Lombard

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+...hrome&ie=UTF-8

https://stanforddaily.com/2011/10/21...kill-a-zombie/

datlas 

Who said this thread wouldn't get to 700??

Maybe this thread is more popular than waxing?

datlas 

P&R content.

TMonk

Well, a good fraction of the posts are from naysayers that are trying to quell the enthusiasts.

I'm still of the opinion that waxing can be done with low cost and low labor. Solvent cleanings, ultrasonic baths, high cost fluorinated waxes.... I don't do any of that. Same block of paraffin from Ebay I bought 5 years ago. Easy Peasy. Although I might feel differently if I didn't live in such a dry climate.

seypat

Darren Mcgavin would know how to kill a zombie. Anyone remember the Night Stalker episode where Kolchak was in the junkyard trying to kill the big African American zombie? He was asleep in a junk car. Kolchak gets on top on him. He pours salt into his mouth and starts to sew it up. Then the zombie wakes up and things get interesting!

Edit: Found it. Awesome.

https://www.nbc.com/kolchak-the-nigh...zombie/3980758

tomato coupe

Given how few waxed chains I've seen in the wild, I think you might be right.

datlas 

I suspect waxed chains are more often HEARD than seen.

See/hear what I did there??

tomato coupe

There is a new thread on "the other forum" started by someone that wants to try waxing for the first time, and is asking for advice on cleaning his chain. Several people described pretty lengthy cleaning procedures using multiple chemicals. I think it's those types of stories that evoke skepticism from the "naysayers."

big john

Way back I never thought it would get to 500. I guess people are really bored. 700 is probably a record for wax threads. After a certain number what else can you say?

Wax is great. No, it's not. Yes, it is. No, it's not.

TMonk

can't disagree w that. I had a repulsive reaction myself after reading much of this thread, and actually trying the MSW protocol. Too much work.

Is it better? Probably. Is it worth it? Not for me. 5 years of only cleaning new chains w overnight degreaser soak, and just paraffin in between. Nothing else. Works just fine and keeps my clean drivetrain OCD at bay.

Trakhak

Just did a quick search. From KMC (the bike chain manufacturer):

"A new chain usually feels sticky at first. These are residues of the high-performance grease used during assembly. Remove this grease with a thin-bodied oil or cleaner (no aggressive grease solvents!), lightly oil the rollers and remove excess oil with a cloth. We recommend never to degrease the chain completely."

FWIW, I've never waxed a chain in my 50-plus years of riding pro-level bikes. Current chain care: when a chain starts to become a bit noisy, I clamp the chain inside a plastic chain-cleaning case (the type with car-wash-style brushes rotating in several planes), drip some Tri-Flow into the holes at the top of the chain cleaner (they're meant for degreaser, apparently, but I've never found that step necessary), and run the pedals backwards while holding the cleaner in place. It's satisfying to feel the chain running more and more smoothly through the cleaner after the first 20 or 30 rotations of the crank.

I then remove the chain cleaner and give the chain a quick wipe. Five-minute job, and the chain's good for several hundred miles.

SpedFast

Hey John, It's winter in the best part of the world. What else can you say?

big john

Supposed to be dry here tomorrow and I'm hoping to do 40-50 miles with some friends.

TMonk

been riding indoors way too much lately for the best coast. looking fwd to spring!

last week I put in 14 or so hours, and only 1 ride was outside

SpedFast

Now I'm envious.... You just had to share that, huh?

big john

A benefit of being retired. We might go out to Acton.

SoSmellyAir

Gulf Wax available at Walmart.com again for < $4/lb.

Gulf Wax Household Paraffin Wax, 16 oz - Walmart.com

Kontact

What is it that people think is going to happen if they simply put an oily chain in the wax for awhile?

The wax displaces the oil. The chain comes out waxed. The pot of wax looks used but is still 99.9% wax.


People is crazy.

DaveSSS 

If a dirty oiled chain is placed in wax, the wax will mix with it at a rate of about 30%. To actually remove the dirty oil, some agitation is needed. Then you'll have dirty wax. Some of the dirt will fall to the bottom, but not all of it.

I mix at least 20% heavy gear lube in my wax to soften it and improve lubricity. I then dissolve into 4-6 parts naphtha/camp stove fuel to make a wet lube.

SpedFast

Question-When you add the heavy gear lube, does the chain turn black and grimy with use? I use wax because I like a clean chain that doesn't leave black pant streaks and grimy hands after handling. But I also like the idea of DIY additives if there's a benefit.

DaveSSS 

If you're really concerned about absolute cleanliness, you may not like any additives. I don't handle my chains much so a tiny bit less cleanliness is OK. I'm confident that the lube will do a better job and last longer. The chain looks quite clean when I relube the chain on the bike, but I still wipe with a paper shop towel that has a little naphtha on it, before lubing. Sprockets and chain rings stay clean for a long time.

I run tubeless tires, so I carry nitrile gloves in case I have to perform a messy tube installation on the road, but that's unlikely. I had one puncture in 18,000 miles and that one sealed in seconds.

https://forums.thepaceline.net/pictu...&pictureid=945

Kontact

I don't know where you're getting those numbers. If you put an oiled chain in a pint of hot wax and agitate it, the oil is going to be diluted 10,000 to 1, and the superior wicking of liquid paraffin is going to get everywhere in the chain.

It doesn't take much to make white wax look dirty. But that tinting has little to do with the effectiveness of the wax as a lubricant, or how it behaves at room temp when you handle the chain.


Along the same lines, I've cleaned chains quickly by shaking them in a bottle of citrus solvent and then rinsing with fresh water. If you don't get the water completely out of the chain, the wax will displace it anyway and the water will sink to the bottom of wax pot.

DaveSSS 

The percentage of oil that can be mixed into paraffin came from my personal experiments, aimed at making a paraffin based wet lube. If more than 30% oil by weight is added to melted paraffin, you'll have free oil that's not mixed in, sitting on top of the hardened paraffin. With or without oil, you can dissolve paraffin with any amount of naphtha greater than 4 /1. At 4/1 it won't be fully liquid at room temperature.

My main point is that putting a dirty chain in to your melted paraffin isn't the best thing to do. Cleaning in mineral spirits or naphtha first is preferable.

Kontact

And my point is that there are enough barriers to waxing that we dont need to worry about a few parts per thousand of oil contamination when it isnt going to effect the final product in any meaningful way. Every subsequent re-wax is going to thin the oil contamination further, but add street grime. There is no perfect, but you can waste a lot of time and fossil chemicals pointlessly trying.

CrowSeph

wth... this is so expensive imho