Originally Posted by
dahut
Better than what? The stuff works. Something else our forefathers knew was there are dangers associated with anything.
How you handle these dangers is what proves your wisdom. I use rubber gloves, I wear goggles and I clean the chain by agitating it in an enclosed container. Kerosene, gasoline or plain ole paint thinner is used, most of the time.
I recently emptied a can of moisture displacing compound on the chains, and it worked a treat. SO that is something you might consider.
Once clean, I lube with good old fashioned bar and chain oil after reinstalling.
There are far better...as in safer...solvents out there than gasoline. Gasoline has a flash point of -40F. That's damned cold. You can ignite it in a blizzard on the Arctic Circle in January. In more normal climes, handling it outside of a gasoline tank on a vehicle requires a lot of thought and caution.
Mineral spirits has a much higher flash point. Odorless has the highest flash point (>131 F), few aromatics, is about $7 a gallon (enough for hundreds of chain cleanings) and does a damned fine job since it's, essentially, the same material as gasoline without that pesky flammability problem. Overall a much, much better choice.
Originally Posted by
dahut
Holier-than-though claptrap, as usual.
Not holier-than-thou, just better informed.
As for our grandfathers catching fire: some did. So did their kids. My bother and the neighbor kids managed to burn one the kids pretty badly while playing with gasoline. My dad managed to burn his motor home to the ground because of a leaking fuel hose. Toasted the house a bit too.