Does anyone know how to remove melted styrofoam from a tablesaw blade. I have a red teflon rip blade with some blue smears on both sides as the result of cutting some 2 inch thick foam. All I can say is it seemed like a good idea at the time. I am planning on getting a metal pizza pan and working my way up a series of liquids from a water based cleaner to MEK and methylene chloride. I can get hold of most common solvents, like acetone, but don’t know which is likely to do the least harm to the teflon coating.
Thanks in advance for any help. This is not the dumbest thing I’ve done, just the most recent.
Replies
Did you run some wood through that blade yet?
or, on a pc of scrap-drop some laquer thinner etc on it-if it melts, it'll work.
I've ripped that stuff b/4-can't remember what got it off, which leads me to think I just ripped something or a series of somethings, at it left the vicinity.
I don't know what you did different from me. I've cut loads of styrofoam with my tablesaw and never had a bit of problem. Bandsaw too.
Try Arm & Hammer washing soda
Try Arm & Hammer washing soda (not baking soda) or Easy Off oven cleaner.
I've cut a lot of polystyrene w/ my table saw w/ no issues at all. Cuts like butter and the blade is clean. I know, it doesn't help you solve your problem, but may be helpful to know that maybe you shouldn't have had the problem. ... IOW ... it wasn't 'dumb' at all.
I think he forgot to butter his blade.
(The foam melted because of friction. This was due either to a horribly dull blade or not feeding the foam straight into the blade but pressing on the side somehow.)
The stuff isn't harmfull except to the extent that it causes friction on other workpieces. If it's causing friction then cutting wood and intentionally "burning" the wood by twisting the blade against the wood or vice-versa should get most of it off. Failing that I'd try paint remover/acetone/MEK.
Using butter attracts bears, oh my!
You are right it was the foam pushing against the blade. I was cutting outside in a 20 mph cross wind so the foam was moving about after it had existed the blade. As I said I know it was dumb, but I'm still stuck with a realatively new blade with gunk on both sides. For what it is worth the following is the reply I got back from the blade makers technical support...
"This is a new one. I am not sure what would work best but I would start by the way we recommend cleaning blades. The way we recommend cleaning of blades is by soaking them overnight in a sealed container of kerosene and then brushing off the teeth with a soft brush like a tooth brush. At least that will not harm the carbide. Other chemicals will attack the carbide in the tips."