Citric Acid and Saw Plates

[Joe Tilson]

100_0640 (640x427).jpg100_0633 (640x427).jpg100_0634 (640x427).jpg100_0640 (640x427).jpg This is in answer to someone asking for info on saw plates in citric acid. These are pics of one I did some time ago. I have tried to sand it and used other methods to bring it back to life with no good luck at all. The plate was bad in the first place, kinked, deep pits, and just plain nasty. I hope you can tell what happened to it. For my part, it just doesn't work.

[Mike Brady]

I share your same experience, Joe. In the case of spring steel, rust removers seem to add another layer of undesirable effects, rather than removing the existing ones. A badly pitted saw plate is a probably a no-go. Dark plates can be very nice. A plate with surface rust (also known as a rust "bloom"0 is very recoverable. I just did one that was very brown on both sides, as found. Using a razor blade in a holder and WD-40 the rust was rather easily removed. I followed that with a green pad lubed again with WD-40. I was careful to rub with the "grain of the steel. The result was shiny, pit-free saw ready for filing and handle restoration. I have dark plates that are pit-free and function perfectly well with lovely patina.

Sadly, only a portion of saws in the wild are worthy of a restoration effort. A large portion are sadly abused, neglected and used-up. The good news is that there are plenty of good ones to satisfy the demand.

[Judson Green]

Dumb guy question.... How can you till which way the grain of the steel runs?

[Joe Tilson]

Judson,
It usually runs the length of the plate. If you look closely you can see it.
It's because of the way it was made. Either from sheet or roll steel.

[Doug Trembath]

Actually it is the lines resulting from the grinding and polishing process during manufacture, not the grain of the steel, guys...

[mike holden]

I don't know how to tell what direction the grain in a saw runs. BUT, rolled steel does have a grain direction. This is important for die designers mainly, as it affects how to lay out the stations in a progressive die. Saws were likely run through a "rule" die as they have no shape and grain direction would depend on the direction the steel was fed through the die.
Useless trivia for the mildly deranged.
Mike

[Joe Tilson]

Actually it is the lines resulting from the grinding and polishing process during manufacture, not the grain of the steel, guys...

Doug,
You are correct, however, being a wood worker, it is like grain to me. That's just how I would call it.