Home made wax lube for chains

[RobertWhitehead]

My personal experience: When I first saw the YouTuber mixing his magic I tried it on the mtb. After about 20km on the dirt the bike starts making some new new and exciting squeaking sounds. My conclusion: if you like riding solo (as no-one I rode with liked the sounds emanating from my newly dipped drive train) and are almost deaf then it is great to apply it to your mtb. I stick to Q20 after a nice bubble bath and soak 😁🛀

[MORNE]

6 hours ago, Jewbacca said:

You guys should know that a prominent poster here is a lubrication and application specialist...... He occasionally shares some wisdom worth heeding...  

thanks for the intro jewey,

yes I dabble in lube every now and then…

😅

ps: if it’s unclear…Jewbacca is 100% not talking about me. 

Edited April 30, 2022 by MORNE

[cadenceblur]

A question for those that wax their chains..

Did my first attempt and the wax has dried but the chain is not stiff as I've seen in some videos, 

Does this imply that my mixture was too oil heavy? 

Thinking of redoing it but with more wax? 

Using reitzer’s oil by the way.

Edited April 11, 2023 by cadenceblur

[Jbr]

20 minutes ago, cadenceblur said:

A question for those that wax their chains..

Did my first attempt and the wax has dried but the chain is not stiff as I've seen in some videos, 

Does this imply that my mixture was too oil heavy? 

Thinking of redoing it but with more wax? 

Using reitzer’s oil by the way.

Probably yes. I put a lot less than 50% paraffin oil in my mix, I just dip a spoon in, wait till the wax settles a bit and then rub it off with my thumb to see how it behaves. You want it to be just oily enough that it still sticks to the spoon when you try to rub it off. 
 

Excess will still flake off in the first 30km on a fresh chain but most of what’s inside the links should stay there and do it’s job.

i have the feeling (maybe I’m wrong) that too oily makes it less persistant and possibly more prone to catch road crap in the drivetrain, the point of wax being to have a dry chain that stays clean

Edited April 11, 2023 by Jbr

[cadenceblur]

Thanks will dip again 

[dasilvarsa]

14 minutes ago, cadenceblur said:

Thanks will dip again 

Let the Wax in the Pot Start to Solidify before pulling out the Chain.

This is one of the Secrets.

Try 60 Wax 40 Oil but 50 50 Should also Work.

[cadenceblur]

I did that but it wasn't solidifying, eventually removed it and hung it up, still soft this morning 

[Jbr]

41 minutes ago, cadenceblur said:

I did that but it wasn't solidifying, eventually removed it and hung it up, still soft this morning 

I buy the wax from takealot (I think this one : https://www.takealot.com/pacifrica-paraffin-wax-pastilles-2000g/PLID90155253) and I think I must be putting about 20/30% paraffin oil not exactly sure. I don't wait for the wax to settle to take the chains out as I often do 2 to 4 chains in a row and I don't have the time to sit in front of the thing to wait till it settles just enough to take each chain out before it's too late, then wait till it's liquid again for the next. It works fine for me

[W@nted]

What is the best quick link to use for this waxing?

[Jbr]

10 minutes ago, W@nted said:

What is the best quick link to use for this waxing?

The ones you can buy 🤣 these things are scarce

[cadenceblur]

45 minutes ago, Jbr said:

I buy the wax from takealot (I think this one : https://www.takealot.com/pacifrica-paraffin-wax-pastilles-2000g/PLID90155253) and I think I must be putting about 20/30% paraffin oil not exactly sure. I don't wait for the wax to settle to take the chains out as I often do 2 to 4 chains in a row and I don't have the time to sit in front of the thing to wait till it settles just enough to take each chain out before it's too late, then wait till it's liquid again for the next. It works fine for me

Using the same wax, will give it another dip later after adding some more wax to the mixture. 

[W@nted]

Will a small (500ml) wax heater (for hair removal wax) be sufficient to heat/melt the wax. Max temp indicated as 95 degrees C. They are R240 on takealot…

 

my wife said I may not have her slow cooker. 😬

Edited April 19, 2023 by W@nted

[lechatnoir]

22 minutes ago, W@nted said:

Will a small (500ml) wax heater (for hair removal wax) be sufficient to heat/melt the wax. Max temp indicated as 95 degrees C. They are R240 on takealot…

 

my wife said I may not have her slow cooker. 😬

that's 2 cups-worth, so i think that's fine. I've degreased chains in a 500ml coke bottle and it's been more than ample.

[DieselnDust]

26 minutes ago, W@nted said:

Will a small (500ml) wax heater (for hair removal wax) be sufficient to heat/melt the wax. Max temp indicated as 95 degrees C. They are R240 on takealot…

 

my wife said I may not have her slow cooker. 😬

no problem. Is the bath big enough to accept the curled up chain? thats all you have to consider with those units

[cadenceblur]

So far so good, was felt great on the MTB, its a new chain, cassette and chain ring though, also running very nicely in the trainer bike, I also made some lube with finely grated wax and benzine, haven't had to use any yet though.

[Jbr]

38 minutes ago, W@nted said:

Will a small (500ml) wax heater (for hair removal wax) be sufficient to heat/melt the wax. Max temp indicated as 95 degrees C. They are R240 on takealot…

 

my wife said I may not have her slow cooker. 😬

I have one, works fine, I can only do one chain at a time though

Edited April 19, 2023 by Jbr