Carbonfiberboy 

I've been in the "no-clean" chain school for a while. I never clean my chains, just wipe them off and apply more lube if they look or sound dry. When I used to clean them with a solvent box, I'd hear grit in them when I'd twist them. I don't now.

Anyway, that's not my subject here. When I wipe them off with a rag, there's still junk on the inside of the plates and on the rollers. So today I took my air compressor, with the OSHA-approved nozzle, and blew them off. They look great now. Anything wrong with that? Anybody else do that with good result?

FBinNY 

as long as there's a good outlet for the spray and dirt, it's all OK. I never use compressed air to clean stuff indoors, but it's fine for outdoors.

Carbonfiberboy 

Thanks, FD. I hoped you'd answer. I put down some old cardboard. Had to clean off the frame, etc. after, too. Am really pleased at how it looks now. I was always kind of ashamed to take it out in public.

achoo

Just make sure you wear some good eye protection.

Stuff sent flying by compressed air will ricochet all over the place.

hueyhoolihan

i'm sure it will work well, but as others have implied, messy.

sounds like an episode of Home Improvement. i can just see that guy blasting junk all over everybody...

Andrew R Stewart 

I'll clean chains in a few steps. After an initial solvent cleaning I'll either blast with air or (if at home) whack the chain against a box side. The chain is doubled over and held at the loop/end and swung hitting the box so the length impacts at about the same time. You'll be impressed by how dirty the resulting splattered spot is. Then re solvent clean and repeat the air or whack. I find that grime can really hold in the nooks and crannies of a chain and you need to force it all out.

besides the air quality aspect of blasting a solvent laden chain you need to be mindful of both any cuts (you can force air into your body) and your eyes. Andy.

chaadster

I never thought to use the air compressor; great idea! Thanks!

Myosmith

Is there any risk of driving grit deeper into the rollers?

DaveSSS 

Certainly. Using compressed air might knock some of the exterior grit off, but the areas inside the chain will remain full of grit. I've ridden on gritty roads for many years. A good way to get a chain really clean is to place it in a container (like an old water bottle), partially full of solvent and shake for a minute or two. At the point, the chain is swimming in dirty solvent, the same as it would with a chain cleaner box. You have to repeat the process at least one more time with another batch of clean solvent. After all that, using compressed air might help to get rid of the solvent.

Most often, I use a hot soapy water bath for the final cleaning, wipe the chain, then apply my regular home brew lube to displace the water. Some people put the chain in an oven at low temp to dry the chain quickly. 170F is usually the minimum for most ovens.

A solvent like mineral spirits can be reused many times - the dirt will settle to the bottom of the container. Just leave the solvent in a water bottle for storage and pour clean solvent off the top, into another bottle when it's time to clean a chain.

Carbonfiberboy 

Didn't seem to. My test for grit is to twist the chain between finger and thumb, listen and feel. No grit before shooting, no grit after. IME it's the "cleaning" with solvent that drives the grit into the rollers. As I said in my OP, I used to do that. No more. A new chain comes with lube in the rollers and no grit. Why not leave it that way?

davidad

The feel of the rollers is not important, the pins and inner plates are. That's where the chain wears and the particles from that wear make a nice grinding compound when you oil it. The only way to get a chain clean is to remove it. I use an ultrasonic cleaner and my chains last over 16,000 miles.

DaveSSS 

The clearances around the rollers are huge, compared to the size of dirt particles. There's no way to keep the grit from going inside a chain.

Altbark

This^^^. Chains are dirt collectors by design. I buy relatively cheap ones, wipe them off, lube and ride. Replace when necessary. Al

Andrew R Stewart 

The solvent acts as a carrier for the grime to be trapped in while blowing the chain. But not all the grime is loosened/dissolved by the solvent and then transported out of the chain during blowing. That's why I'll do a second round, to get as much of the remaining out. Andy.