Final steps when chain cleaning

Michael Slater said:

I think about the only thing you could do would be to run a hair dryer on the chain. Or perhaps if
you let the chain sit out overnight it would mostly evaporate (or rust...)

I know a lot of people who go to a gas station where they have a device to inflate tires. They use
that to dry the chain.

I would move to a drier country after reading what you have to go through when cleaning
the chain ;-)

Greets, Derk

(Michael Slater) said:

I think about the only thing you could do would be to run a hair dryer on the chain. Or perhaps if
you let the chain sit out overnight it would mostly evaporate (or rust...)

So what should I do? and how long to wait after "wiping with rag" to actually spray on the
lubricant?

Keep 2 chains and one can dry while the other is in use.

It would take a long time with a hair dryer. In the oven or in a frying pan might work. If drying
the chain became a regular ritual, I'd rinse in 99% isopropanol (rubbing alcohol). Acetone would
work better but it costs more.

Paul Kopit said:

(Michael Slater) said:

I think about the only thing you could do would be to run a hair dryer on the chain. Or perhaps if
you let the chain sit out overnight it would mostly evaporate (or rust...)

So what should I do? and how long to wait after "wiping with rag" to actually spray on the
lubricant?

Keep 2 chains and one can dry while the other is in use.

It would take a long time with a hair dryer. In the oven or in a frying pan might work.

Yea but he's keeping the chain on his bike. I don't see why it would take so long with a hair dryer.
5 minutes?

Quoted message said:

If drying the chain became a regular ritual, I'd rinse in 99% isopropanol (rubbing alcohol).
Acetone would work better but it costs more.

How does this work? Does that stuff replace the water and then evaporate?

Thanks, Thunder9

(Michael Slater) said:

The thing I've noticed is, "yeah, I can get the moisture off the plates and things, but if you look
in the cracks and crevices, you can see that there is definitely water trapped here and there. All
the rag-wiping in the world isn't going to drain it out.

I think about the only thing you could do would be to run a hair dryer on the chain. Or perhaps if
you let the chain sit out overnight it would mostly evaporate (or rust...)

So what should I do? and how long to wait after "wiping with rag" to actually spray on the
lubricant?

Srpay it down with WD40, that will disperse any moisture left in the chain. Wipe it down, then
apply lube.

G

(Michael Slater) may have said:

Where I'm puzzled is the "drying the chain with a rag" bit, after cleaning/rinsing the chain and
before lubricating it.

The thing I've noticed is, "yeah, I can get the moisture off the plates and things, but if you look
in the cracks and crevices, you can see that there is definitely water trapped here and there. All
the rag-wiping in the world isn't going to drain it out.

No, but there's a good chance that the chain lube will displace the water anyway, removing it from
contact with the metal surfaces. The less water that's present to be displaced, though, the better.

Quoted message said:

I think about the only thing you could do would be to run a hair dryer on the chain. Or perhaps if
you let the chain sit out overnight it would mostly evaporate (or rust...)

I believe that your climate is very similar to where I grew up, in which case it would be more
likely to rust. It would be better to get the lubricant on to the chain right away.

Quoted message said:

So what should I do? and how long to wait after "wiping with rag" to actually spray on the
lubricant?

My advice: Don't wait at all. If your chain lube doesn't displace the moisture that's present when
you're lubricating it, will it really be able to protect the chain while you're riding in wet
conditions?

If you're adventurous, then you may want to try the chain cleaning and lubricating method advocated
by another of the frequent contributors here. He suggests a hot wax dip immediately after using
conventional cleaning methods; heat paraffin wax to slightly more than the boiling point of water,
drop the wet chain in it, wait until the sizzle subsides (which shows that the hot wax has both
removed the water and fully penetrated the chain) and then fish the chain out with a piece of wire.
As soon as the chain cools just enough to be safe to handle (but before the wax has fully hardened)
the chain is reinstalled and the bike is *immediately* ridden, to prevent the chain from freezing in
position due to wax adhesion. This also removes the excess wax. He contends that no additional lube
is needed, and that the chain will pick up less dirt with this method than with regular lube. I have
one bike on which I'm trying his method, and it seems to be working so far, but it hasn't been in
service long enough for me to be able to say for sure. The principal problems with the method lie in
the area of heating the wax without running the risk of igniting it. He suggests doing it in a pan
on the stove; I melted it in a small, covered baking pan in an oven set for about 120C. You must
make sure that you do not approach the flash point of the paraffin, which is at just about 200C, as
it will spontaneously ignite if you do.

