Blade/brake cleaner

S

Steven F

Joined
Oct 12, 1999
Messages
1,237
Just thought I'd pass this tip along. Recently I was using one of my trusty AKs to take out a couple of old pine stumps. The AK did a great job, but afterward it was covered with a thick layer of pine sap. I tried cleaning the blade with a variety of different cleaners/solvents but had no luck until I tried automotive brake cleaner. Surpisingly, the brake cleaner got rid of the pine sap in short order.
 
As a kid we used to work on my dad's X-mas tree farm. After digging stumps all day we'd have our hands covered with pine pitch and the old man would saturate a rag with gasoline and scrub 'til our hands hurt. It sure seemed to do the trick. That was back when gas was leaded. Of course my twelve fingered children appreciate what hard work is after hearing that storey!
 
Pakcik Bill.
  • Is there any traditional way of cleaning blades from sap (not necessary Nepali way)?
  • We in Malaysia normally are not bother to clean sap from blades - is that a universal practice?
  • Is sap will cause damage to blades?
NEPAL HO!
 
Mohd, in Nepal most people don't bother to clean the blades of their khukuris. I don't think sap will cause any damage besides perhaps some discoloration.

Dave, I use WD-40, too, and it seems to work okay for both cleaning and rust prevention but I live in high and dry Reno.

------------------
Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
 
The reason for cleaning pine sap off a blade is because it will build up to the point that it impairs the functioning of the blade -- whether on a knife or a power saw. It will gum up a saw blade to the point that the motor binds, and it will build up on a knife so thick that the knife is virtually useless. The sap from pine heart-wood is among the worst. This is the heavy, rosin filled wood that some folks call "lighter" pine because all you have to do is touch a match to it and it will immediately be ablaze, which makes it ideal for kindling. It is also referred to in some parts of the country as simply "pine knots."
 
Dave, I was just thinking the same thing. I stopped being a shade tree mechanic years ago, but from experience, I can say that brake cleaner is really nasty on most anything organic. I think it may well soften, crack, or even dissolve horn handles. Certainly it will soften and deteriorate wood handles if allowed to soak in, even a little bit. Also, I wonder about it's effects on "Himalayan Epoxy?" I have heated that stuff a little when making some small handle adjustments, and I don't think it would hold up too well under strong solvents.

Stay safe. A khkuri blade coming loose from the handle during heavy use conjures up very unpleasant images.

Tom
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top