papaki72

Has anyone tried adding own stuff to ordinary wet oils in order to improve performance? Would it make any sense adding PTFE or MoS2 in a wet oil, or that would be a really stupid idea?

Schweinhund

Ever heard of Chain-L? wot about wd-40? teflube? Someone invented all of those. The Chain-L inventor is one of the guys here.

soyabean

Making a cocktail out of existing stuff can be a good idea if someone knows what they are doing.

But I am no chemist, I'm not going to ultrasonic my chain daily just to experiment what might be better than my off the shelf lubes.

An easy one is diesel fuel for those that want a bulk cheap solvent/lube. It's a main component of many spray oils without costing $10 a can.

easyupbug 

A zillion threads on this site you can research.
Chain L was my go to but can't find it anymore so have gone back to my old homebrew of 50/50 chainsaw bar and chain oil and OMS until I can find it again.
The OMS delutes so the heavy sticky 30 weight oil penetrates into the chain and then evaporates.

Pop N Wood

Yeah, countless homebrews can be found here. Seems to be a bit of a religion to some.

Whether they work better than commercial products is for the user to decide.

Iride01 

What performance are we improving? Speed? Longevity of the part? How long the lube lubes? How soon this thread will become popcorn for all?

Crankycrank

Order direct from the man himself. Chain-L Lube Buy Now

easyupbug 

Thanks Crankycrank, I always like to support our local Fair Wheels Bikes when I can but free shipping and same $12 is sweet.

awac

PTFE- Should you use it? Have a look on green oils website, and just a couple of random websites talking about ptfe/teflon/pfas

Personally, I have been around mechanical things all my life, bicycles, motorbikes, cars, trucks, heavy plant and never gave it the serious thought until 15-20 years ago, now I think it is wrong and I use the eco alternative wherever I can, and if one is not available I will try and rethink what I am doing. A bicycle should be as green as it can be, look for alternatives.

https://www.green-oil.net/pollution.html

https://www.theguardian.com/environm...become-exposed

https://www.unsustainablemagazine.co...flon-and-ptfe/

SkinGriz

How many KM a year do you ride? Some forum members ride thousands. I think for them the whole chain wax thing probably makes sense.

For more casual riders (like me) here’s the next chain lube idea I have.

Next time I change the car oil I’ll keep maybe a quart of the used oil. If one of the chains needs clean and lube I will just drop it into the used oil. Shake it a little. Enough gasoline blow by the rings that I have a solvent to clean the chain. Enough oil that I have a lube. Wipe well with a rag and reinstall.

If that option feels “draggy” the culprit is probably gummed up jockey wheels or something else.
I really don’t think additives will make any noticeable improvement.

maddog34

this is made to mix with motor oils... i use it in all my engines...now.. add up how much you spend extending the life of that bicycle chain,.. include at least minimum wage for the time consumed ...conclusion: BUY A NEW CHAIN MORE OFTEN, and QUIT WASTING TIME AND MONEY..
or spend a dollar to save a dime... your choice.

https://www.autozone.com/motor-oil-a...e1d010bb4235d8

Camilo

The only question is why? Do not the readily available products work for the simple task at hand? It's not a Formula 1 racer or space vehicle. It's a bicycle chain.

And other than just wanting to futz around, why would anyone think a layperson - even, say, a chemist - be able to (1) determine what sort of "additives" could possibly have an effect (on what I might add), and (2), measure those results. Again, what results.

Spend your extra time learning an instrument or riding more.

Camilo

Chain-L Lube Buy Now

No need to do that anymore, but if you do, think about using hypoid gear oil instead of bar oil, at least that's what it seems to me that Chain-L is based on (by smell). I'd be interested in hearing if you try that and how it works for a home brew. I've used home brew from regular motor oil in the past. Frankly, it works fine too. I won't claim "lube is lube" but the only bad lube is one that isn't used. All others - iMHO, of course, without scientific testing - are shades of "just fine".

I have used Chain-L and still have a classic bottle that says Chain-L Number 5. It's great stuff, tenacious and long lasting. He sent me a couple of small sample vials way back when and I've shared them with friends who liked it too. I don't use it anymore - or any other oil based lube - because we put our bikes in and out of the vehicle every time we ride and the drip wax we use is "tidier" and works well enough for the fair weather riding we do. I still use my remaining Chain-L stock on my mountain bike which I don't ride very often.

I also use a few drops of Chain L here and there to lube things on the bike and elsewhere that I think could use something heavier duty and "clingier" than oil but not as thick as grease.

