Chain Waxing

I read a comment on the GCN video on YouthTube that suggested a good glug of liquid paraffin in the wax is pretty crucial to keeping the stuff from flaking off immediately

So after trekking round every B&Q in a 5mile radius to find some, I just did my winter bike chain too. The wax starts to take on a slightly paste like consistency, like hard butter. It squishes between your fingers to a point, then flakes apart and falls off. HOLY SHIT, my chain is so quiet! I'm totally converted despite not even riding it yet.

I'm now cooking as much bacon as possible to cover the smell of paraffin that's stunk up the kitchen, haha

My bottle of Bilt Hamber Surfex HD arrived. I'm sure you're excited to see results. I think I've almost run out of chains and cassettes to clean though!

Does Amazon count? Or try Bespoke, pretty sure I've seen it in there.

Can bring some over.

As I am late to the party, Bilt Hamber are a fav of mine, I have a slow cooker and some solid paraffin wax as I was going to do this. I was just going to clean the chains in dearomatised petrol or denaturaised alcohol.

Chain cleaning - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0eOxbnzDQA

Chain waxing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF9nbwsaSHs

Said they dont but can order in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2awP6Ylmgvs

Hmm.. maybe I'll try adding paraffin oil. I need to ditch my wax again though, it's definitely more grey than white.

I have to say, this thread is properly insane

it's a fucking bicycle chain, not a dinner plate. just put some chain oil on it and go out and spend the saved time doing something more worthwhile

No

I've already tried letting the wax cool down to 50C to let it accumulate better but perhaps it needs to be cooler?

Post #35 young Stuart.

What am I meant to be reading?

"Switch the heater off and leave the chain in situ for 5-10 mins depending on ambient conditions. Otherwise all that wax will just pour out of every crevice. That bit sounds daft, but I have noticed that it does make a difference with the longevity."

Yeah but I love reading about this stuff. And thinking I should do it, but I won't. I don't race or anything so it would be more for the satisfaction of knowing I had a waxed chain.

Yeah, but I'm already letting it cool to 50C which takes way longer than 5-10min. That's why I didn't get what you were pointing out.

I wonder if dirty paraffin has any impact on adhesion.

I now have two bag fulls of chains and cassettes, lovely and clean. So nice. Continued waxing, I'm still debating.

Why is the paraffin wax getting dirty as the chains should be clean and dirt free. The dirt in the wax becomes a grinding paste.

This guy has a few good you tube videos on chain waxing and chain cleaning etc

https://youtu.be/gF9nbwsaSHs

All ready posted ......sorry

Because 'someone' didn't clean the chainring or the jockey wheels before putting the chain back in. Also, I was reusing dirty degreaser that I hadn't let settle out long enough so I think the earlier cleans weren't the best.

One trick I have used to filter the dirt is a coffee filter paper.

Found cleaning chains a real pain and usually let the chains sit for a few weeks with an occasional shake. Don't understand why you would wax the chain wheels, understand the idea that the jockey wheel center and central pins being lubricated, I just smear some grease. Should i smear some wax on the chainwheels or cogs.

Tried coffee filters. Doesn't work well enough to continue, at least not with turps or the paraffin.

I don't wax the other parts, there was already oil on them, I put on a clean chain, added UFO Drip, it picked up oil left on chainring and jockeys, then I rewaxed this chain without cleaning it properly = dirty wax. Also, because I was doing loads of chains and cassettes I never cleaned up my degreaser 100% so I was waxing chains and stuff that weren't as clean as possible.

I'm a convert, silent and smooth. Still need to try it in the mud though.

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We've been wiping the outside wax off ours before riding. Saves those chunks flaking off.

Have tried cleaning chains by vapour blasting and that was a bad idea. Took ages and felt even more gritty afterwards. Suspect the task would have been easier to just pressure wash with water.

@Tijmen the silence is the best bit.

Mine probably cools faster as I use a beauty therapy wax pot heater. Once done I take the pot out of the heater. I’ve never stuck a thermostat in the wax, I just try to leave it as long as I can until I think it’s time to remove.