Disinfecting Saws...

I don't remember where I read it I'm thinking Dirr or Shigo? The first paper said to disinfect like you're talking about but another paper said it was unnecessary. The blight is hanging around and wounds are open so they say the bleach, etc doesn't matter as much as we think.

I'll try to look for that page but do you guys know about that one.
 
monkeylove said:
As far as temp to kill infections...
Click to expand...

180* F for a couple of minutes will do it... flame doesn't need to touch the metal, but I think you'd have to consider the fire hazard and of course on a chainsaw, you'll make a sticky mess of the bar oil. An ordinary heat gun will do the job, and is a lot safer than a torch. Heat is probably the best all-around method, though. It will kill a lot more things than any disinfectant can.
 
We (the municipality) used to use a 10% bleach solution, but it was found to not be effective for disease etc. I do still use it on my personal tools, with a manual scrub as well, but that's more of a ritual at this point likely.

However! Depending on the geographic range of your operation, I am a big fan of cleaning equipment (& vehicles) between sites that are located at a distance from each other. I am especially sensitive at the moment to contractors coming from areas where ALHB is present. There is a draft BMP available (it needs work, but its a start) here:

http://www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca/files/CleanEquipmentProtocol_Mar152013_D3.pdf
 
tea tree oil contains some of natures strongest natural antimicrobial agents.
from wiki "An antimicrobial is an agent that kills microorganisms or inhibits their growth.[1] Antimicrobial medicines can be grouped according to the microorganisms they act primarily against. For example, antibacterials are used against bacteria and antifungals are used against fungi."
don't accidentally get it in your eyes though, you will regret it.
 
The torch sounds fun, but you still have to get the crap out from between the teeth first. Torching would take longer than spraying with rubbing alcohol and would be MORE fuss.
 
NickfromWI said:
The torch sounds fun...
Click to expand...

You're right, Nick.. just bakes stuff onto the blade.. I clean the blade (again, usually just use WD-40) good, then hit it with a heat gun for a couple of minutes. That gets it up to plenty enough heat to kill anything, but not so much to take the temper out of the metal. I have to wipe the blade down good with a fairly clean rag, or the oil in the WD-40 gets sticky, but it only takes me a few minutes to do.
 
Caution with alcohol it is corrosive. Much easier for me to carry around a small torch. Rather than dealing with liquids especially in the crown, orchard work mb not so much.
Back to the point of is it worth it. Spores doing what spores do best and coming in the millions makes sense it doesn't reduce infection a whole lot especially when pruning at times of sporulation.
Dormant season pruning and disinfect for the most sanitary effect.
 
We've been using 91% alcohol for years on pole pruners, saws, hand pruners, loopers etc DAILY and have never had any tool show one spec of corrosion. I can't imagine a torch causing LESS damage to metal.


love
nick
 
Keep in mind that although alcohol will kill lots of bacteria, viruses, and even some fungi... it does not kill bacteria spores, at all. Usually ineffective on yeasts and their relatives. In fact, in fermentation development laboratories (which grow yeasts for their byproducts, which are used to make pharmaceuticals) the yeasts are fed methanol initially, which isn't nutritious but encourges them to reproduce, before being switched to glycerol, which is nutritious to them.

A disinfecting routine that employs more than one technique is always going to perform better than a single procedure/solution one.

I don't know of any metals that are affected by alcohol. Stainless steel certainly is not affected, as alcohol is the disinfectant of choice in laboratories with lots of stainless steel fixtures and equipment. Chlorinated products, on the other hand, are powerful oxidizing agents, and will corrode the stainless steel after a lot of exposure. This is why powdered cleansers that are chlorine based dull your stainless steel sink after awhile.
It is also why a lot of labs will use Chlorine bleach on the floors and even the walls, but not on any of the stainless steel fixtures.

I think the torch idea is probably a bad one for a number of reasons, especially when a heat gun will provide plenty enough heat to do the job, without the risks associated with an open flame of 1700* F or more. You can heat a stainless steel saw blade up to 200 ~ 350* F with a heat gun very quickly and it won't affect the temper of the metal, and is unlikely to start your pants on fire.

And, the alcohol... in the proper form... has other uses... :loco:
 
Ever since I installed a Mr. Fusion unit to run the Flux Capacitor on my chip truck I have been using radiation to sterilize the entire micro-ecosystem that I am working on. It cures fits, warts, freckles, coughs, colds and runny noses. Its guaranteed not to rip, run or snag. Makes conception a wonder, and child birth a pleasure!!!!back-to-future-ii-mr-fusion-home-energy-reactor-replica-3.webp
 
I have often wondered about this topic and on occasion I give my blades an alcohol bath, but when I read this in Gilman's pg. 118 I felt a lot of relief...

"Most trees that are pruned are not infected with a disease that is transmitted by pruning tools, so disinfection is not recommended."

It goes on to explain possible ways to disinfect tools after working on trees that may be infected but I am curious as to the opinions of the arbo's here as to the validity of the above statement. Thank you!

~GP
 
Gp- that quote from Ed gilmans book identifies exactly why we should be sterilizing. MOST trees. Can you show which trees are or aren't infected? If not, why risk it?

We can make a mile long list of tree diseases....that we KNOW of. What about all the ones we don't?


love
nick
 
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