Originally Posted by Cynikal

Google "double boiler". If you go the sauce pan route, make sure you heat it in a pot of water otherwise it could catch fire.

Originally Posted by nlerner

I added powdered PTFE to my wax after reading about its lubrication properties. In terms of longevity, I’m getting around 400 miles for each application.

Originally Posted by ehcoplex

And of course there is the yet unmentioned aesthetic benefit. All the time spent finding, fixing, polishing, maintaining C&V cycles- I want mine to be nice and clean!

For the heck of it, this is my routine with a brand new chain (or one that was previously greased..)- I put the chain into a large, large-mouth jar (I've got a plastic one that originally had some kind of protein powder in it). Fill with enough mineral spirits to cover the chain. Put on the lid and swish it around for a good 3 minutes or so.
Let it sit for a while. Sometimes overnight, and if/when I think of it I swish it around some more. I'm careful not to swish it around for a while before I fish the chain out (especially if I'm stripping an old/dirty chain- I want the grit, etc to stay settled on the bottom). Wipe the chain down, hang it on something.
Pour the mineral spirits into a disposal container (to be later taken to the local dump/transfer station/haz waste disposal). Wipe out the jar well with paper towels. Chain back in, cover with mineral spirits again. Repeat the swishing, sitting. Pull the chain, wipe, hang. This time I pour the mineral spirits into another jar and save it to use next time for the first bath. Wipe out the jar, put the chain back in and repeat the above steps using denatured alcohol- I suspect this may be overkill, but I do it anyway. After the second denatured alcohol bath wipe the chain and hang it to dry out well. Melt my wax mix in the mini-crock pot. Usually I just put the chain in on top of the wax when I turn the pot on. I probably leave the chain in for at least an hour after the wax has melted, giving it an occasional stir. Fish the chain out, wipe it down with paper towels and hang it to cool down. Run the chain back and forth around a secured piece of metal pipe to loosen it up. Make sure the chain is the right length, put it on the bike and ride! (or, put it in a baggie/box and have it at the ready for when I need a clean chain) Seems like a lot of steps/work, but it really isn't too bad. I usually do a couple chains at a time. I usually buy a couple chains at a time, too, when I see them on sale, or if I'm ordering some bike thing and need to add another something to the order to get to the 'free shipping' amount or whatever. gloves & glasses worn when dealing with chemicals!