kaiserschmarrn

Has anyone used the Park Tool Chain Gang Chain Cleaner? I just got it, then used it for the first time. It seems to work well enough, but the cleaning fluid was giving me a fit.

The instructions said to run it 30 pedal revolutions, empty and clean the unit, then run 30 more revolutions. After that you are supposed to dry the chain, then lube the chain. Well, I kept running the chain through a Terry Cloth Towel, and it has so far not really dried. It was splashing thin black cleaning fluid onto the frame. It has SLOWLY subsided, but I am afraid if I lube the chain, it will be way too wet. The cleaning fluid seems to be water based and not a rapid evaporative cleaner. This is probably due in large part to the plastic construction of the tool. Is it possible that the instructions are wrong and the cleaning fluid also has lubricant in it?

Danny

sch

From the MSDS on the parktool.com site: https://www.parktool.com/assets/doc/...t/CB-4_SDS.pdf the major component
is 2-propanol in ~5% concentration probably in water but not explicitly stated. FWIW 2-propanol is commonly sold as rubbing
alcohol in 70-90% concentration in water, though with covid it can be hard to find. Since 5% IPA seems like an unlikely grease
solvent if aqueous, there may be some detergent in there but such should be mentioned in the MSDS. There is a second
ingredient listed which is likely the real solvent [ 1-(2-butoxy-1-methylethoxyl) ] also in <5%. Both of these are water soluble.

Whatever, it is highly doubtful there is any lube in the cleaning solution. You could put a drop on glass and let it evaporate over
several hours and see what residue remains to check this out. Lube would not evaporate but the 2-propanol and water will.
Put a drop of water nearby as a check, when water is gone, then your cleaner should only have residue left.

My approach with the Park chain cleaner is first run with simple green undiluted, second run with same, third run with 50%
SG and water then water rinse til the water is clear-usually takes 3-4 rinses. Wipe chain off and put bike out in sun to dry
chain. Is chain perfectly clean, visibly yes but not to paper towel wipe. Once dry then lube of choice.

Andrew R Stewart 

When drying chains after cleaning time and temp are your friends. Chains have a lot of inside area and a lack of gaps to allow solvent to flush away grime and to allow quick drying out. Many times after what I thought was a good cleaning the fresh lube has become discolored before the first ride, from remaining grime. That the chain cleaning boxes have so little solvent in them makes the results no surprise. But a nearly clean chain is far better then a chain which has had the grime pushed inwards from a wipe off after lubing (and thus the outsides look nice).

dsbrantjr

When I use a water-based cleaner, I dry my chain by putting it into a 250F oven on an aluminum pan (no longer used for cooking!) for 30 minutes. This ensures that the water which is in the tiny crevices of the chain has vaporized. When I use a Chain Gang-type cleaner I change the cleaner until it stops getting discolored then rinse with several changes of rinse water and pop it into the oven.

davidad

I gave up on mine years ago and first used mineral spirits in an old Ragu plastic jar and shook it. Then rinsed it a few times with water, dried it and lubed the chain on the bike. Now I have an ultrasonic cleaner and it does the best job of removing the internal grit. I go 800 mile and repeat.

bikeme

I love my Park chain cleaner. I towel the chain after it, then shoot it with an air nozzle to get all the cleaner off. Warm, sunny days help dry it off. Once the Park cleaner with the kit ran out, I started using full strength Simple Green lemon (it was what I had in the garage). I used it the same way as the Park stuff with good results and less $ spent. Lube once it's dried off.