Chain cleaning for poor people



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"Bob Garrison" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
> "Pete Hickey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > In article <[email protected]>, Bob Garrison <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > >That's fine, but chains are cheap and I'd rather not spend my time
> cleaning
> > >them any more than necessary.
> >
> > I don't know if it I am frugal or if I ecological minded. Just because things are cheap, I don't
> > like throwing them away. I find that we (society) throws out too much these days.
> >
> > And yes, I straighten and re-use nails.
> >
> > --
> > --
>
> But do you re-use toilet paper?
>

If he's ecological minded (aka not selfish to those further down the time line) he probably is. It's
called re-cycled paper with a high post consumer content.
 
"Steve Palincsar" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> On Sat, 03 May 2003 00:16:38 -0400, Tom Keats wrote:
>
> > In article <[email protected]>, "Doug Kanter"
> > <[email protected]> writes:
> >
> >> Matter of fact, I live in an apartment. I *never* have access to a garden hose.
> >
> > In that case, I'd do the degreaser-in-a-pop-bottle thing.
> >
> > I think kerosene is too stinky to use in an apartment.
>
>
> I agree -- kerosene reeks. I can't use it in a house either, even if I clean the chain outside;
> when I bring the chain inside, it would stink up the entire house in a matter of minutes. Mineral
> spirit (aka "paint thinner") cleans just as well but stinks far less.

Simple Green works well and is much less toxic. It is also used by many cyclists for their chain.
 
In article <[email protected]>, "one of the six billion"
<[email protected]> writes:

>> But do you re-use toilet paper?
>>
>
> If he's ecological minded (aka not selfish to those further down the time line) he probably is.
> It's called re-cycled paper with a high post consumer content.

I'd bet hemp would make very good, biodegradable TP, without having to mow down longer-lived species
(like trees). Maybe some other, "waste product" biomass such as sugar cane begasse would, too.

I figure there's _two_ kinds of recycling: that which people *exclusively* re-use, and that which
returns to the stardust from whence it came. Personally, I prefer the latter, so long as it ain't
toxic, because it's more ... "communal", to all the life forms on Mom. Mom says we've gotta be nice,
and share. TP For All Creatures, great & small!

Hmmm, speaking of Mom ... now I've gotta have another listen to my Led Zep III album ("That's the
Way"). Followed with Gary Numan's "Replicas", just 'cause the too albums go together so well for
some reason.

cheers, Tom

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In article <[email protected]>, "one of the six billion"
<[email protected]> writes:

> Simple Green works well and is much less toxic.

Until it's loaded with the **** from the dirty chain it just cleaned. /Then/, what do you
do with it?

cheers, Tom

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"Steve Palincsar" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> On Sat, 03 May 2003 00:16:38 -0400, Tom Keats wrote:
>
> > In article
<[email protected]>,
> > "Doug Kanter" <[email protected]> writes:
> >
> >> Matter of fact, I live in an apartment. I *never* have
access to a
> >> garden hose.
> >
> > In that case, I'd do the degreaser-in-a-pop-bottle
thing.
> >
> > I think kerosene is too stinky to use in an apartment.
>
>
> I agree -- kerosene reeks. I can't use it in a house
either, even if I
> clean the chain outside; when I bring the chain inside, it
would stink up
> the entire house in a matter of minutes. Mineral spirit
(aka "paint
> thinner") cleans just as well but stinks far less.

Auto parts cleaner works better than either one, is just as cheap, and doesn't stink at all. Try
your local auto parts store.

Matt O.
 
In article <[email protected]>,
"Matt O'Toole" <[email protected]> writes:

> Auto parts cleaner works better than either one

uuhh, I dunno. One thing kerosene /is/ eminently good for, is cleaning-off rust. And parts that have
been cleaned in the stuff don't seem to oxidize as quickly, afterward. I know for certain, metallic
parts cleaned in kerosene stay bright longer than parts cleaned with detergenty hot water. Maybe
auto parts cleaner, or Engine Shampoo will just as readily make a filthy chain pristine again; I
don't know. But what do you do with it once it's dirty?

One thing I've been tempted to try (as an experiment) is sudsy ammonia. Any painter will tell you,
that stuff is truly a Powerful grease-cutter. But it requires a bunch of rinsing. Which again speaks
to another desirable quality of kerosene -- it settles it's residue, so it's very re-usable, without
flushing a bunch of spent cleaning fluid into the drainage. I guess it might sound a little ironic
(and perhaps disappointing) that a petroleum distillate could contribute so well to bicycle
maintenance, and perhaps be less environmentally hostile than other chemicals.

In the meantime, coal oil just smells so very bad ...

So does ammonia, but it dissipates quickly. And some plants can use it.

cheers, Tom

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"Tom Keats" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> In article
<[email protected]>,

> "Matt O'Toole" <[email protected]> writes:
>
> > Auto parts cleaner works better than either one
>
> uuhh, I dunno. One thing kerosene /is/ eminently good
for, is
> cleaning-off rust. And parts that have been cleaned in
the
> stuff don't seem to oxidize as quickly, afterward. I know
for
> certain, metallic parts cleaned in kerosene stay bright
longer
> than parts cleaned with detergenty hot water.

Kerosene works great, and does keep parts from rusting because it leaves a thin residue.
However, the OP was concerned about the odor. So I offered an alternative. I do think parts
cleaner works faster.

> Maybe auto parts cleaner, or Engine Shampoo

These are not the same thing.

> will just as readily make a filthy chain pristine again; I don't know. But what do you do
with it
> once it's dirty?

Just leave it in the container, where the dirt settles to the bottom.

