Originally Posted by
gauvins
Do you clean the new chain (to remove factory lube)? If so, how do you do it?
p.s. Your motives (chain life, cleanliness, solvent disposal) are exactly why I'll try wax baths. And my plan is also very similar to yours (several chains at once).
Just wipe it off, or rinse it in mineral spirits or white gas if that isn't sufficient. Remember that the liquified wax also cleans the chain.
I suspect that the most important lubricants for the chain are what come bonded to the surface, and that the wax or whatever essentially protects the chain from the elements, and smooths the engagement of the chain with the teeth on the cogs.