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(Thunder9) may have said:

Yea but he's keeping the chain on his bike. I don't see why it would take so long with a hair
dryer. 5 minutes?

If you've ever lived in a climate like that, you know that drying a chain with a hair dryer would be
likely to take on the order of half an hour. Around here, I'd expect the hair dryer to speed the
process only a little; the occluded water in the link joints and rollers has little exposed surface
area, and the links would have to be heated quite a bit before the rate of evaporation would
increase much. Metal absorbs a lot of heat without a lot of temperature change.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If drying the chain became a regular ritual, I'd rinse in 99% isopropanol (rubbing alcohol).
Acetone would work better but it costs more.

How does this work? Does that stuff replace the water and then evaporate?

Water and isopropyl alcohol are soluble in each other; using the alcohol as a rinse replaces most of
the water with the alcohol, which then evaporates rapidly; the remaining amount of water is then
usually so slight that it quickly evaporates as well. I have used this method in other applications.
(I generally use denatured alcohol, though, because it's cheaper.)

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GregR may have said:

(Michael Slater) said:

So what should I do? and how long to wait after "wiping with rag" to actually spray on the
lubricant?

Srpay it down with WD40, that will disperse any moisture left in the chain. Wipe it down, then
apply lube.

WD40 may not be available there. If it is, or if there is an analogous product, it is essential to
ensure that the chain is well lubricated with the proper chain lube before putting it back into
service, as WD40 and its ilk make terrible lubricants. When using WD40 to displace the water (which
is what it's designed to do), I recommend wiping off as much of the excess WD40 as possible and then
heavily applying the chain lube to ensure that it is present on all load-bearing surfaces. (A little
WD40 remaining on the chain appears to help the lube spread and cover the chain, so that does not
seem to be a drawback.)

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"Werehatrack" wrote

Quoted message said:

My advice: Don't wait at all. If your chain lube doesn't displace the moisture that's present when
you're lubricating it, will it really be able to protect the chain while you're riding in wet
conditions?

If you're adventurous, then you may want to try the chain cleaning and lubricating method
advocated by another of the frequent contributors here. He suggests a hot wax dip immediately
after using conventional cleaning methods; heat paraffin wax to slightly more than the boiling
point of water, drop the wet chain in it, wait until the sizzle subsides (which shows that the hot
wax has both removed the water and fully penetrated the chain) and then fish the chain out with a
piece of wire. As soon as the chain cools just enough to be safe to handle (but before the wax has
fully hardened) the chain is reinstalled and the bike is *immediately* ridden, to prevent the
chain from freezing in position due to wax adhesion. This also removes the excess wax. He contends
that no additional lube is needed, and that the chain will pick up less dirt with this method than
with regular lube. I have one bike on which I'm trying his method, and it seems to be working so
far, but it hasn't been in service long enough for me to be able to say for sure. The principal
problems with the method lie in the area of heating the wax without running the risk of igniting
it. He suggests doing it in a pan on the stove; I melted it in a small, covered baking pan in an
oven set for about 120C. You must make sure that you do not approach the flash point of the
paraffin, which is at just about 200C, as it will spontaneously ignite if you do.

I experimented with waxing chains for a while- I found that the safest method of melting the wax was
a double boiler. I would put the wax in a small open can, and put the can in a pot of boiling water.
The boiling water would be hot enough to melt the wax, but a long ways below the flash point of the
paraffin. A second benefit was that the water in the pot would keep the wax hot and molten for a
good while after I took it off the stove, allowing better penetration of the wax into the chain.
This used to be a popular method of cleaning and lubing chains, especially in wet climates. Opinions
vary as to whether additional lube is needed; I've seen bike chain specific waxes on the market, and
heard reports of people blending lubes into the wax.

