How To Remove Rust From A Hand Saw Blade

How to Clean a Saw

I'one thousand frequently asked about the method I use to clean saws that I find. Typically, when you notice a saw in an antiquarian store or at an action, it has some rust on the blade, muddied handle and other corrective defects.

The expert news is that with a very minor investment, you lot can obtain all the materials that you need to clean and rejuvenate your saw. You volition need a thin bladed screwdriver to remove the handle, some mineral spirits to lubricate the bract, some silicon carbide sandpaper to remove rust on the blade, a razor blade holder, some boiled linseed oil to requite the handle some protection, some steel wool, paper towels, rags and paste wax.

A note about rubber. Both boiled linseed oil and mineral spirits can fire downwardly your business firm or shop! Utilize both with care and caution to ensure that you complete your restoration in a safe manner. Rags that accept been soaked in boiled linseed oil can burst into flames if they are immune to dry in a pile on your floor. When you are done with rags soaked in boiled linseed oil they should be placed outside away from your business firm laid flat. When dry out, discard in the trash. In a similar vein, mineral spirits are flammable. When using it, keep the vapor abroad from open flame (like your gas fired boiler or hot water heater). Place rags soaked in mineral spirits in a plastic handbag and so place outside away from buildings when finished to allow them to dry. Never leave mineral spirit soaked rags unattended in your business firm or shop. Following these few rules will permit yous to complete your saw cleaning without incident. Vintage Saws assumes no responsibleness for whatsoever damage that may consequence from flammable materials. If you are not comfortable with either of these materials--don't utilize them!

Finally, cleaning a saw is messy work. Consider wearing a pair of solvent resistant gloves. I like the kind used in garden work since they are fabricated of cotton and jiff. Exposure to mineral spirits has been associated with nervus damage...so limit your exposure!

To begin, use a properly fitting screwdriver to remove the screws from your saw. Most all screwdrivers off the shelf will crave the bract to exist ground thinner to fit the slot of domed saw screws. Place the screws in a condom place so they don't go lost. Pull the handle off. It may take some effort especially if the bract is heavily rusted.

Once the handle is removed, identify the blade on a flat board and scrape the crud from around the handle area. Very often dirt, grime, built up wax and oil volition collect on the blade around the handle. Use a single edged razor blade at a low bending to remove the dirt. Take care not to scratch the bract.

Go on to scrape 1 side of the blade and and then the other. Information technology is far easier to remove the rust with a razor blade than information technology is to remove it by sandpaper. Over again, take intendance not to scratch the bract. In the picture above the rust and dirt that has been scraped from the handle to the compose area on the blade can be seen. When you reach the toe of the saw, drop the dirt into a bag. Repeat on the reverse side of the saw bract.

Once the bract has been scraped free of loose rust and dirt, apply a small-scale amount of mineral spirits to the bract. I like to use an old hot sauce bottle. It allows simply the right corporeality of mineral spirits to be applied to the blade. Note, mineral spirits are flammable and have been associated with neurological damage. If you can, exercise this outside. If not, article of clothing a respirator designed to remove organic solvents from breathing air.

Next, tear off a 2" square of silicon carbide sandpaper. I normally utilise 320 grit, although if a saw is heavily rusted, you may want to start with 220. Rub the blade with the sandpaper using the mineral spirits as a lubricant. Rub in strokes that are parallel with the length of the blade. You are simply trying to remove the loose rust and clay that the scraping left behind. Don't attempt to get the blade brilliant. In most all cases y'all will never be able to make the blade bright like it was when it was new. You lot are merely trying to remove the rust then information technology doesn't discolor your work when y'all employ the saw.

One time the saw blade has been cleaned with the sandpaper, use some absorbent paper towels to wipe off the bulk of the mineral spirits and clay. I utilise just regular compensation towels. Call up that towels soaked in mineral spirits are flammable!

Repeat this and the previous step for the other side of the bract and ready the blade aside to completely dry.

Side by side, it'south fourth dimension to clean the handle. There is normally a build up of clay around the slot in the handle that accepts the blade. You tin scrape off the bulk of the dirt with a razor, and finish with some steel wool. Pigment splatters can be carefully scraped off and the last traces removed with some 0000 steel wool soaked in a small-scale amount of mineral spirits.

If the cease on the handle is consummate, you don't demand to do anything further to it. If the handle looks dry and has a lot of scratches, information technology could benefit from an application of boiled linseed oil.

Identify a small-scale corporeality of boiled linseed oil on a pocket-size rag. I like to apply a slice of an erstwhile cotton bathroom towel. Make sure you use boiled linseed oil and not simply linseed oil. Ordinary linseed oil takes forever to dry.

Apply the boiled linseed oil liberally to the handle ensuring all surfaces are coated. Echo and identify in a warm place to dry out for about an hour. Remove the backlog boiled linseed oil with a clean dry out rag. The handle will all the same exist a little wet, just volition dry completely in a day or two.

Call back that boiled linseed oil soaked rags can spontaneously combust if not properly disposed of!

If you lot now await at the blade, you will observe that a fine haze has appeared. This is residue from the mineral spirits and rust particles. Use a rag to buff off the residue.

So the blade doesn't rust again, apply a coat of paste wax with a small-scale rag. Apply a good coat to both sides and let dry for about x minutes. A blade that has been coated with wax is resistant to further rusting and cuts much more than smoothly.

Finally, buff off the excess paste wax with a clean rag. Press hard and vigorously to remove all the backlog wax.

Reassemble the handle on the blade, ensuring that y'all properly align the medallion screw.

When yous are finished, no i will fault your saw for new. Notwithstanding, you lot will have converted a saw that was unusable to one that tin can now practice useful work. The next step is to sharpen and set up the saw. Learn how by consulting the web famous saw filing primer located hither. E'er consider the age and rarity of a saw earlier undertaking a restoration. In general, only do as much cleaning as you demand to. This saw was in very bad shape and needed the works. Not all saws need to take the handles removed or blades cleaned to this extent. Equally e'er, dispose properly of flammable rags.

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Source: http://www.vintagesaws.com/library/saw_clean/saw_clean.html