Bicycle Mechanics - Alcohol as a chain solvent.

I use the citric based cleaners (like Citrasolve) for the chain and everything else that is greasy/oily on the bike. Fast, quick and easy. Smells nice and a simple pair of rubber gloves keeps it from drying out my hands.

What about Xylene? :D Or Histoclear? :D

[i work in a hospital medical lab... maybe i should get some of the waste solvents and try it out on my chain.] :lol:

Use Simple Green with the caveat that you rinse it off well

Ok, I have been re thinking my cleaning process. If I can find a solvent that evaporates fast, I could apply it to a cloth and wipe the area of interest. What should I be looking at?

I will check out these spray on solvents (like carb cleaners), but I don't want to pay for anything but the solvent and container.

I've tried it, using 70% isopropanol. Not at all effective. Try instead a citrus-based cleaner in a chain cleaning machine such as the Park Chain Cleaner, followed by a water rinse and air dry.

Automatic transmission fluid. ATF has detergent additives to keep any crud in the trans emulsified.

Go to the auto parts store and buy a quart of the cheapest ATF they have -- type doesn't matter unless you're gonna pour it into your car. Get a plastic bottle with a screw on top and immerse the chain in the ATF for a couple of days. Remove the chain, wipe off, and then soak it in a lite solvent like paint thinner. Remove, let dry, and lube as usual. The chain will come out so clean, you won't believe it.

Any short chain alcohol from 2-butanol to methanol is too polar to do a good job of dissolving long chain aliphatic hydrocarbons. If it will dissolve in water, it won't do a good job on oil. Acetone, MEK, MiPK (methyl isopropyl ketone) are also too polar to do a good job.

Mineral spirits (both kinds), naphtha, kerosene and diesel oil all do a good job because they have the same polarity as the oil. The key is if it won't dissolve in water..."like dissolves like"..., it will probably dissolve oil. Even vegetable oil would probably work but removing it would be more difficult then removing the oil and wax of the chain lube. I suggest mineral spirits because it evaporates more quickly than the other solvents.

Simple green and, to a lesser extent, dish soap work by playing a little chemical trick on the oil. Detergents have a part of the molecule that likes water and a part that doesn't. Put them in water and the water hating part turns around like musk ox protecting their calves and puts the part that likes water looking out. Along comes a little oil molecule seeking shelter from that nasty water and it goes right into middle of the detergent bubble...called a micelle. It's happy now and will go anywhere the micelle goes, i.e. down the drain. It works but there is only so much oil the micelles can dissolve...much, much less than a true solvent will handle.


Will Mineral spirits disolve wax?

Will Mineral spirits disolve wax?

Yes. It may take a while, however. If it's on a chain, you may have to agitate it...i.e. shake the container.

<double take>

Whoa!! I thought the question was about 'Alcohol as a brain solvent.' and I was about to answer authoritatively.

Never mind.

Berryman B-12 carburetor parts cleaner. Smells evil, and works like nothing else. Will also strip paint off of deraillers with painted accents, lol.,,,,BD

B-12 is great stuff. I use it to start recalcitrant engines.


"No, I can't mow the lawn today, dear. We're out of B-12."