Originally Posted by cyccommute

First, I wouldn't bother with a DIY lubricant. Someone else did the work to come up with a mixture so why try to reinvent the wheel? I'm not against experimentation, research and development...I do it for a living...but if you are trying to save money by "sticking it to the man", you won't. You have to come up with a mixture, test it, tweak it, test it some more, ad infinitum. You'll waste a lot of materials and time testing and tweaking and, in the end, spend a whole lot more than it you just bought the commercial stuff. I could easily see spending $1000 on equipment and materials to save $15.


But, if you insist on making your own, I would start with mineral spirits. I suspect that when you have tried to dissolve the wax in the past you probably did it will a block. You should grind or shave the wax to size reduce it and dissolve smaller particles. You need more surface area because the wax is somewhat crystalline and can be slow to dissolve. A stirrer of some kind and time...perhaps lots and more if the particles are large...may also be needed.

Heat might also help but be careful! While less flammable than other solvents, mineral spirits does have a flash point of around 50°C (some mixtures can be lower). For the metrically challenged, that's 122°F which ain't the hot. Don't do it in your house. Outside would be best or, as I said above, just buy the commercial stuff.

Frankly, the whole "wax your chain" thing is kind of a case of spending a lot of money...double boilers, crockpots, elaborate cleaning schemes using expensive equipment, constant removal of the chain, etc... on a cheap part to save a few pennies. Buy cheap chains which are just as good as the expensive ones and change the chain when it wears out. All the elaborate cleaning and lubricating schemes aren't going to get you much more mileage than less elaborate schemes.