Chain Waxing

I once used my old man's spray on moto chain lube on my BMX and it was a bad idea.
Motorbike lube, at least this one, is designed to be super sticky so it's not flung off. The shit discoloured my chain and I don't think I could even clean it off properly.

Ah ok, yeah undyed would be better as it's easier to see the crap coming off parts and settling in the bottom of a glass jar.

Damn. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyridine#Health_issues sounds worse than just letting people drink the metho.

First ride on home waxed chain this morning. Sooooo quiet! Love it.

Dunno how long this will last but first impressions are very good.

Now I really need to go and find some paraffin. I have a crockpot my mother gave me for my birthday which I haven't used since we have an inducation hob but I can't quite bring myself to sacrificing it to the waxing gods, don't think I would ever eat from it again. I'm also considering getting a bag of MoS2 from eBay, but the smallest quantity I can find is enough for 110kg of wax, not sure if I'm ready to start dealing all sorts of powders...

sacrificing it to the waxing gods

You could always just clean it if you wanted to cook with it. Or, if it's like mine, the pot bit is separate from the heating bit so just buy another pot for cooking with.

I've not bothered with any mix-ins yet. This is just a commuter chain. If I like the results my plan is to get some MSW for the race bikes but I may mix up my own if I can find decent ingredients. I really need to be saving my money for a Spanish villa that will have enough space to do all this shit properly.

Planning on taking up golf in Spain?

Heard it’s the old cycling.

Err, no. Fuck golf. The plan is to enjoy life/cycling more. Better weather, fewer cunts.

https://www.bikeradar.com/news/friction-facts-publishes-ultrafast-chain-lube-formula/

My plan was this formula, bit of Teflon (very cheap) and some MoS2 ) cheap per gram, but minimum quantity means about 25 quid. Could send you a couple of grams if you would be interested, I'm only doing it for wear resistance and noise reduction so shouldn't be too fussed about it but black wax looks cool. Although that's also the reason I'm worried about ever cooking in it again.

This is what I'd looked at:
https://tailwind-coaching.com/2016/08/09/friction-facts-bicycle-chain-lube-process/

"If you're using MDS and/or PTFE, measure out the proper amount of each. You're looking for 1 gram of MDS and 5 grams of PTFE powder, and you can measure with a simple fine kitchen scale. To combat the mess (and the fact that MDS tends to permanently stain anything it touches) I measured out the lubricant powders into an old spice jar to keep the mess to a minimum.

Once the paraffin has liquefied, simply dump the lubricants into the hot wax. You'll want to vigorously stir in the powders to combine them as much as possible. Friction Facts recommends a battery powered milk frother, but I've made do with just an old chop-stick or a screwdriver."

Doesn't look like MoS2 Molybdenum Disulfide powder is too common in the UK. Wait, just found some on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/molybdenum-disulfide-Molybdenum-sulfide-1317-33-5/dp/B072FKNX8K/ 100g / £16

Teflon powder on ebay:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=pure+teflon+powder&_sacat=0

Yeah I was looking at this one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/250g-8-8-oz-98-5-Molybdenum-Disulfide-MoS2-Powder-Reagent-Lab-Chemical/292695338333 As shipping to NL makes the Amazon one quite expensive.

Also, have you seen this stuff? MSW do a powder, combo of teflon and MoS2 for race prepping chains: https://inaspin.co.uk/products/molten-speed-wax-race-powder-55g-1

Given my main aim was simply to make everything on my drivetrain cleaner, I don't really want to be adding messy black powders into the mix. Maybe for the TT bike though.

Not sure why this thread is so engrossing but it is... have read the whole thing and still have no intention of waxing my chain.

Another hippy thread delivers. ;)

At the beginning of the weekend I was all up for getting a US cleaner. As teh weekend progressed, less so...

It's so cool. I was jonesing to run it again last night, but SOMEONE wanted to cook shit in the kitchen pfft!

I found this stuff. Just wondering if it would be sticky and attact grit and grime like the spray on stuff does.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Putoline-Chain-Wax-1-kg-Hot-Soak-Motocross-MX-Enduro-Off-Road/263922676992?epid=1931782023&hash=item3d73047500:g:bSMAAOSwEaBaO57m

Would you recommend the US you got? One of these has been on the list for ages..

I think I tweeted that I've never used any others so it wouldn't be fair to comment. I'd love a bigger unit but don't have enough space for one. It's an expensive way to avoid spending a few minutes shaking a jar but it does seem to produce good results (given a decent degreaser).
Conclusion: I dunno. It seems to work pretty well but there might be better options.

No idea what's in it. Could just be paraffin + teflon mix but there's not details so wouldn't risk it on my chains.

I could make twice that for the same money, and with teflon being cheap I could make about 10 times that for twice the money. But adding the MoS2 makes things a lot messier, might not be worth it.

Yeah, buying MSW stuff is always going to be more expensive than DIY but also less hassle, less storage requirements, etc. Easier for me to justify for one race bike's chain since moneygun.gif and it'll probably last longer than the bike does.

What about adding the teflon but not the MoS2? I presume you would get an efficiency increase but no mess or at least white shit everywhere and not black shit everywhere? Still not sure I want to bother with additives yet but if you were looking to go halfsies in some of this crap I might be interested.

Still not sure I want to bother with additives yet but if you were looking to go halfsies in some of this crap I might be interested.

I'll give it a think, if I were to do it I think I'd premix bags so you could just chuck in a baggie when you add a pound of wax. I'd need to contact the local drug dealer pharmacist to get a load of small baggies but I could supply pre-mixed bags to minimize the faff on your end. I expect that everything will be covered in non-removable black dust the second I start, might as well push on for a bit then.

good thread. never waxing (philishave ftw) but admire the dedication of those that do

might go for squirt for that waxing-without-the-hassle vibe

I expect that everything will be covered in non-removable black dust the second I start, might as well push on for a bit then.

I managed to add the molybdenum disulphide and PTFE powder to my paraffin wax without making a mess. If I can do it without making a mess, pretty much anyone should.