Chain waxing. How to avoid the flaky mess?
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I can't avoid the flaky mess, I'm married to her .......... <rimshot>
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Less like mac and cheese and more like frying french fries (chips to the rest of the world) which has burnt down plenty of houses. Probably worse as wax has a lower flash point than most cooking oils so needs full attention when heated on a stove, especially a gas stove. Mobile phone rings, brain goes off on a tangent, chain gets forgotten. Can be done, but easier to get a dedicated heat source like a crockpot or an electric skillet with a thermostat control.
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But maybe, as an experiment, you could put a pot of wax on your stove in your kitchen and leave it there for a while, then come back and report what happens when it hits around 245C.
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So I have been waxing my chain now, using the Silica Secret Chain Wax bag. I am not sure the flaky mess and wax buildup on the cassette afterwards is worth it. I thought the idea of chain waxing was to keep the drivetrain super clean, what am I missing or doing wrong?
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Perhaps you should try your own mix and see if it's bettah. 10:1 Paraffin/PTFE ratio, and see how it goes. One thing is sure, you need to remove the excess wax once it cools off after bathing it. You can slide it on a wooden round handle, for instance, or simply play with it for a while with a clothe wrapped around your chain. Solid wax residues will always end up around your transmission, but it usually stops after the first ride or so.
#31
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^this.
After the first ride, you can take a toothbrush and brush off any left on the chain. You can use a paper towel with alcohol on it and hold against derailleur wheels to get off any buildup. After that, you can use the liquid to put a drop on each link every 200-300miles for a perfectly lubed and quiet chain.
I’ve been using this for most of the summer after I put on a new chain. Normally, I burn through a chain after about 2500 miles. Using my KMC chain checker, the chain showed up as 0.13 when new. After 2000 miles it’s at 0.14-0.15 (i.e. virtually no wear). The chain checker says chain is starting to show wear at 0.4. At this rate, this chain will go 10,000 miles or more.
This is the best lube I’ve ever used. It’s also the quietest. Love this stuff.
After the first ride, you can take a toothbrush and brush off any left on the chain. You can use a paper towel with alcohol on it and hold against derailleur wheels to get off any buildup. After that, you can use the liquid to put a drop on each link every 200-300miles for a perfectly lubed and quiet chain.
I’ve been using this for most of the summer after I put on a new chain. Normally, I burn through a chain after about 2500 miles. Using my KMC chain checker, the chain showed up as 0.13 when new. After 2000 miles it’s at 0.14-0.15 (i.e. virtually no wear). The chain checker says chain is starting to show wear at 0.4. At this rate, this chain will go 10,000 miles or more.
This is the best lube I’ve ever used. It’s also the quietest. Love this stuff.
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No, no mushrooms because I'm not a moron, unlike some who comment on stuff they know bugger all about. You can tip hot cooking oil on a fire too, and not much will happen.
But maybe, as an experiment, you could put a pot of wax on your stove in your kitchen and leave it there for a while, then come back and report what happens when it hits around 245C.
But maybe, as an experiment, you could put a pot of wax on your stove in your kitchen and leave it there for a while, then come back and report what happens when it hits around 245C.
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Why are you behaving like a child when the highly flammable properties of paraffin are well documented? They don't make candles out of it for no reason. Go ahead and burn your house down, though, but try not to take any innocents with you, mmkay?
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OK, here is the proper PSA for melting paraffin wax:
Paraffin wax is a petroleum product. Helpfully, it's solid at room temperature and melts at a low temperature of around 65C. Like all petroleum products, however, it is flammable when heated to it's flash point, generally around 199C and will catch fire with an ignition source. By flammable we're not talking burning like a candle, we're talking burning like gasoline, aka big flames. Heat it to 245C and it'll autoignite, catch fire without an ignition source.
Yes you can melt it directly on a stove, but it doesn't need to get super hot to reach it's flash point. On an electric stove you might get away with it being above the flash point, as any ignition points are a fair way away from the pot, and the vapor cools down below the flash point. On a gas stove, you may not be so lucky if you vague out and let it get too hot. Safer to melt it in a double boiler, a pan in boiling water, since it can only get to 100C, well below it's flash point,. Another way is to use a heating source that is thermostatically controlled, like a slow cooker or electric skillet, but keeping the skillet turned down.
Paraffin wax is a petroleum product. Helpfully, it's solid at room temperature and melts at a low temperature of around 65C. Like all petroleum products, however, it is flammable when heated to it's flash point, generally around 199C and will catch fire with an ignition source. By flammable we're not talking burning like a candle, we're talking burning like gasoline, aka big flames. Heat it to 245C and it'll autoignite, catch fire without an ignition source.
Yes you can melt it directly on a stove, but it doesn't need to get super hot to reach it's flash point. On an electric stove you might get away with it being above the flash point, as any ignition points are a fair way away from the pot, and the vapor cools down below the flash point. On a gas stove, you may not be so lucky if you vague out and let it get too hot. Safer to melt it in a double boiler, a pan in boiling water, since it can only get to 100C, well below it's flash point,. Another way is to use a heating source that is thermostatically controlled, like a slow cooker or electric skillet, but keeping the skillet turned down.
