Originally Posted by
tlorenz
Just wondering if anyone knows how to make some Chain Lube? I am currently in India and I have asked around a few places and no one has chain lube, but there must be 500 million bicycles in India, so they have to use something. Just wondering if anyone has some tips of what to do.
I have heard a 3:1 ratio of mineral spirits to motor oil will work. I can just imagine myself now asking for mineral spirits here and getting a head wobble (those who have been here will know what that is like). Can I use paint thinner? Should I use another de-greaser? What kind of oil (is 10-30 fine, or is there something better)?
If someone knows of one that works well in dry weather (it shouldn't rain for at least another 2 months) that would be great. There is a lot of dust here and having a lube that picks up everything isn't the greatest (however I am close to being desperate and will take any lube soon).
Any help would be appreciated, and I thank you in advance.
I've used DIY lube for years, after trying all the expensive mainstream lubes.
I mix 1 part motor (automobile) oil to 5-10 parts paint thinner aka mineral spirits. I use an old White-Lightning lube bottle to drip-dispense, carefully control volume. No point in making a mess or wasting material.
This lube mix is heavy on solvent for a reason: I carefully drip lube onto the top of lower chain run, with rag/paper towel below to catch run off. Do one little section at a time until full chain length cleaned and lubed. This CLEANS the chain, which is at least as important as preventing rust and reducing friction on the resulting clean chain. This works so well (clean / lube in one step) that I never have to actually clean the chain as a separate maintenance operation.
Since this mixture is mostly solvent, it evaporates, leaving a thin film of oil. If you lube 2-3 days before riding the chain is drier and noisier than if you ride the morning after lubing. So, this is a relatively short-lived lube. To me this is a non-issue since I lube/pump/inspect before each ride.
The solvent by itself imparts some friction-reduction, but it works better with oil added. The oil will coat better, evaporate much slower and greatly ****** (how funny r e t a r d is prohibited) corrosion rate of the chain surfaces.
Breathing paint thinner is a bad idea. You must store bike outdoors (not in room where you sleep) if you use this lube regularly. Otherwise lube just before riding - by days end it's pretty much dry again.
It's flammable too. No smoking.
Heavy rain will wash the lube out of the chain faster, just like all other commercial bike lubes.
Increasing oil in the mix naturally puts more oil onto chain - this may last longer, and it may attract more dust since oil usually seems to capture dirt better than solvent (which evaporates much faster).
I've tried a few different motor oils, and it didn't seem to affect performance one way or another. I've even tried used motor oil. The amount of oil and solvent used in a month is very small; this will make it difficult for you to buy and store. A pint of paint thinner should last for months. You could use virtually any motor oil from 5W to 30W viscosity. Maybe you could use the excess paint thinner for cooking fuel - or sell/barter to someone for food.