KerryIrons

No, it doesn't. Wax only lasts about 100 miles so I would need to rewax 3X per week. And it is not much good in wet weather. Waxing bike chains is a fetish, not a solution. With all the modern chain lubes available, wax offers no benefit but does waste your time.

easyupbug 

Camilo, I did use some left over 80w hypoid gear oil which is close to the viscosity of 30w motor oils back when changing out a couple of differentials figuring as it is made for keeping the oil on surfaces under extreme high pressures it would be better for the chains but I have too many bikes and hate record keeping to judge something like that. My wife has a good nose so will ask her to smell the Chain L when it gets here and compare to hypoid.

maddog34

Hypoid Stinks, Literally... your bike will reek like an old truck on a hot day in August...
I use Maxima Chain Wax, comes in a large aerosol can for easy application, pin penetration is excellent, and it smells much like apple pie.

Will this chainlube thread hit 100 posts? Will someone grow a wart on their nose as they stir their Cauldron of Secret Mystery Mix? (Cue Wolf Howl with reverb)... Will anyone realize that all this has been discussed Dozens of times in the past? Only the Shadow knows for sure !

papaki72

Damn! It seems that I am left with some 300 grams of each. I used to wax my chains (two in rotation), but I no longer feel like getting in the trouble for this. I am using the Synergetic oil and things are o.k. with it. It is not as silent as with the chain waxed, but it does a really good job. Then it crossed my mind the apparently silly idea of using the leftover PTFE and the MoS2 in some budget oil just like that Tungsten additive in the Synergetic.
Should these two be safely disposed? How long can they be kept just in case I feel like waxing chains again?
(Note that I do not care for the technical aspects of it. My concern is if these could be put is some good use like to improve any of the humble ordinary cheapo oils I have.)

pdlamb

Perhaps you can explain to me, without sending me down a rabbit hole of random websites, why a class of chemicals used for decades because they didn't react with anything (except at very very high temperatures) is now suspected of reacting in, and causing damage to, living cells at near-ambient conditions? Keep it to 50 words or less, please. And I'm not intimidated by chemical terms.

Black wallnut 

Bad idea. Motor oils are made to hold impurities in suspension. Saving what drains out of your crankcase for reuse on a bike chain likely shortens the life of the bike chain.

squirtdad

waste of time and money

Just buy bike specific lube that matches your need, wet, dry, etc.

pdlamb

Well, everyone needs a hobby. Some of us ride bikes, for instance.

But since Phil Wood and Francis (Chain-L) pretty well defined "optimum" for wet weather chain lubes, and a plethora of outfits have staked out the same for wax/dry lubes, I'm not sure what market is left if someone wants to develop a new and improved chain lube. Just pfutzing is still available, of course.

ljsense

Speaking of homebrews, I once read that if you want the best penetrating oil to help free a steel bolt or nut, you should mix automatic transmission fluid (ATF) with acetone in equal proportions. In tests, it's much more effective than WD-40, Liquid Wrench, PB Blaster, and other similar commercial products.

SkinGriz

Use up what you have and don’t worry about the little details.

I think that’s the big picture of chain lube.

awac

Profit (P.s. I am intimidated by chemical terms, too old and mechanical…I shudder to think how much PTFE I have inside me).

https://www.greenlivingtips.com/arti...-cookware.html

“The warning signs relating to PFCs actually started appearing as early as the 1970’s and many other studies have been carried out since then to now; all sounding alarms about these substances. It really makes me wonder why DuPont would continue with production knowing all this. Well, it doesn’t really. It’s all about shareholders and profits; focus on the short term buck and future generations be damned. As for government; big business runs it – and DuPont is huge.”


Ptfe does what it does very well. Why change that if you are making buckets of cash?

We now know chain smoking is in fact not beneficial to health, and we always need to reassess as we gain more knowledge that what we thought is not once what it was…..

These kind of corporations are run by old men who will die before the planet chokes, so it don’t matter to them does it? VW emission's scandal proves a point or what about the Tuskegee experiment (began in 1932, finished in 1973)! These examples show the depths people will go against their fellow man.

Camilo

Since I posted kind of pooh-poohing the idea, I will say I agree - if anyone wants to just mess around for the fun and interest of it, more power to them. For me, this hobby involves a lot of things that really aren't justified in terms of money or even time. Except I enjoy spending the time learning and doing. Experimenting with oil is not one of them, but big deal.