Home made wax lube for chains

[MongooseMan]

1 minute ago, cadenceblur said:

Keen to hear your thoughts on that ultrasonic cleaner

Chain from the trainer bike will be going in straight away, it's in dire need of a clean

[lechatnoir]

On 4/23/2023 at 8:36 PM, MrJacques said:

Has anyone tried adding graphite to the mix? It might not look as nice, but should provide good lubrication / anti-friction.

can't see it hurting. it won't act to catch grit onto the chain. it'll be dirty from the get-go though.

[Jbr]

What are you planning on using in the ultrasonic cleaner ? i find cleaning my chain between wax baths being a bit of a pain, boiled water mixes the wax but then doesn’t clean out of the tub I use, so I just end up using my carbs tubs when they’re empty. But it doesn’t really leave the chain clean afterwards

[MongooseMan]

31 minutes ago, Jbr said:

What are you planning on using in the ultrasonic cleaner ? i find cleaning my chain between wax baths being a bit of a pain, boiled water mixes the wax but then doesn’t clean out of the tub I use, so I just end up using my carbs tubs when they’re empty. But it doesn’t really leave the chain clean afterwards

Is a “shared” purchase between myself and my wife 😂

For her, jewellery, for me chains and other bits and bobs. 

based on this article it’s definitely not necessary (but, then again, neither is the whole waxing process 🙈)

https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Ultrasonic-Clean-Race-Chains-Quick-guide-v3-converted.pdf

[MongooseMan]

@Jbr when you say ~30% paraffin oil, do you mean you take 70g of the wax pastilles (as below), and 30g of paraffin, and melt that together to make 100g of wax?

[MongooseMan]

Some interim pics:
Before:

After one wash in a bucket with hot water and bike wash:

Buzzing away in the US:

Video of the US in action (quite a buzzing sound, but I suppose that's the deal):

7FCCF1E3-CDAC-43A0-BA17-566861120DEA-33161-00003822FFD7397C.mov

 

Plan from here:

Rinse, US in meths, into the wax pot.

Will post more pics as I go.

 

Edited May 8, 2023 by MongooseMan

[DieselnDust]

On 4/22/2023 at 9:18 PM, Paulst12 said:

Whats the story with the heat of the wax? Ive read 100'c aprox, but what difference does it make whether you go to that or hotter? Thanks

Hotter than the melting point starts to crack the shorter chains in the wax and they boil off. 
oxidation also occurs about 130 C average 

since we!re not planning on making soap, heating above 100C isn’t desirable 

[Jbr]

9 minutes ago, MongooseMan said:

@Jbr when you say ~30% paraffin oil, do you mean you take 70g of the wax pastilles (as below), and 30g of paraffin, and melt that together to make 100g of wax?

Yeah, but very roughly I don't actually measure, I just check how the wax behave when I dip a spoon in and then try to rub it off, I picked it up from a video on youtube, where the guy was showing what kind of texture you're looking for, it must be just only enough that it doesn't just frekle

[MongooseMan]

32 minutes ago, Jbr said:

Yeah, but very roughly I don't actually measure, I just check how the wax behave when I dip a spoon in and then try to rub it off, I picked it up from a video on youtube, where the guy was showing what kind of texture you're looking for, it must be just only enough that it doesn't just frekle

Thanks. I see you also have the "Pro Wax Heater" from Takealot, what setting do you use? 

[Jbr]

12 minutes ago, MongooseMan said:

Thanks. I see you also have the "Pro Wax Heater" from Takealot, what setting do you use? 

I don't know haha somewhere between med and high 🤣

[MongooseMan]

Thanks, appreciate the responses.

Will report back after my attempt this evening.

More pics:

Post US:

Into the meths:

Post meths, drying before waxing:

[cadenceblur]

How many chains you reckon you can fit in that US?

[MongooseMan]

1 minute ago, cadenceblur said:

How many chains you reckon you can fit in that US?

Maybe 2, but it'd be tight

[Paulst12]

1 hour ago, DieselnDust said:

Hotter than the melting point starts to crack the shorter chains in the wax and they boil off. 
oxidation also occurs about 130 C average 

since we!re not planning on making soap, heating above 100C isn’t desirable 

Thanks very much. I have merrily been boiling it on a gas stove. Makes sense now why it wasnt having the desired results I was hoping for... Big Doh moment for me. 

Edited May 8, 2023 by Paulst12

[lechatnoir]

19 minutes ago, Paulst12 said:

Thanks very much. I have merrily been boiling it on a gas stove. Makes sense now why it wasnt having the desired results I was hoping for... Big Doh moment for me. 

I have used a large enamel coffee cup on the stove. my approach was to dunk the chain and jiggle until no more bubbles come up. there was a lot of jiggling required. perhaps the mug's a bit small to allow the chain to move a bit.

also, it doesn't have to be as hot as hell to do the job, it just needs to get in there.

 

[MongooseMan]

Into the pot:

Adding more wax:

Doing @Jbr's super scientific spoon test:

All melted:

Hanging up to dry: