LA's Totally Awesome Cleaner - Dilute?

[Jim Eller]

I ran out of the Rockler pitch remover to clean my saw blades so I decided to do a search to see what other folks were using before I spent the $18.88 to have Rockler ship me another jug of their stuff. The Rockler cleaner has worked good for me. I just drop the blade in the round container, let it set five minutes, brush it lightly, rinse and dry.

I notice a bunch of people mentioned LA's Totally Awesome cleaner that is purchase at the local dollar store. I picked some up for a buck to try and read the label. It says to dilute the stuff. Of course it doesn't address saw blades and pitch removal.

So the question is, those that use the stuff, what ratio do you use?

Thanks,
JimE

[Bruce Wrenn]

I spray it right out of the bottle. Use two five gallon bucket lids, one as a pan for the blade and other as a cover. Spray one side only, cover, wait five minutes, and then scrub clean. Rinse well, and dry. Coat with secret formula (paraffin wax shaved with food grater and desolved in low / no odor mineral spirits,) let dry and then buff off excess. Use same formula on table saw and jointer.

[Jim Eller]

I spray it right out of the bottle. Use two five gallon bucket lids, one as a pan for the blade and other as a cover. Spray one side only, cover, wait five minutes, and then scrub clean. Rinse well, and dry. Coat with secret formula (paraffin wax shaved with food grater and desolved in low / no odor mineral spirits,) let dry and then buff off excess. Use same formula on table saw and jointer.

Thanks Bruce. The secret is out!

When you say, "Use same formula on table saw and jointer" so you mean the LA's and secret formula or just one or the other?

Thanks again,
JimE

[glenn bradley]

I use the squirt bottle as it comes. Squirt it around the teeth, wait a few minutes and brush off with a cheap-o nylon brush from Harbor Freight. Funny coincidence I am just cleaning a blade right now. How does that happen (???). I sprayed some on around the rim with the blade just laying in the sink, walked in and wrote the first part of this post and went back out. A light scrub and she's all done. It even cleaned a ring in the sink. I've been working on the first $1 bottle for a couple of years and I'm a freak about keeping my cutters clean. A little bit goes a long way and I use it full strength.

Blace Cleaning (1).jpg . Blace Cleaning (2).jpg . Blace Cleaning (3).jpg

[Jim Eller]

Can I submerge my blades in my fancy smachy Rockler blue tub(w/lid) or is spraying the proper way to do it.

I'm hearing two things. 1) - you use this "concentrated" stuff full strength.................. and 2) - I just saved $17.88.

Thanks,
JimE

[Jim Eller]

I use the squirt bottle as it comes. Squirt it around the teeth, wait a few minutes and brush off with a cheap-o nylon brush from Harbor Freight. Funny coincidence I am just cleaning a blade right now. How does that happen (???). I sprayed some on around the rim with the blade just laying in the sink, walked in and wrote the first part of this post and went back out. A light scrub and she's all done. It even cleaned a ring in the sink. I've been working on the first $1 bottle for a couple of years and I'm a freak about keeping my cutters clean. A little bit goes a long way and I use it full strength.

. . Blace Cleaning (3).jpg

Glenn,

Is that bottle empty? The stuff I bought is a yellow color.

JimE

[Rick Potter]

Been using Awsome for years on cleaning up rentals. 99 cent store carries it, and it works better than anything I have tried on greasy kitchens. Never tried it on blades, as I read somewhere certain cleaners may affect the bonding of the carbide somehow. No idea if that is true or not, or if this cleaner is approved if true.

Rick P

[George Gyulatyan]

I just use a lid for 5gal. plastic pail you can get at the borg to soak the blade in. It's the perfect diameter. Use warm water and some dishwasher liquid and go to town with a plastic bristle brush. Works well for me.

[Bruce Wrenn]

TS only get paraffin/ MS treatment

[glenn bradley]

Glenn,

Is that bottle empty? The stuff I bought is a yellow color.

JimE

Half empty. Its just my poor picture taking skills. It is indeed YELLOW. ;-)

[glenn bradley]

Been using Awsome for years on cleaning up rentals. 99 cent store carries it, and it works better than anything I have tried on greasy kitchens. Never tried it on blades, as I read somewhere certain cleaners may affect the bonding of the carbide somehow. No idea if that is true or not, or if this cleaner is approved if true.

Rick P

Right you are. Simple Green is a no-no along with Easy-Off oven cleaner and so forth. L.A. Awesome was given the chemical OK in an article about a year or so ago along with Extreme Simple Green. I don't know what's not in Extreme Simple Green that is in regular Simple Green but, it eats the brazing.

[Jim Eller]

Thanks to all. I've got a source and three jugs of the stuff. At 71, that should last me just about a life time.

I appreciate everyone's input.

JimE

[Lee Schierer]

TS only get paraffin/ MS treatment

Just curious, what do you think the "secret treatment" is doing for your blades?

[Lorne Steed]

I've found that if I put on thick rubber gloves and hold the blade under hot running water and clean the teeth with an old tooth brush, I can clean the entire blade perfectly in a few minutes without using harsh chemicals at all.

[Bruce Wrenn]

[QUOTE=Lee Schierer;2326837]Just curious, what do you think the "secret treatment" is doing for your blades?[/QUOTE
Keeps them from rusting during storage. It's canning wax,and mineral spirits. The MS evaporates, leaving behind a wax coating.