Lately I've been removing the chain from the bike, dunking it in citrus degreaser (or automotive
Simple Green), wiping it dry, and lubing it and putting it back on the bike. Would combining this
with waxing the chain be appropriate in a humid climate?
--
mark

draco.acs.uci.edu8d.2.htmlOpen ↗

--
Robin Hubert <[email hidden]>

"Michael Slater" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I ride a Trek Liquid 20 in Singapore. That means inordinate amounts of mud and water.

I've been wondering about the cleaning and lubricating process.

I end up doing things the way Park Tools advocates...
parktool.comCM5.shtmlOpen ↗

Where I'm puzzled is the "drying the chain with a rag" bit, after cleaning/rinsing the chain and
before lubricating it.

The thing I've noticed is, "yeah, I can get the moisture off the plates and things, but if you
look in the cracks and crevices, you can see that there is definitely water trapped here and
there. All the rag-wiping in the world isn't going to drain it out.

I think about the only thing you could do would be to run a hair dryer on the chain. Or perhaps if
you let the chain sit out overnight it would mostly evaporate (or rust...)

So what should I do? and how long to wait after "wiping with rag" to actually spray on the
lubricant?

mark' may have said:

I experimented with waxing chains for a while- I found that the safest method of melting the wax
was a double boiler. I would put the wax in a small open can, and put the can in a pot of boiling
water. The boiling water would be hot enough to melt the wax, but a long ways below the flash point
of the paraffin.

This also keeps the temp of the wax just below the boiling point of water, though, and part of what
I was trying to accomplish was to use the vaporization of the water to drive out all the moisture
and carry any small amount of remaining crud with it; sort of an instant steam-cleaning. The flash
point of the wax is at 200C (395F), so heating it in the oven at 250F seemed to be a reasonable
procedure, and in fact presents no apparent major hazard as long as the pan is handled with due care
and the oven is turned off when the pan is being moved. (The latter is simply a safety precaution; I
have a gas oven.)

Quoted message said:

Lately I've been removing the chain from the bike, dunking it in citrus degreaser (or automotive
Simple Green), wiping it dry, and lubing it and putting it back on the bike. Would combining this
with waxing the chain be appropriate in a humid climate?

That's similar to what I've done with one of mine; I used an automotive degreaser, then
pressure-washed the chain, and then waxed
it. This is a wet climate by some people's reckoning[1], but I seldom ride in the wet since I don't
have fenders on any of my bikes yet. I just waxed that chain a week or two ago, so I'm not
ready to pronounce the experiment either a success or a disappointment just yet. So far,
though, it's working, and if it turns out to be less effective than I'd like, I doubt that the
presence of the wax will interfere with simply relubricating the chain conventionally. Ergo,
there appears to be no *drawback* to using the wax.

There's a bike shop nearby that rents units for people to ride on the bike trails in the large city
park that's close to them. I may stop in and ask them what they use for lube on their fleet, since
those trails get muddy when it rains and they're sandy and dusty when it's dry.

[1] I don't consider Houston particularly wet, but then, I grew up in Miami, where there's
probably three times as much rain. I get the strangest looks when I tell folks that I moved
here for the cool, dry climate and the presence of four distinct seasons...but that's the way
it seems to me.

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Werehatrack:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If drying the chain became a regular ritual, I'd rinse in 99% isopropanol (rubbing alcohol).
Acetone would work better but it costs more.

How does this work? Does that stuff replace the water and then evaporate?

Water and isopropyl alcohol are soluble in each other; using the alcohol as a rinse replaces most
of the water with the alcohol, which then evaporates rapidly; the remaining amount of water is
then usually so slight that it quickly evaporates as well. I have used this method in other
applications. (I generally use denatured alcohol, though, because it's cheaper.)

It's more than that: alcohol is hydrophilic, which means it readily absorbs water. When alcohol
evaporates, it takes the water with it. That's why skin becomes dry after having alcohol
evaporate on it.

(Thunder9) said:

Yea but he's keeping the chain on his bike. I don't see why it would take so long with a hair
dryer. 5 minutes?

Quoted message said:

If drying the chain became a regular ritual, I'd rinse in 99% isopropanol (rubbing alcohol).
Acetone would work better but it costs more.

How does this work? Does that stuff replace the water and then evaporate?

In order to boil water, which has to be done to get the water out of the innerpart of the chain and
also get rid of surface moisture, takes more than 212 degrees for a while. The outside of the chain
will get dry but not the inside.

