Originally Posted by
cyccommute
The grit is embedded in the lubricant. Putting the chain in mineral spirits would release the grit and it will settle out. You could even filter the mineral spirits to remove the grit prior to reuse...a Melita coffee filter would do a dandy job. Mineral spirits will dissolve a whole lot of oil before it's more oil than mineral spirits, by the way.
Just trying to save you a few steps and a bit of time.
Thanks -- and using a coffee filter to clean the solution for reuse appeals to my sense of frugality (some call it "Cheap!" -- but I think of it as "prudently frugal" and "environmentally friendly")
... and, besides, it will reduce or eliminate any chance of water causing the chain to rust.