seville23 Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 I actaully saw this suggested by Bryan Glenn on YouTube but thought it might be of interest. Bear in mind that this works ONLY for cutters which are solid metal. If you your cutter has any plastic, leather, powder coated or other furnature, DO NOT use this method. My standard cutter is a Cuban Crafters Perfect Cutter and its machined from soild metal. To clean your cutter all you need is some standard brake cleaner and an asborbant cloth, kitchen roll or whatever. Spray your cutter with the brake cleaner, making sure to get into all the hard to access areas. Then wipe with the cloth. The brake cleaner will remove all oils and other residues, lubricate the cutter without leaving any residue and your cutter will be as good as new. As usual with brake cleaner do not spray it over the patio or near any painted surface because the brake cleaner will attack it. Brake cleaner is also more flammable than petrol so use it well away from any naked flames or other sources of ignition. If you cutter does have any furnature try isopropyl alcohol and a cotton bud (or q-tip) to remove any oils and build up and then use graphite lubricant to lubricate the cutter. Be sparing with the lubricant because of the danger of residue. I used to use this method on my Xikar Xi1 before I moved over to the Perfect Cutter. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrouchoMarx Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 I'm thinking we have the same cutter. All I do is put it in a bowl, add some boiling water, and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Seems to work for me. What is "brake cleaner" anyway? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RobeAndSlippers Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Acetone, assorted ethylenes, and other volatile hydrocarbons. It's nothing you want to smoke, we'll leave it at that. Rubbing alcohol or boiling water work just fine for me, but I suppose this is good to know should I ever be tempted to reach for a chisel to scrape the stuff off. 18 minutes ago, GrouchoMarx said: I'm thinking we have the same cutter. All I do is put it in a bowl, add some boiling water, and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Seems to work for me. What is "brake cleaner" anyway? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbandz Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 compressed air alcohol and Qtip soft cloth Brake parts cleaner is a solvent in a spray can,used to clean/degrease parts in automotive work. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuzzArd Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Brake cleaner does not lubricate anything. It removes any trace of oils. And there's some kind of residue left behind, because my pal that runs a machine shop says to never clean with brake cleaner prior to welding. Not sure what the issue is, but it seems its a health hazard. Not something I want on my cigars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seville23 Posted May 25, 2017 Author Share Posted May 25, 2017 22 minutes ago, GrouchoMarx said: I'm thinking we have the same cutter. All I do is put it in a bowl, add some boiling water, and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Seems to work for me. What is "brake cleaner" anyway? You use it to clean brakes or anything else that has a build up of gunk. The great thing about brake cleaner is that it shifts the gunk and lubricates the cutter. Just a suggestion - quick, efficient, job done. If boiling water works for you that's fine too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dijit Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 The last time I sent my cutter back to Xikar they advised running it through the dishwasher. Then a quick hand rinse and dry and it has worked great for years by doing that.Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knilas Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Hot water and dish soap is what I use. Then rinse well. Or if my cutter is super gunky, maybe an acetone of some type...usually nail polish remover. As far as having furniture on my cutter..?? That only happens if I accidentally drop it and it falls down thru my recliner or sofa. Not sure what the OP meant by that term... Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Engineer99 Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 I tried cleaning my xikar by taking it apart. Big mistake. It's almost impossible to reassemble unless you have three hands or some sort of jig. I took it to a b&m to see if they could put humpty back together again and in frustration, ended up just giving me another one and sending mine back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLiquidGator Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Warm/hot water, dish soap, soak overnight, rinse, wipe dry and your good to go. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesKPolkEsq Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Acetone (unscented), solvent of the gods 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrightonCorgi Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Acetone... does not leave awful smell like of the other suggestions for cleaning metal. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PigFish Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Gotta' tell you folks, I love my solvents but not all solvents will affect organic and water based compounds. For example, MEK is a powerful solvent, yet is not helpful for water scale. Cleaning cutters is easy. Get an old toothbrush and some toothpaste, warm water and rinse. Blow the cutter out with compressed air. All the components of the job are in your mouth at anytime in the past 24 hours... The more difficult task is in sharpening your cutter! -Piggy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polarbear Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 25 minutes ago, PigFish said: Gotta' tell you folks, I love my solvents but not all solvents will affect organic and water based compounds. For example, MEK is a powerful solvent, yet is not helpful for water scale. Cleaning cutters is easy. Get an old toothbrush and some toothpaste, warm water and rinse. Blow the cutter out with compressed air. All the components of the job are in your mouth at anytime in the past 24 hours... The more difficult task is in sharpening your cutter! -Piggy This is my method Works well regardless of what kind of cutter you have For stubborn stains or REALLY gunked up cutters i'll use a Qtip dipped in a bit of alcohol (vodka works well if you don't have any cleaning alcohol) If your B&M carries pipes, a bag of "Prickly Pipe Cleaners" can be a good option too if you want to get into those hard to reach areas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainQuintero Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 I must be doing something wrong, I've never needed to clean or sharpen any cutter! