Originally Posted by
Vinnems
This is why I'm really interested in doing waxing now. I've been using liquid lube that, every once in a while, I will take the chain off and and do a deep clean in the ultrasonic to get all the built up gritty junk out, which on these Los Angeles roads, can really build up. But with wax, it sounds like it is a protective cover of the chain at the same time.
Hot wax is dry (the chain will be dry to the touch just like a candle is) and therefore does not attract dirt that creates a grinding paste that works its way in. If it gets really dusty, then it just makes sense to wipe the chain with a cloth just to cut down the amount of little particles that come into the wax pot over time. This just serves to extend the period of time a pot of wax lasts before it is time to throw it out and start with a new batch.
You can modulate how much wax is on the outside of the chain by either pulling it out hot (this is what I do to minimise flaking) or by re-dipping it when the wax has cooled a bit, to build up a layer on the outside. The latter can keep the drivetrain quieter for a bit, but it is a bit of a pain to break the links before installing, and most of it will certainly flake off over time anyway, and I do not think that it necessarily assists in keeping the chain cleaner on the outside. If anything, a minimally coated, hot pulled chain has a less flakey surface with fewer nooks for anything to stick to.
You will certainly be able to skip all the deep cleans by resetting the chain with each wax flush. It's going to be quite obvious every time you see how pristine the chain appears under the drying wax when you pull it out.
Originally Posted by
DaveSSS
In reality, there's plenty of grit sitting inside a waxed chain by the time it needs rewaxing and dipping it in more molten wax doesn't remove it, it just covers it up. Brittle paraffin falls off fairly quickly.
That does not align with my experience at all. If you bring the wax up to a good heat (let's say slightly above 90C) and let the chain sit in there for a while, the wax is very liquid and swishing the equally hot chain around in the pot will quite obviously agitate and flush each link completely. There is no physical reason for anything to stick to the inside metal surfaces when the wax flushes through. There is no way for any part of the wax inside the chain to remain solid and to be 'covered up' with more wax. Further, I have shaken up everything from oil lubed, drip wax lubed and dry hot waxed chains in solvents and the amount of blackness and black grit that comes out of the former two, requiring multiple rinses, versus a waxed chain, is night and day, not remotely comparable.