Air in the bearings

Quoted message said:

If you use a canning jar with a plastic air nozzle in the
lid, and attach a air pump with vacuum side, inexpensive
inflator/deflator type, not lab quality. Elevate the
chain from the bottom of the jar on wire or some such
solvent proof rack, apply and release the VACUM several
times. You will see the millions of tiny bubbles froth
forth. Each time the solvent is penetrating deeper. I
recommend letting the gunk settle between sessions so
that you can observe the process, or you can change the
solvent each time.

Dry the chain, place back in the now empty clean jar, and
reapply the vacuum. More solvent will come out.

Once you pull a vacuum, I would expect some of the solvent
to evaporate and go into your pump. Those solvents will
probably trash your vacuum pump in short order. The solvents
will certainly clean out the lubricant in the vacuum pump.
If you frequently change the oil in your vacuum pump, you
might get away with this without ruining the pump.

At any rate, it sure seems like a lot of fuss for a chain.
Especially if you have to change the oil in the pump every
time you clean a chain.

--
Dave dvt at psu dot edu

When would you ever get to ride your bike?
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Cleaning and lubricating bicycle chain:

The entrapment of gunk between the bearing surfaces is
because air bubbles prevent the solvent from reaching ALL
the surfaces. Agitation will assist, but only partially.
If you use a canning jar with a plastic air nozzle in the
lid, and attach a air pump with vacuum side, inexpensive
inflator/deflator type, not lab quality. Elevate the chain
from the bottom of the jar on wire or some such solvent
proof rack, apply and release the VACUM several times. You
will see the millions of tiny bubbles froth

forth.

Quoted message said:

Each time the solvent is penetrating deeper. I
recommend letting the gunk settle between sessions so
that you can observe the process, or you can change the
solvent each time.

Dry the chain, place back in the now empty clean jar, and
reapply the vacuum. More solvent will come out.

Dry the chain again. Clean the jar again.

Put lubricant in the jar, and repeat the process. This
time the lubricant will penetrate deep into the bearing
surfaces, replacing the air which is pumped out. When no
more bubbles are produced by the vacuum, your chain is
ready for a wipe and use.

I cross posted this because the thread has been on all
cycle news groups. javaloop

If you want a clean chain in short time, the easiest by far would be to use a sonicator, A.K.A. ultrasonic parts cleaner. These are in vogue for cleaning jewelry but used commercial units can be found for discount. You don't need heated cleaning.

Put the chain in a Tupperware/Rubbremaid container with a subber mat on the bottom. Cover it with low odor paint thinnner and snap the lid shut. Float the container in the water of the sonicator and hit it for 15 minutes. The gunk will fall off from even inside the chain, settling under the rubber mat. Remove the chain, decant the solvent and recover it for the next cleaning.

On Fri, 25 Jun 2004 10:21:08 GMT, [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Cleaning and lubricating bicycle chain:

The entrapment of gunk between the bearing surfaces is
because air bubbles prevent the solvent from reaching ALL
the surfaces. Agitation will assist, but only partially. If
you use a canning jar with a plastic air nozzle in the lid,
and attach a air pump with vacuum side, inexpensive
inflator/deflator type, not lab quality. Elevate the chain
from the bottom of the jar on wire or some such solvent
proof rack, apply and release the VACUM several times. You
will see the millions of tiny bubbles froth forth. Each
time the solvent is penetrating deeper. I recommend letting
the gunk settle between sessions so that you can observe
the process, or you can change the solvent each time.

Dry the chain, place back in the now empty clean jar, and
reapply the vacuum. More solvent will come out.

Dry the chain again. Clean the jar again.

Put lubricant in the jar, and repeat the process. This time
the lubricant will penetrate deep into the bearing
surfaces, replacing the air which is pumped out. When no
more bubbles are produced by the vacuum, your chain is
ready for a wipe and use.

I cross posted this because the thread has been on all
cycle news groups. javaloop

Dear Javaloop,

I love it.

This vacuum and bubble business explains why the chains of
bicycles last so long when ridden on the moon, despite the
extremely dusty lunar conditions--there's no air to
interfere with proper lubrication.

Carl Fogel

Quoted message said:

Cleaning and lubricating bicycle chain:

Man I love these obsessive chain clean/lube threads. I
truley enjoy reading the lengths people will go to remove
the slightest evidence of grime or dirt. I've got to wonder
at the time and expense people will go through to clean what
is essentially a consumable item on a bicycle. Good Lord --
canning jars, solvents, insoluable racks, repeated cycles of
air removal, you'd think it was a freakin' space shuttle pre-
flight and not a $20.00 bicycle chain!

I love 'em all, but this one is right at the top.

Tom

<[email hidden]> wrote: (clip)This vacuum and bubble
business explains why the chains of bicycles last so long
when ridden on the moon,
(clip)^^^^^^^^^^^^ That could be part of it, but be careful
not to overgeneralize. Due to the low gravity, every
component is less stressed. Therefore, the chain
tension is lower for the same performance--hence
longer chain life. I have not ridden on the moon, so I
am willing to listen to the wisdom of others who have.

Leo Lichtman said:

<[email hidden]> wrote: (clip)This vacuum and bubble
business explains why the chains of bicycles last so long
when ridden on the moon,
(clip)^^^^^^^^^^^^ That could be part of it, but be careful
not to overgeneralize. Due to the low gravity, every
component is less stressed. Therefore, the chain
tension is lower for the same performance--hence
longer chain life. I have not ridden on the moon, so
I am willing to listen to the wisdom of others who
have.