Water is soluble in ispropanol and acetone. You are solvent washing the water out with a volatile
solvent that is also oil soluble. You could likely do the water removal with a lot of WD2 sprayed on
chain and then wiped off.

mark said:

I experimented with waxing chains for a while- I found that the safest method of melting the wax
was a double boiler.

Not hot enough to displace water. An electric frying pan and about 300 degrees works great. Do it
outside. Deep fry the chain don't boil it.

Do you have access to an air compressor? you could try spraying it out.

May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear for the hills! Chris

Chris'Z Corner "The Website for the Common Bicyclist": geocities.comczcornerOpen ↗

[email hidden] (Werehatrack) misinterpreted:

Quoted message said:

He suggests doing it in a pan on the stove; I melted it in a small, covered baking pan in an oven
set for about
120C. You must make sure that you do not approach the flash point of the paraffin, which is at just
about 200C, as it will spontaneously ignite if you do.

WOAH! I never said that! I suggest using a small electric skillet set at about 250=BA OR if you
don't have one, a double boiler. The skillet method is, obviously, much safer.

That way the wax never get's near it's flash point of around 350-375=BA. NEVER heat wax directly
over the stove, unless it's under constant surveillance and you have a fire extinguisher handy, just
in case. It's no less dangerous than boiling oil when it gets thast hot!

May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear for the hills! Chris

Chris'Z Corner "The Website for the Common Bicyclist": geocities.comczcornerOpen ↗

On Sun, 27 Jul 2003 16:03:53 -0400 (EDT), [email hidden] (Chris Zacho "The Wheelman"😉 may

have said:

[email hidden] (Werehatrack) misinterpreted:

Quoted message said:

He suggests doing it in a pan on the stove; I melted it in a small, covered baking pan in an oven
set for about
120C. You must make sure that you do not approach the flash point of the paraffin, which is at
just about 200C, as it will spontaneously ignite if you do.

WOAH! I never said that! I suggest using a small electric skillet set at about 250º OR if you don't
have one, a double boiler. The skillet method is, obviously, much safer.

That way the wax never get's near it's flash point of around 350-375º. NEVER heat wax directly over
the stove, unless it's under constant surveillance and you have a fire extinguisher handy, just in
case. It's no less dangerous than boiling oil when it gets thast hot!

Sorry; to me, a double boiler is still a pan on the stove, although you're 100% correct that at
least it's a *safe* method. Just not fully effecive. With an electric stove set on a fairly low heat
level, with a meat thermometer to check the temp of the wax, though, a pan on the stove is probably
as safe as an electric skillet; the principal advantage of the latter would be the ability to do the
heating outside, in the driveway, away from other combustibles. Hmmm. Now that I think about it,
they've had electric frying pans and the occasional electric deep fryer (now, *there* is an idea!)
at Goodwill regularly for about $5...

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Werehatrack said:

say for sure. The principal problems with the method lie in the area of heating the wax without
running the risk of igniting it. He

Easy, if you care to apply some money to the problem. Get the machine whose purpose is specifically
to heat that wax without igniting it. These can be gotten at any beauty-supply store. My girlfriend
is a manicurist and has such a machine.

The wax may be cheaper from a hardware store than from the beauty store, but hey...wouldn't you want
a floral or lemon scented chain on your bike? 😉

--
Rick Onanian

Rick Onanian may have said:

Werehatrack said:

say for sure. The principal problems with the method lie in the area of heating the wax without
running the risk of igniting it. He

Easy, if you care to apply some money to the problem. Get the machine whose purpose is specifically
to heat that wax without igniting it. These can be gotten at any beauty-supply store. My girlfriend
is a manicurist and has such a machine.

The wax may be cheaper from a hardware store than from the beauty store, but hey...wouldn't you
want a floral or lemon scented chain on your bike? 😉

And no unsightly chain hair, either!

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[email hidden] (TBGibb) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] (Thunder9) writes:

Quoted message said:

Alcohol and water combine to form a mixture (I think it's called an azotropic mixture) that
evaporates more easily than the water does. I little fact of physical chemistry that bedevils
alcohol distilation.

<pendantic mode>

It's actually an azeotropic mixture.

</pedantic mode>

Quoted message said:

Tom Gibb <[email hidden]