Originally Posted by canklecat

He gets the same question so often he probably replies to only a few.

He said the oil only attracts grime without adding any benefit.

For now, at least, he's hot on the melted wax and PTFE powder. Until further notice.

Basically he's just rehashing the research done by the folks at Friction Facts/Ceramic Speed a few years ago, and putting it into videos for folks who find it easier to learn from watching than reading.

And in his most recent video he's reinventing Rock 'N' Roll Absolute Dry (which appears to be PTFE power in naptha) and White Lightning Easy Lube (paraffin in naptha), but with the wrong solvent -- he used isopropyl alcohol rather than naptha. He posted tips for making a portable liquefied lube, but it's pointless and less effective than buying readymade stuff. And he says it'll be necessary to strip the chain again if you resume hot waxing.

So I'll just keep using Rock 'N' Roll Absolute Dry when I don't have the time to set up the crock pot for melted paraffin. Since January I've had to have some overdue maintenance done on my apartment, including completely reflooring it, so I put away most of my bike maintenance gear until the work is finished. I tried RnR Absolute Dry and it performs exactly as claimed, good and not-so-good. It's very slick and smooth, not fussy about application, runs cleaner than most wet application lubes (not as clean as hot wax), but does need to be reapplied often and is pricey for what you get -- PTFE in naptha. So I might try homebrewing my own. I already have the PTFE powder. So I might just try adding my own naptha and see how it goes.

The problem I had with White Lightning Easy Lube is most of the wax was wasted and couldn't be recovered, and ended up clogging the chain and cogs with gummy wax boogers. I had to floss the freewheels and cassettes, and ended up tossing out a chain rather than trying to clean each link with a Q-tip or stiff brush.

Reportedly Boeshield T9 is also paraffin in solvent, but it's not naptha and Boeshield doesn't reveal what the solvent is. It's very thin but seems tenacious. It can be applied to run as cleanly as melted wax, but it should be applied to a chain off the bike, wait for the Boeshield to dry, then put the chain on the bike. Too much trouble, so I use the T9 mostly as a penetrating lube for other stuff, like old oxidized cables/housings, derailleurs, etc.