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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Sin City, Nevada
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Bikes: Catrike 700, Greenspeed GTO trike, , Linear LWB recumbent, Haluzak Horizon SWB recumbent, Balance 450 MTB, Cannondale SM800 Beast of the East
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A chemistry lesson for those who slept through, failed, or never took chemistry in their life:
Naptha is an old name for a hydrocarbon mixture made these days from petroleum. It is the same as paint thinner sold in stores today. It does not mix with water so do not use a mixture of water and naptha to clean your chain. Lubricants are long chain hydrocarbons so they dissolve easily in naptha or any other more volatile hydrocarbons. They do not dissolve in water readily unless you use a very strong soap solution, I've used cheap degreaser from the dollar store to clean chains followed by rinsing the chain with water and using pressurized air to blow out the crap. It removes a lot of grit and the lubricant. Hang it out to dry in the sun. I don't like the exposure to flammable solvents if I can help it.
Skip the use of denatured alcohol. It's expensive and a very poor solvent for hydrocarbons so doesn't work well on grease.