Chain Waxing

@scherrit warned me against the cheapest ultrasonic cleaners so i'm getting it from Amazon hoping they've tested any electronics being sold for use in the UK - he had one that failed and when inspected he found it wasn't earthed inside the case.

I've not yet bought a wax heater. I tried to find cheap used one on ebay but they're the same price as the new ones! Was thinking something like:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Breville-VTP169-Compact-Slow-Cooker/dp/B00C78ID8Y

Why do steps 2,3,4,5 if you're putting it in the ultrasonic cleaner anyway? Why not just do enough runs in that to clean it.

For me I think the best bit will be the utrasonic cleaning - I might just stick to cleaning and using liquid wax lubes for now.

Ha ha is this thread some sort of early April fools joke? The Sheldon Brown link then using a Rice cooker? I gave up using wax on my chains when we at London Underground stopped using heavy oils to lubricate escalator step chain. Basically the message is little and often and the lighter the oil the better because that is the only oil which will penetrate deep enough. Keep paraffin and other solvent cleaners well away from your chain if you want it to last.

London Underground stopped using heavy oils to lubricate escalator step chain

Hmm, not sure they're related.

Maybe read the reasons behind the lube change and have a look at the results from people testing this stuff. There's quite a few happy waxed chain users out there and if it keep my carpets clean and extends part life I'm going to be joining them.

https://cyclingtips.com/2018/03/fast-chain-lube-that-saves-you-money/

"Case in point: White Lightning Epic Ride was the least-efficient lube Smith tested at 8.9W, and also yielded one of the shortest chain lifespans in Kerin’s tests, lasting less than 3,000km before hitting that critical 0.5mm mark. At the opposite end, a chain treated with Molten Speed Wax ate up just 4.2W of rider energy in Smith’s testing, while outlasting Kerin’s 6,000km-long wear testing procedure (and proving in the real world, with real riders, to go past 15,000km), something no drip lube has done as of yet."

Why do steps 2,3,4,5 if you're putting it in the ultrasonic cleaner anyway? Why not just do enough runs in that to clean it.

I've tried that and it doesn't strip the factory grease as well as white spirits and meths. Of course, it would work well if I put white spirit in the ultrasonic cleaner, but I've got the fear when it comes to ultrasound and flammable liquids. It'd probably be fine, but I'm not happy to risk it all on 'probably'.

Ah, I'm going straight to carb cleaner or 'the most volatile shit known to mankind' in mine and probably leave it running unattended overnight because

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFEoMO0pc7k&t=1s

Seriously though, any decent degreasers that aren't petroleum based? Read a lot about people using some USA green stuff.. Simple Green? Not sure that's good enough for a new chain strip though. Diluted carb cleaner seemed to work well on the two test chains.

Can we all chip in and buy Hippy a new rug?

Like the mess I make can be contained to a single rug.

Why do you think I'm moving to Spain? #toxicwastecarpet

Carb cleaner (usually ethyl or acetone based) is too volatile, it won't do any good, according to @Cycliste, who's a chemical engineer and so knows about these things. You want something like Xylene or Toluene instead.

AutoGlym car engine cleaner is citrus based and cheaper than cycling ones.

Won't do any good what, cleaning or for waxing? It's what we used on the test chains and it worked very well.

Noted. Ta

I can find out exactly what it was but it looked a bit like:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultrasonic-Cleaning-Solution-Carburettors-5L/dp/B00BWAQTDO

5L container, dilute 10:1 and some comment about not using it 'neat' because it will eat metal..

I've used that AutoGlym on this person's recommendation. When I could be bothered cleaning bikes, it worked really well.

There's one way to find out. I take a chain, dump it into US cleaner with autoglym and see if it comes out clean. If not, I bring the big guns back out. If it doesn't dissolve ziploc/sandwich bags I can use quite a bit less than the tank size. I could also reuse it but letting it settle and decanting off the clean stuff into a container.

I can find out exactly what it was but it looked a bit like:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultrasonic-Clea­ning-Solution-Carburettors-5L/dp/B00BWAQ­TDO

5L container, dilute 10:1 and some comment about not using it 'neat' because it will eat metal..

That might work, but since there's no MSDS there's no telling what's in it. The carb cleaner I'm thinking of is the stuff that comes in aerosol squirty cans. It's very volatile and is good for cleaning off surface contaminents but not so good for dissolving wax or grease from deep inside something.

Nah, this stuff needs to be poured into a US cleaner, not sprayed on. I've got some boring citrus degreaser at home I'll try first then start moving upwards in danger factor until I'm happy with the results.

Thank you. I was feeling low today, but your "CABBAGES!" made me smile.

I've got the cheapest industrial grade degreaser of Screwfix, big bottle. Fill a cristal jar, dunk the chain, close and shake it. Leave it overnight, rinse the chain in water, leave it dry, apply liquid wax lube.
You can reuse the degreaser, just wait a few days until the grease has sunk to the bottom and change it to another jar.

I think I'll go for degreasing with a(n / series of) overnight soak(s) and then waxing in a small crockpot. Hopefully a best of both worlds with a reduced amount of faff.

Do not mess about with xylene or toluene in open containers! They are both very harmful to inhale. In fact if you don't have any lab training stay away from them altogether

Sounds like a challenge to me!

I've got my US cleaner now. Not used it yet. I've only got some citrus degreaser I think. Maybe I'll test it out on the cassette off the Mason today.

My time is money, so its cheaper to buy a new chain :)