Why would KMC say this?
01-23-24, 05:46 PM
#26
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That is the same Silca article that had (for a few months) used my photo (below) without permission.
(I believed that) I had damaged the original 105 chain (CN-HG600) on my bike for letting it soak overnight in purple degreaser.
cyccommute can explain in greater detail, but purple degreaser is basically a strong base in an aqueous solution, whereas odorless mineral spirits is an organic solvent refined from petroleum byproducts. Only the former carries a risk of hydrogen embrittlement.
(I believed that) I had damaged the original 105 chain (CN-HG600) on my bike for letting it soak overnight in purple degreaser.
cyccommute can explain in greater detail, but purple degreaser is basically a strong base in an aqueous solution, whereas odorless mineral spirits is an organic solvent refined from petroleum byproducts. Only the former carries a risk of hydrogen embrittlement.
01-23-24, 07:17 PM
#27
Master of the Universe
I picked up a quart of lamp oil at wal mart . It is white kerosene, After the soak ,I pour it through a paint filter back into the bottle. Been using the same bottle for over ten years. My chains go about 8000 miles
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01-24-24, 06:04 AM
#28
Senior Member
I have not seen the following mentioned, so I will add:
Chain makers don't want you to soak a chain from the factory, because there's good grease inside, which is normally impossible to get inside the links. However, after a good amount of riding, that grease will become contaminated with extremely fine metal particles (metal dust), and that is abrasive, and you want it removed. Suspended in grease or oil, it's akin to "lapping compound". I know this because after a soak, I put a magnet in the solvent and it pulled out covered in thick, black contaminant. Not dirt, but magnetic metal. Though road dust can also be destructive, being fine silica (sand) particles. In this case, getting that metal dust out warrants removing the grease inside to do so.
I used to pull the chain off to soak, but of late use one of those on-bike cleaners first pioneered by Park Tool. I use tiki torch fuel as solvent. Why? Because it's mostly mineral oil, and at the end of summer, big bottles of the stuff, mostly full, are $1.99 at my local goodwill. I fill, put on the chain cleaner, crank the chain, then leave it for a while to let the solvent dissolve things, crank some more, leave it some more, etc. After removing the cleaning device, I wipe the chain, and if possible, let it sit for a day or two to allow more of the solvent inside the links to evaporate. Then I lube the chain. My choice of lube is off-topic I think.
Someone mentioned Coleman Fuel, white gas, which is naphtha, basically lighter fluid. I love the stuff, I love liquid fuel stoves, and white gas is a wonderful cleaning solution, like for spots on neckties. My dad used to use gasoline and the item would smell like gasoline forever. Not so with white gas. However the price of white gas has tripled in the past decade, and very few places stock it, at least the gallon cans which are a lot cheaper per unit volume. So as long as I can get tiki torch fuel dirt cheap, I'll use that to clean chains.
Chain makers don't want you to soak a chain from the factory, because there's good grease inside, which is normally impossible to get inside the links. However, after a good amount of riding, that grease will become contaminated with extremely fine metal particles (metal dust), and that is abrasive, and you want it removed. Suspended in grease or oil, it's akin to "lapping compound". I know this because after a soak, I put a magnet in the solvent and it pulled out covered in thick, black contaminant. Not dirt, but magnetic metal. Though road dust can also be destructive, being fine silica (sand) particles. In this case, getting that metal dust out warrants removing the grease inside to do so.
I used to pull the chain off to soak, but of late use one of those on-bike cleaners first pioneered by Park Tool. I use tiki torch fuel as solvent. Why? Because it's mostly mineral oil, and at the end of summer, big bottles of the stuff, mostly full, are $1.99 at my local goodwill. I fill, put on the chain cleaner, crank the chain, then leave it for a while to let the solvent dissolve things, crank some more, leave it some more, etc. After removing the cleaning device, I wipe the chain, and if possible, let it sit for a day or two to allow more of the solvent inside the links to evaporate. Then I lube the chain. My choice of lube is off-topic I think.
Someone mentioned Coleman Fuel, white gas, which is naphtha, basically lighter fluid. I love the stuff, I love liquid fuel stoves, and white gas is a wonderful cleaning solution, like for spots on neckties. My dad used to use gasoline and the item would smell like gasoline forever. Not so with white gas. However the price of white gas has tripled in the past decade, and very few places stock it, at least the gallon cans which are a lot cheaper per unit volume. So as long as I can get tiki torch fuel dirt cheap, I'll use that to clean chains.
Last edited by Duragrouch; 01-24-24 at 06:10 AM.
