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Chain waxing. How to avoid the flaky mess?

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Chain waxing. How to avoid the flaky mess?

Old 08-24-20, 12:33 PM
  #26  
Maelochs
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I can't avoid the flaky mess, I'm married to her .......... <rimshot>
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Old 09-03-20, 01:21 AM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by Trevtassie
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.
are you confusing paraffin wax with napalm , i have spilled it on open flame and got nothing more than a crackle and some smoke , are you eating those mushrooms that grow on the side of the road when you imagine this delusional fire hazard LOLOL
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Old 09-03-20, 01:50 AM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by Toespeas
are you confusing paraffin wax with napalm , i have spilled it on open flame and got nothing more than a crackle and some smoke , are you eating those mushrooms that grow on the side of the road when you imagine this delusional fire hazard LOLOL
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.
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Old 09-03-20, 10:34 AM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by InvertedMP
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?
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.
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Old 09-04-20, 01:29 AM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by eduskator
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.
I use chain wax because I can get 1000 miles on a dry tour and 600 miles if it rains a bit, before I need to oil the chain. But that kind of wax is slightly sticky and very, very black.
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Old 09-04-20, 11:27 AM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by deepakvrao
It just gets there on the first ride, and falls off on it's own.
^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.
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Old 09-05-20, 05:26 AM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by Trevtassie
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.
pip pip my good lad , i know a thing or two about a thing or too , you know nothing of my know somethings , cheerio !!!
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Old 09-05-20, 05:35 AM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by Toespeas
pip pip my good lad , i know a thing or two about a thing or too , you know nothing of my know somethings , cheerio !!!
Nope, but I can fill in the blank spaces....
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Old 09-05-20, 06:23 AM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by Toespeas
pip pip my good lad , i know a thing or two about a thing or too , you know nothing of my know somethings , cheerio !!!
Actually, we do. What you’re advocating is needlessly dangerous and it’s not funny.

J.
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Old 09-05-20, 06:51 AM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by Toespeas
pip pip my good lad , i know a thing or two about a thing or too , you know nothing of my know somethings , cheerio !!!
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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Old 09-05-20, 08:44 AM
  #36  
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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.
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Old 09-05-20, 09:10 AM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by Trevtassie
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.
Well done. Exactly right. Melting paraffin on a burner, especially gas, is highly dangerous. If you’ve ever seen a house fire from ignition, you know just how little time between a small fire and fully involved and how the propensity for personal injury escalates so rapidly.
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Old 09-05-20, 01:11 PM
  #38  
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It melts in the sun and makes spots on my driveway :-(
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Old 09-14-20, 08:21 AM
  #39  
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its not dangerous by golly i do say , you lads are acting like a bunch of silly nannies , bugger off !!!!!
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Old 09-14-20, 08:53 AM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by JohnJ80
After that, you can use the liquid to put a drop on each link every 200-300miles for a perfectly lubed and quiet chain.
You are using oil with a waxed chain?
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Old 09-14-20, 04:06 PM
  #41  
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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 >>>

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Old 09-15-20, 08:11 AM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by Eddy_G
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
I'm thinking some of these commercial wax solutions have additives that make things "gummy"....not the same as Paraffin/PTFE home solution.
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Old 09-15-20, 08:17 AM
  #43  
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Softeners. My current choice for softening my wax blend is Mr. Zogs, because they're cheap, I have entirely too many on hand, and they make my workshop smell like pina colada on chain waxing day.
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Old 09-15-20, 03:06 PM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by WhyFi
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.
You have to leave it in the hot wax until the chain is the same 200 degrees. Be EXTREMELY careful while removing and hanging it overhead on a hook to drain and cool. At this temperature with hot wax on it it is both very slippery and can burn your hands. Remember that the wax is so thin when everything is at the same temperature that the surface coating is very thin. If you're using a hot pot to nelt the wax and teflon powder you can watch the small bubbles coming off of the chain as the hot wax penetrates into the rollers. Again, this WILL burn your hands if you're not careful. The surface wax comes off fairly rapidly and usually blows away in the wind because it is like fairly dust. It isn't heavy enough to leave any residue on the cassette. But I find that although it is the very best, that you have to rewax really often so I use things like Pedros Icewax or Park Tool CL-1 and allow it to dry overnight.. This isn't quite as clean but it lasts a great deal longer.
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Old 09-15-20, 03:17 PM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by RiceAWay
You have to leave it in the hot wax until the chain is the same 200 degrees.
Yup. I usually batch-wax and popping a chain in to a 200° tub will usually make the temp dip a good 10-15°; 5 minutes or so usually gets it back up to temp.
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Old 09-15-20, 11:40 PM
  #46  
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Just use chain lube which performs as well, or better, without all the twee fiddling around.
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Old 09-16-20, 06:42 AM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by rebel1916
Just use chain lube which performs as well, or better, without all the twee fiddling around.
I'll pass, but you're welcome to continue wasting more time than you need to on an inferior method.
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Old 09-16-20, 07:08 AM
  #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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Old 09-16-20, 07:38 AM
  #49  
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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.
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Old 09-18-20, 09:52 AM
  #50  
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Originally Posted by jadocs
You are using oil with a waxed chain?
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.
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