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#37
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OK, here is the proper PSA for melting paraffin wax:
Paraffin wax is a petroleum product. Helpfully, it's solid at room temperature and melts at a low temperature of around 65C. Like all petroleum products, however, it is flammable when heated to it's flash point, generally around 199C and will catch fire with an ignition source. By flammable we're not talking burning like a candle, we're talking burning like gasoline, aka big flames. Heat it to 245C and it'll autoignite, catch fire without an ignition source.
Yes you can melt it directly on a stove, but it doesn't need to get super hot to reach it's flash point. On an electric stove you might get away with it being above the flash point, as any ignition points are a fair way away from the pot, and the vapor cools down below the flash point. On a gas stove, you may not be so lucky if you vague out and let it get too hot. Safer to melt it in a double boiler, a pan in boiling water, since it can only get to 100C, well below it's flash point,. Another way is to use a heating source that is thermostatically controlled, like a slow cooker or electric skillet, but keeping the skillet turned down.
Paraffin wax is a petroleum product. Helpfully, it's solid at room temperature and melts at a low temperature of around 65C. Like all petroleum products, however, it is flammable when heated to it's flash point, generally around 199C and will catch fire with an ignition source. By flammable we're not talking burning like a candle, we're talking burning like gasoline, aka big flames. Heat it to 245C and it'll autoignite, catch fire without an ignition source.
Yes you can melt it directly on a stove, but it doesn't need to get super hot to reach it's flash point. On an electric stove you might get away with it being above the flash point, as any ignition points are a fair way away from the pot, and the vapor cools down below the flash point. On a gas stove, you may not be so lucky if you vague out and let it get too hot. Safer to melt it in a double boiler, a pan in boiling water, since it can only get to 100C, well below it's flash point,. Another way is to use a heating source that is thermostatically controlled, like a slow cooker or electric skillet, but keeping the skillet turned down.
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I use regular Food-Grade Parafin wax with some teflon powder mixed in. Only get flakes after the first ride, and they brush right off using a soft-bristled paint brush. No build-up on the cassette.
Are you working the freshly waxed chain free before installing it? There is a video with this Aussie fellow demonstrating his waxing technique, and he slides the chain around a wooden knob before installing it. This not only loosens up the chain a little, but it knocks off some of the unneeded bits of wax before the install. He does this at about 16:01 on the video. Here >>>
Are you working the freshly waxed chain free before installing it? There is a video with this Aussie fellow demonstrating his waxing technique, and he slides the chain around a wooden knob before installing it. This not only loosens up the chain a little, but it knocks off some of the unneeded bits of wax before the install. He does this at about 16:01 on the video. Here >>>
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I use regular Food-Grade Parafin wax with some teflon powder mixed in. Only get flakes after the first ride, and they brush right off using a soft-bristled paint brush. No build-up on the cassette.
Are you working the freshly waxed chain free before installing it? There is a video with this Aussie fellow demonstrating his waxing technique, and he slides the chain around a wooden knob before installing it. This not only loosens up the chain a little, but it knocks off some of the unneeded bits of wax before the install. He does this at about 16:01 on the video. Here >>> Chain Waxing
Are you working the freshly waxed chain free before installing it? There is a video with this Aussie fellow demonstrating his waxing technique, and he slides the chain around a wooden knob before installing it. This not only loosens up the chain a little, but it knocks off some of the unneeded bits of wax before the install. He does this at about 16:01 on the video. Here >>> Chain Waxing
#43
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#44
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Yeah, I'm wondering if the removal temp is a part of the problem. MSW says 200°F, and at that temp, you'll get a thin coating and a little bit of drip, but nothing excessive. Breaking the links and running them over a rod/dowel gets rid of a little more and it's really not problematic afterward.
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#48
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So on my last dip I did a wipe down after removing the chain. I think that helped a lot as I would have tons of flakiness after if I don't.
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I have a hook above my crockpot that I hang my chain on. I use a magnet to pull it out, lift it straight up, let it drip, and after it cools for about a minute, I squeegee the wax straight down into the pot. I put the chain on warm, spin the cranks backward a few revolutions, and go ride my bike when it's time.
#50
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no, it’s a liquid wax in an alcohol carrier. When the carrier evaporates, it leaves the wax based lubricant behind. The carrier gets it to wick into the rollers. There’s a lot of information on it on Silca’s website.
But after 2500 miles there is no appreciable wear on the chain using my KMC chain checker. Normally, I replace chains at about 2500 miles. And it’s silent and lasts for easily 200 miles relube at 300m or so. Good stuff.
J.
But after 2500 miles there is no appreciable wear on the chain using my KMC chain checker. Normally, I replace chains at about 2500 miles. And it’s silent and lasts for easily 200 miles relube at 300m or so. Good stuff.
J.