Dear Leo,

Hmm . . . let's consider the practical physics of lunar
chain life.

When riding along a typical level road on the moon, gravity
is almost inconsequential. The initial resistance before you
reach cruising speed (where the rolling resistance is
balanced by your pedalling) is due to the unchanging mass of
the bicycle and rider, not the variable gravitational field.

This is why astronauts happilly floating around in zero-g
conditions can still hurt themselves quite badly if they
leap "forward" at a wall--they hit it with the same force
that they would on earth. There's just no noticeable force
pulling them toward any "floor."

It is also why drag racers achieve the same speeds on the
moon as they do on earth--most of what they're doing is
accelerating the same mass horizontally.

(The loss in traction--how hard gravity presses the
dragster's tires against the moon's surface--is offset by
the reduction in wind drag.)

I therefore conclude that bicycle chains last longer on the
moon chiefly because of the reduced wind drag, not because
of the lower gravity.

After all, while it is easier (less tension) to pedal uphill
at a normal speed on the moon because of lower gravity, it
is harder (more tension) to pedal downhill at a normal speed
because gravity isn't helping much.

On the other hand, wax lubricants become more attractive
because they don't wash away in the infrequent lunar
rainstorms.

Tom Swift, Jr.

<carlfogel wrote: (clip) Hmm . . . let's consider the
practical physics of lunar chain life. (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^
Thank you for the additional informed insights. If my
remarks have stimulated you and others to to give this
question more thought, I have achieved my goal.

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

Quoted message said:

Cleaning and lubricating bicycle chain:

The entrapment of gunk between the bearing surfaces is
because air bubbles prevent the solvent from reaching ALL
the surfaces. Agitation will assist, but only partially.
If you use a canning jar with a plastic air nozzle in the
lid, and attach a air pump with vacuum side, inexpensive
inflator/deflator type, not lab quality. Elevate the
chain from the bottom of the jar on wire or some such
solvent proof rack, apply and release the VACUM several
times. You will see the millions of tiny bubbles froth
forth. Each time the solvent is penetrating deeper. I
recommend letting the gunk settle between sessions so
that you can observe the process, or you can change the
solvent each time.

It's much easier just to shake it.

Quoted message said:

Dry the chain, place back in the now empty clean jar, and
reapply the vacuum. More solvent will come out.

Dry the chain again. Clean the jar again.

It's much easier to dry the chain by swinging it
around outdoors.

Quoted message said:

Put lubricant in the jar, and repeat the process. This
time the lubricant will penetrate deep into the bearing
surfaces, replacing the air which is pumped out. When no
more bubbles are produced by the vacuum, your chain is
ready for a wipe and use.

Lubricant will penetrate due to capillary action to all
surfaces, you only want a film after all. Any more will
just ooze and drip off the chain. Sucking the bubbles out
just means you've got more lube on your rags/floor than
your chain.

Quoted message said:

I cross posted this because the thread has been on all
cycle news groups. javaloop

That makes no sense either.

Quoted message said:

It is also why drag racers achieve the same speeds on the
moon as they do on earth--most of what they're doing is
accelerating the same mass horizontally.

Quoted message said:

(The loss in traction--how hard gravity presses the
dragster's tires against the moon's surface--is offset by
the reduction in wind drag.)

I doubt that the reduction in wind drag will be sufficient
to make up for the drastically reduced down force (due to
both lower gravity and no rear spoilers) for a quarter mile
dragster. Elapsed time will be longer on the moon.

Joe

Joe Riel said:

Quoted message said:

It is also why drag racers achieve the same speeds on the
moon as they do on earth--most of what they're doing is
accelerating the same mass horizontally.

Quoted message said:

(The loss in traction--how hard gravity presses the
dragster's tires against the moon's surface--is offset by
the reduction in wind drag.)

I doubt that the reduction in wind drag will be sufficient
to make up for the drastically reduced down force (due to
both lower gravity and no rear spoilers) for a quarter mile
dragster. Elapsed time will be longer on the moon.

Joe

Dear Joe,

A good point about the spoilers being no longer useful.

Still, I worry that we're overlooking the improvement in
engine performance due to reduced back-pressure on the
exhaust system.

The rotating-mass problem of the enormous dragster tires,
alas, remains the same, regardless of gravity.

Carl Fogel

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Dry the chain, place back in the now empty clean jar, and
reapply the vacuum. More solvent will come out.

Dry the chain again. Clean the jar again.

It's much easier to dry the chain by swinging it around
outdoors.

If your neighbours don't already think of you as a dangerous
lunatic, this will help to convince them.

--
Robots don't kill people -- people kill people.
irobotmovie.comirobotmovie.comOpen ↗

LioNiNoiL_a t_N e t s c a p E_D 0 T_N e T said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Dry the chain, place back in the now empty clean jar,
and reapply the vacuum. More solvent will come out.

Dry the chain again. Clean the jar again.

It's much easier to dry the chain by swinging it around
outdoors.

If your neighbours don't already think of you as a
dangerous lunatic, this will help to convince them.

Especially if it is a 220+ link recumbent chain.

--
Tom Sherman – Quad City Area

carlfogel wrote: (clip) Still, I worry that we're
overlooking the improvement in engine performance due to
reduced back-pressure on the exhaust system.(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^ Isn't there an accompanying reduction in
*forward* pressure on the induction system? That must have
SOME effect.