Degreaser preferences??
12-20-05, 04:54 PM
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Degreaser preferences??
This may have been discussed before, but I searched and saw too many different types to pick one. What type of degreasers do you all prefer? I tried some water soluable crap that I got from work made by a company called United, but like the rest of the products they have, it doesn't work. I can get Simple Green by the gallon for $7, but I was wondering if someone else has a product they use that might be better.
Thanks!
Thanks!
12-20-05, 05:01 PM
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I'd be interested as well. Money-wise, Simple Green is a very attractive purchase compared to the cost of some of those "citrus" degreasing agents.
12-20-05, 06:10 PM
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Pedro's Orange Peelz isn't cheap, but a little goes a long way. It works quickly and thoroughly.
12-20-05, 06:17 PM
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I didn't know Simple Green would attack aluminum. Does Greased Lightning affect aluminum?
12-20-05, 06:24 PM
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Mineral spirits. Cuts grease better than any water-soluble substance I've ever tried. I used to swear by Castrol SuperClean, but mineral spirits is better by orders of magnitude. The crud just disintegrates on contact.
And while you may think that a petroleum distillate is less environmentally friendly, consider this: it's reusable!
I fill a Coke bottle half full with mineral spirits, toss in my chain and shake around for a few minutes. Then I remove the chain, to which I have tied a string that hangs outside the bottle. I then recap the bottle and let it sit for a few days. All the grit and suspended grease settles to the bottom. Then, I carefully decant 95% of it back into the original mineral spirits container. The remaining sludge in a bottle is my only waste. I lose maybe an ounce of mineral spirits every time I do it.
Compare this to dumping a bunch of greasy cleaner down the drain every time you clean your chain. No matter how earth "friendly" it may be, it's still toxic. And if your cleaner says it's non-toxic, I challenge you to drink a quart...especially after you've used it.
And while you may think that a petroleum distillate is less environmentally friendly, consider this: it's reusable!
I fill a Coke bottle half full with mineral spirits, toss in my chain and shake around for a few minutes. Then I remove the chain, to which I have tied a string that hangs outside the bottle. I then recap the bottle and let it sit for a few days. All the grit and suspended grease settles to the bottom. Then, I carefully decant 95% of it back into the original mineral spirits container. The remaining sludge in a bottle is my only waste. I lose maybe an ounce of mineral spirits every time I do it.
Compare this to dumping a bunch of greasy cleaner down the drain every time you clean your chain. No matter how earth "friendly" it may be, it's still toxic. And if your cleaner says it's non-toxic, I challenge you to drink a quart...especially after you've used it.
12-20-05, 06:26 PM
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Originally Posted by graff71884
This may have been discussed before, but I searched and saw too many different types to pick one. What type of degreasers do you all prefer?
12-20-05, 08:50 PM
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I don't take my chain off to clean, I just run it through a chain cleaner. What do you think would work best in this instance?
12-20-05, 09:07 PM
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A friend's preferred chain cleaner is a bucket of hot soapy water (Dawn dishwashing detergent) and a finish line Grunge Brush.
12-20-05, 10:44 PM
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Originally Posted by graff71884
I don't take my chain off to clean, I just run it through a chain cleaner. What do you think would work best in this instance?
When i clean the chain on the bike i put some good ole petrol in the chain cleaning machine & go to it .
When i remove chains from bikes to clean i drop them in some petrol & swoosh'em around. works well for all my cleaning /degreasing needs. cleans the filth & grime off the meat hooks too. when i am done with the concoction i dump it in the weeds for "weed-b-gone" results.
All those "environmentally friendly" degreaser products are bunch of horse crap.
none of them cleans better or even as good as petrol, acetone & thinners.
I tried using Gunk for a while & it's crap too for the most part.
Last edited by sngltrackdufus; 12-20-05 at 11:02 PM.
12-20-05, 10:55 PM
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Another vote for Simple Green.
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12-20-05, 11:19 PM
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I take the chain off and use my own proprietary blend of parrafin and slick lubricants. I cook the chain in the melted solution and it gets clean and it stays lubed for several hundred miles. However, whatever floats your boat. Depending on how dirty my bearings/races are, I've used Simple Green, Greased Lightning, WD-40, charcoal lighter and gasoline in order of least gritty to downright bubble gum texture. I don't recommend the last two--for safety reasons--except if all else fails and you can't readily get new bearings.
12-21-05, 08:58 AM
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Originally Posted by aerodave
And if your cleaner says it's non-toxic, I challenge you to drink a quart...especially after you've used it.
A whole quart?!?!? I can only barely chug that much maple syrup in one go!
12-21-05, 09:38 AM
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I use a foam degreaser. There are many brands available. I have also used Simple Green but the foam stays where you spray it so is more convenient. I do the following: spray, brush, rinse, spray, brush, rinse, lubricate.
12-21-05, 09:47 AM
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DEP citrus cleaner (Home Depot) is great and dirt cheap. Most of the time its just spray it on and wash it off with no scrubbing. Check it on your paint, however. First time I used it it affected the paint slightly, but I think its because I had painted the frame a couple of weeks earlier and the paint hadn't completely cured yet.
12-21-05, 10:27 AM
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Simple Green Is People !!!
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12-21-05, 11:42 AM
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Originally Posted by genericbikedude
A whole quart?!?!? I can only barely chug that much maple syrup in one go!
12-21-05, 11:47 AM
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You choose it:
Very cheap and reusable a "zilion times"
Petrol
Terpentine
all sort of Paint thinners
Less cheap and one time usable
WD40 and all sort of penetration oils.
I haven't tried, but I suppose those sprays for cleaning cookers and cooking wovens will also work good.
Very cheap and reusable a "zilion times"
Petrol
Terpentine
all sort of Paint thinners
Less cheap and one time usable
WD40 and all sort of penetration oils.
I haven't tried, but I suppose those sprays for cleaning cookers and cooking wovens will also work good.