I don't know how much time you've spent in auto repair shops, but that's what they do. They have
big tubs filled with this stuff, which sometimes doesn't get changed for years. Parts are placed
in baskets and soaked, agitated occasionally, and come out clean. The dirt and grime settles to
the bottom of the tank, where it remains until the toxic waste guys come to clean it all out and
take it away.

You can do the same thing at home. Parts cleaner is sold in paint cans, where it can live happily
forever. Just swish your chain around in there until it's clean, put the lid back on the can and put
it away until next time.

Jobst mentioned using a pan with a perforated tray in the bottom, on which the chain can sit but the
crud pass through as it settles to the bottom. This is a good system. Make a little platform out of
wire mesh to sit in the bottom of the can, and you're all set.

There's a lifetime of chain cleaning in one of these cans. Let your grandkids worry about what to do
with it. Or take it to the local toxic waste disposal site. Most communities have a toxic waste day
once or twice a year, when you can put it out with the trash.

> One thing I've been tempted to try (as an experiment) is
sudsy
> ammonia. Any painter will tell you, that stuff is truly a Powerful grease-cutter. But it requires
> a bunch of
rinsing.
> Which again speaks to another desirable quality of
kerosene --
> it settles it's residue, so it's very re-usable, without
flushing
> a bunch of spent cleaning fluid into the drainage. I
guess it
> might sound a little ironic (and perhaps disappointing)
that a
> petroleum distillate could contribute so well to bicycle maintenance, and perhaps be less
> environmentally hostile
than
> other chemicals.

Oh, big, bad, Big Oil again, geez...

Matt O.
 
Sun, 04 May 2003 18:33:43 GMT, <[email protected]>, "Matt O'Toole"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>Jobst mentioned using a pan with a perforated tray in the bottom, on which the chain can sit but
>the crud pass through as it settles to the bottom. This is a good system. Make a little platform
>out of wire mesh to sit in the bottom of the can, and you're all set.

I use one of those fold-up SS vegetable steamers that was laying around unused. It fits right in a
paint bucket or big coffee can.
--
zk
 
"Claire Petersky" <[email protected]> wrote in message >
> I am not sure what your silicone spray is for.
>

I was thinking of silicone spray because some types are so watery that they'd take dirt with them
onto the newspaper (or my foot) beneath. My assumption is that I'm cleaning this chain in the place
where there are no buckets, no running water, etc., like a campground.
 
Screw all this. :)

I always bring cheese danish to my mechanic's when I go for oil changes. I'm gonna bring the chain
each time and have them drop it into their degreaser tank. They owe me big time for those cheese
danish. :)
 
> Simple Green works well and is much less toxic. It is also used by many cyclists for their chain.
>

That's not a bad idea. Ya know....I've seen 1 gallon cans (not aerosol) of WD-40. Rectangular, like
turpentine cans. If the chain was clean before I dipped it into the can, the WD-40 wouldn't get
contaminated, but it would certainly drive out the moisture from the watery cleaning process.....
 
For me, either method is better than doing next to nothing. And, until I get over my current
attitude toward automobile drivers, and the law is changed so I can shoot their engines, I doubt
I'll ever put 10-20k miles on my bike.
:)
 
In article <[email protected]>,
"Matt O'Toole" <[email protected]> writes:

> Kerosene works great, and does keep parts from rusting because it leaves a thin residue.
> However, the OP was concerned about the odor. So I offered an alternative. I do think parts
> cleaner works faster.

I'll add it to my list of things to try, too.

>> Maybe auto parts cleaner, or Engine Shampoo
> nn These are not the same thing.

Yeah I know, it's just another substance I've considered experimenting with. I listed some others,
but I guess I accidentally deleted the line when I posted that. I've even tried Coca Cola (the
Universal Solvent <g>) already. Believe it or not, it actually worked ... to a degree. But, I don't
really need swarms of bees drawn to my sugary chain. One thing that /did/ work quite well, was a
specially-formulated detergent for medical instrument ultrasonic cleaners (I used to work for a
medical supply company).

I've been on an off & on quest for a good chain-cleaning substance that meets the criteria: cheap,
quick, simple, not too unpleasant to handle, and low environmental impact. There's so many things
that meet all but one-or-another of those criteria. Finding something that meets them /all/ is like
trying to fill an inside straight.

I resist buying that citrus degreaser stuff, mostly 'cause I think it's way overpriced, same as that
green, Phil Wood grease in the toothpaste tubes. Since you're suggesting auto parts cleaner, I guess
you feel the same way.

>> will just as readily make a filthy chain pristine again; I don't know. But what do you do
> with it
>> once it's dirty?
>
> Just leave it in the container, where the dirt settles to the bottom.
>
> I don't know how much time you've spent in auto repair shops, but that's what they do. They
> have big tubs filled with this stuff, which sometimes doesn't get changed for years. Parts are
> placed in baskets and soaked, agitated occasionally, and come out clean. The dirt and grime
> settles to the bottom of the tank, where it remains until the toxic waste guys come to clean it
> all out and take it
^^^^^^^
> away.
^^^^

But what happens to it after that?

I don't believe we /have/ toxic waste guys making the rounds in our residential neighbourhoods. not
even on specially appointed days.

Here's another product I've been considering: http://www.jelmar.com/CLRgrease.asp

"Grease Magnet", from the CLR[tm] ppl.

But I'd prefer to find some additional uses for it before buying a jug of it. If it turns out not to
be so good for bicycle chains, it would be nice to have optional uses for it. It's purported to be
biodegradable and not harmful to plants. I haven't yet found out anything about it's impact, if any,
on critters.

cheers, Tom

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>> And yes, I straighten and re-use nails.
>>
>> --
>> --
>
>But do you re-use toilet paper?
>
What's toilet paper?
 
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