Spare chain soaked in kerosene - now what?
11-22-17, 09:21 AM
#27
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It's not so complicated IMO. I'd just swing the chain in the air, clean it with a rag and then let it dry overnight, or if in a hurry clean it with some solvent and lube it.
11-22-17, 09:39 AM
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I think it was FBinNY who advised standing outside and swinging the chain using a windmill motion. May the (centrifugal) force be with you.
11-22-17, 09:45 AM
#29
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That said, your method has unnecessary steps in it. Just let it dry. No rag and no swinging it around in the air. I have a friend who managed to black out a large area of Chicago when his swung chain slipped and landed on high tension power lines and shorted them out. He said it made a hell of a flash
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11-22-17, 09:53 AM
#30
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...this thread will never go to twelve pages unless someone brings up re-lubrication, and what to use.
Just sayin'.
...this thread will never go to twelve pages unless someone brings up re-lubrication, and what to use.
Just sayin'.
11-22-17, 11:43 AM
#31
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I like them fine. They are nice-looking and the side plates don't rust. I don't even see 9-speed stainless chains on the Wippermann site now. I've pretty much stopped riding my road bike when there's salt on the roads, so stainless isn't as much of an advantage anymore.
Steve
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11-22-17, 11:51 AM
#33
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I fully agree. People spend waaaaaaaaay too time on chain cleaning rituals. I'm rather amazed that there isn't a dead chicken involved in most of them. I've been to a Mass and there seems to be less ritual involved in that then chain cleaning
That said, your method has unnecessary steps in it. Just let it dry. No rag and no swinging it around in the air. I have a friend who managed to black out a large area of Chicago when his swung chain slipped and landed on high tension power lines and shorted them out. He said it made a hell of a flash
That said, your method has unnecessary steps in it. Just let it dry. No rag and no swinging it around in the air. I have a friend who managed to black out a large area of Chicago when his swung chain slipped and landed on high tension power lines and shorted them out. He said it made a hell of a flash
I can relate to your friend's story - when I was a kid, something similar happened involving playing with pieces of rebar at a building site...
11-22-17, 12:56 PM
#35
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I soak my chains in mineral spirits, scrub with a toothbrush, then soak in Coleman Fuel (White gas) to get rid of the residue. Hang to dry. Easy.
Last edited by superstring; 11-23-17 at 12:20 PM.
11-22-17, 04:50 PM
#37
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My bicycle usage includes infrequent operation through standing water when the Intracoastal overflows inches-deep standing salt water onto the roadway. (Moon high tide)
In those instances after riding I use Simple Green, a tooth brush and a garden hose to wash off the contamination, not a strong water stream into the moving parts.
The moving parts get flooded w/ WD-40, then everything wiped dry. Everything looks and works like new afterwards.
The bike has been working fine for years w/ this treatment. The only degradation is the button heads of the bolts holding the brake pads have surface rust.
But, I'm near the ocean and stuff around here tends to rust from salt air.
In those instances after riding I use Simple Green, a tooth brush and a garden hose to wash off the contamination, not a strong water stream into the moving parts.
The moving parts get flooded w/ WD-40, then everything wiped dry. Everything looks and works like new afterwards.
The bike has been working fine for years w/ this treatment. The only degradation is the button heads of the bolts holding the brake pads have surface rust.
But, I'm near the ocean and stuff around here tends to rust from salt air.
11-22-17, 06:23 PM
#38
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Mark Twain recommend dipping your finger in spunk water and swinging a dead cat around your head at midnight to cure warts. Maybe something like that will work for bike chains too.
11-22-17, 06:27 PM
#39
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11-22-17, 07:42 PM
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OK, I've been waiting for someone to own up that they use gasoline for the first flush of grit & crud from their chains.....LIKE I DO. I await your confession!
Dean
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11-22-17, 07:56 PM
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I have done this a few times. When on tour and I need a stove fuel refill i'll also clean my chain in the left over gas. Andy.
11-22-17, 08:06 PM
#43
Calamari Marionette Ph.D
So many people are so paranoid. I don't get it. It's simple. Use it outdoors, don't spill it, avoid touching it, don't inhale the fumes, keep it away from ignition sources. Same easy guidelines as using it for yard equipment, generators, motorcycles, personal watercraft, etc.
Last edited by SquidPuppet; 11-22-17 at 08:13 PM.
11-22-17, 08:08 PM
#44
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I use white gas (petrol, camping fuel), but this is on new chains, to get rid of the packing oil, before I immerse them in melted paraffin.
11-22-17, 08:23 PM
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I've been doing it for almost 50 years. Nothing else works as well or as fast. I use gasoline for a variety of tasks.
So many people are so paranoid. I don't get it. It's simple. Use it outdoors, don't spill it, avoid touching it, don't inhale the fumes, keep it away from ignition sources. Same easy guidelines as using it for yard equipment, generators, motorcycles, personal watercraft, etc.
So many people are so paranoid. I don't get it. It's simple. Use it outdoors, don't spill it, avoid touching it, don't inhale the fumes, keep it away from ignition sources. Same easy guidelines as using it for yard equipment, generators, motorcycles, personal watercraft, etc.
11-22-17, 08:27 PM
#46
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But you're one of those guys who read about paraffin having the lowest measurable friction loss as a chain lube, so there's no talking to you.
11-22-17, 08:27 PM
#47
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Then I dip the individual sprocket teeth in snake venom dissolved in DMSO.
Last edited by Cyclist0108; 11-22-17 at 10:07 PM.
11-22-17, 10:01 PM
#48
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I most recently did this about 3 or 4 weeks ago. But after some BFers pointed out how dangerous it is, and I conceded that yes, it would be a bad day if vapors collected in my garage and then burst into flame (I did the rinsing outside, but kept the containers in the garage in between) I decided not to use it anymore. It's a shame, really, because it does blow away anything else I've used.
11-22-17, 10:16 PM
#49
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Yep, I confess, I've used gasoline.....a long time ago. It's what I had on hand... from the lawn mower.
11-22-17, 10:33 PM
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