what I use for sap and other tough stuff. I let it sit on there for a few minutes, and then use an old toothbrush to scrub down in the teeth. Works good!
 
jackknife said:
Jelled alcohol for me too. Since I keep a little bottle of Purell hand sanitizer in my pocket that's what I use for sap and other tough stuff. I let it sit on there for a few minutes, and then use an old toothbrush to scrub down in the teeth. Works good!
Click to expand...


+1
Great for cleaning up dirty knives in general.
 
Plain mayonnaise works great for getting it off your hands. It's like magic. I doubt it would work on metal though, but might be worth a try.
 
For this and 3,782,897 other uses, get a can of PB Blaster. Parts Store, Wally World, Etc. It's great for rusted, locked threads. trailer hitches, and will clean copper unreal. Bet is is better that The little Blue pills I take, lol. PB also makes a "freeze off" spray that I have used on my Dozier, D8 to "snap" 9/16 bolts Grade 8 with just a tap. Basically a poor mans CLP. Great question. Thanks for allowing my reply. And yes, I have used Map Gas to burn the sap off.
 
jackknife said:
Jelled alcohol for me too. Since I keep a little bottle of Purell hand sanitizer in my pocket that's what I use for sap and other tough stuff. I let it sit on there for a few minutes, and then use an old toothbrush to scrub down in the teeth. Works good!
Click to expand...
I like the alcohol hand sanitizer for many uses including this one. One extra tip. If the gel itself isn't working. Once you get the saw covered with the gel, you can also light it. The heat of the burning alcohol will soften the sap and burn any saw dust residue. Extinguish and immediately wipe soot/carbon off. Using fire also works by itself. I've done this when camping. The saw gets gunked up cutting green wood (I know, a travesty). I open it and hold it carefully as far into the fire as I can. Only takes a minute or two.
 
Basic Chemistry 101: "Like dissolves like".

Tree sap is water based and gummy because it's packed with sugars- hot-to-boiling water softens it enough to remove it.
Superglue being cyanoacrylate, you want a good organic solvent (such as brake cleaner) or (handily) dunking it in boiling water for a couple of minutes will de-bond it, if not remove it outright.
 
Thanks for the replies, all.

This stuff just won't come off. I think I'll try the boiling water trick to loosen the sap then hit it with some gelled hand sanitizer. If that doesn't work, I'll grab something a little more heavy duty that is recommended in this thread.....
 
Try Gojo hand cleaner, or similar product. These contain limonene (a solvent derived from citrus peels), which is also found in Goo-gone. It works nicely on a lot of nasty dirty/greasy materials (but is fairly gentle to your skin, other than removing the skin oils).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top