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dicko Posted May 26, 2017 Share Posted May 26, 2017 10 hours ago, Dijit said: The last time I sent my cutter back to Xikar they advised running it through the dishwasher. Then a quick hand rinse and dry and it has worked great for years by doing that. Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk I also just use the dishwasher. Works well. After it dries I add a drop of sewing machine oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrouchoMarx Posted May 26, 2017 Share Posted May 26, 2017 12 hours ago, CaptainQuintero said: I must be doing something wrong, I've never needed to clean or sharpen any cutter! what kind of cutter do you use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCgarman Posted May 26, 2017 Share Posted May 26, 2017 I put my Zino guillotine cutter in the dishwasher with the silverware. Came out perfectly clean, no issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugu Posted May 26, 2017 Share Posted May 26, 2017 Clean from what 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PigFish Posted May 26, 2017 Share Posted May 26, 2017 53 minutes ago, Fugu said: Clean from what As you know, cigar climate is important to me. I keep my cigars kinda' dry (relatively speaking) and this can lead to shattering the head if one is not careful and does not use a sharp cutter. In order to prevent this, I wet the cigar head with saliva before cutting. I let it 'dwell' for a period until the saliva no longer looks wet, and then I cut it with a Davidoff, holding the cigar with my left hand, guillotine in my right, with my left forefinger supporting the head. The damp head of the cigar causes a bit of a mess on the blade depending on how sloppy a kisser 'I got' and that require some care an cleaning for the sake of hygiene. That's the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth! -the Pig 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugu Posted May 26, 2017 Share Posted May 26, 2017 Ok, that might be it. I never do that.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugu Posted May 26, 2017 Share Posted May 26, 2017 On 25/05/2017 at 11:24 PM, BrightonCorgi said: Acetone... does not leave awful smell like of the other suggestions for cleaning metal. On 26/05/2017 at 0:30 AM, PigFish said: Gotta' tell you folks, I love my solvents but not all solvents will affect organic and water based compounds. For example, MEK is a powerful solvent, yet is not helpful for water scale. Well if necessary, indeed acetone or ethanol, isoprop should do the job. Since those mix with organics as well as with water, will be just fine for water-soluble as well as organic compounds (at least for all those found in a cigar) and do not leave any residues. As others said, break cleaner is just not necessary and is highly hazardous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PigFish Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 57 minutes ago, Fugu said: Well if necessary, indeed acetone or ethanol, isoprop should do the job. Since those mix with organics as well as with water, will be just fine for water-soluble as well as organic compounds (at least for all those found in a cigar) and do not leave any residues. As others said, break cleaner is just not necessary and is highly hazardous. Alcohol based solvents (miscible with water) will work well as you mentioned, there is just no reason you use them (MHO). There are also more friendly citric acid based cleaners that do a helluva job on waterborne substance removal. Again, not necessary here. Newer brake cleaner that is VOC compliant is largely acetone these days... It can do some severe damage to a host of plastics. The dishwasher is a great idea, but my Bosch DW gets really hot and I don't want the plastic to warp or deform, so I don't use that method. Toothpaste and a toothbrush, from Rolex to cigar cutter I have used the method to clean many things... Cheers! -tP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugu Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 11 hours ago, PigFish said: there is just no reason you use them (MHO). Oh there is - and some considerable: These are two quite diametrical cleaning approaches. While the solvent-based (acetone is a ketone, not an alcohol - just smart assing...) is a purely physico-chemical procedure, the toothpaste method is essentially a mechanical (plus detergent and water as a solvent) one. Pure solvents may come with the disadvantage of being potentially agressive to plastics (depending on the material, but ethanol and isoprop won't do any harm to most). 11 hours ago, PigFish said: There are also more friendly citric acid based cleaners Much depends on the material to clean, as to what might be considered "friendly", Piggy. There are pros and cons, depending on the task. Citric acid and anything water-based may be highly corrosive to certain materials (even some plastics). Tooth paste comes with the con of being abrasive and having a polishing effect, at least when used regularly. Not everyone wants that. And in addition - which would be more concerning to me - a more functional than an aesthetic effect: it may cause remains of the paste and polishing particles to become stuck and accumulate in any gaps, in the grooves for and between the blades (in particular in two-bladed guillotines) and around the pivot etc.. This can affect mechanical function and smoothness of action. Furthermore, water-based (acids) may not be compatible with brass pivots, and water itself may act for quite some time, trapped in smaller gaps. So, unless all parts are truly and fully stainless, i'd be careful with waterbased and polishing agents. Whereas the above mentioned - mostly harmless (chemically as well as health-wise) solvents will evaporate immediately and be gone rather quickly. Therefore much easier to control (don't dip or drown - just wipe....), and much less of a hassle, in particular if there are no plastics involved, than a water-based method (not good for wooden applications as well), if you ask me. But I have to admit, I have had no idea of the encrustations that might be found on certain french-kiss cutters.... Edit: On second (third) reading, I stumbled across your ... On 26/05/2017 at 0:30 AM, PigFish said: ...yet is not helpful for water scale. didn't grasp what water scale is.... True, for limescale, only abrasives or mild organic acids will work. Didn't expect you're a Limey, Ray.... haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainQuintero Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 20 hours ago, GrouchoMarx said: what kind of cutter do you use? I used a palio for about 4 years then the metal table top quad-cutter for about 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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