Chain WAXing (yes it's that easy) - and other mysteries of this art!

[Jayrob]

trplay, the velo news article also said Squirt was right up there behind parafin wax. I have taken many chains apart, but would rather ride than take a 12' chain apart. I am too old to worry about Zwift, power meters, and the likes. I am almost 65, and I can hold 24-25 mph for around 20 miles or so. If I were going to try and be the fastest person on earth, then I would get more aero wheels, seat, put my tiller bars back on, and train more often. As it is, I just like to go out and ride.

Maybe after I get moved into my new house in Argyle, TX, and get settled in, I might check out getting a new Vendetta. I chased down 3 uprights and a Cruzbike Saturday morning. They were strong, friendly riders. I hope he doesn't mind me mentioning his name, but Roger was the rider on the Cruzbike. The reason I turned around and chased them was I couldn't believe I had seen another recumbent! The other 3 riders were, Don, Justin, and Rich. I hope to ride with them again this Saturday. They meet in Argyle about 2 miles from where I just bought my house. The Cruzbike just looked cool to me! But, so does my low racer. Ha.

 

[Zzzorse]

Well if one insists to go dry wax save money by going this way. A whole lot cheaper than cycling products. http://uccoatings.com/products/anchorseal-2-2/

You've tried this? Tell us about it.

 

[Jayrob]

Jayrob the Velo tests showed the liquid waxes didn't perform as well as the melted paraffin. The other thing I have found is when the waxes are thick they cause a lot of wax buildup in the drive trains. I have seen it where it was so bad it had detrimental effects on shifting. Thick is not good. This week I tried anchorseal. This is a liquid wax sawmillers put on the ends of there timbers to prevent splitting while they dry out. A good side effect of using Zwift all the time is you get a good look at how waxes and such perform on your drive train. The anchorseal wax clearly was inferior to my old candle wax melted in a pot. Breaking a chain down is not nearly as hard as it sounds (if you are on a Cruzbike as opposed to a 12 foot chain). Try it or simply look at a chain that just received a wax bath and see what you think.

According to Velo news tests, Molten Speed Wax came in 1st, Squirt 2nd, and melted parafin wax 3rd. And the difference between Molten speed Wax and Squirt, around .10 watts. If I were in a race to make money, then Molten Speed Wax would be my choice. I am retired and can afford Squirt, so that is the lube of my choice. The test results are here close to the start of this very thread, page one.

 

[Jayrob]

I don't remember what I paid for the Squirt, but I blow more money than that on things I don't need. .1 doesn't mean much to me, I just wanted a lube that was cleaner than others. But the test did say Squirt was a close 2nd. Parafin wax free, not anywhere around here. It is pretty cheap at Wally World though. I guess this discussion is pretty much mute, because I will continue to use my preferred lube, Squirt, and only on my low racer, and it shifts nice and smooth. My other 4 recumbents get wet lube. Please everyone, use the lube of your choice. Go ahead, I won't check! Lol.

 

[Jayrob]

Love the music. The Lovin' Spoonful was one of my all time favorites! I plan on trying parafin again. I just need a way to soak the chain in it without taking the chain off. I have an idea, just need to see if it works. I don't even care if it is faster or not, I just like a clean chain. I think I will use the parafin on my Musashi.

 

[Balor]

I forgot to mention, about the only way you could ruin the bottle of Squirt, would be to bring it to a boil, 212 degrees at sea level. It is a water base product with 3 kinds of waxes and a few other ingredients. The water might evaporate, but the waxes would go back to being wax, after they solidified. I highly doubt you can ruin the product at between 180-200 F degrees. Maybe Celsius degrees, which would be 356- 392 degrees F, instead of 180-200 degrees!

Sorry, I'm not familliar with F degress indeed, though it was close to boiling.
You CAN demulsify your emulsion by applying too much heat, but it depends on components. If they recommended it themselves, it is fine. I'm not actually an expert on Squirt, too, but I do wax my chain for a few years now.
http://petrowiki.org/Stability_of_oil_emulsions#Temperature

I just need a way to soak the chain in it without taking the chain off. I have an idea, just need to see if it works.

If you really want to wax your chain without taking it off (which is not the best way to do it, but hey) - the best way would be to heat the chain with a heat gun and apply the wax like you would apply it on the skis.
This way it would penetrate deep into the chain - the 'pin-plate' interface where it really belongs.

And yea, squirt is quite likely a 'rebottled' paraffin emulsion that is MUCH cheaper, but much harder to get in 'non-industrial' quantities.

I can't remember the last time I bought wax. I use old candles which are plentiful around here.

Not all waxes are created equal. Chain length, cyclic (aromatic) elements, oil content... actually, your typical 'candle' wax (hard and brittle) is definitely not the best way to wax your chain. It works to be sure, but simply not perfect.

Currently, the best (and also extremely cheap) composition that last for thousands of miles per application (unlike squirt) is 1/3 canning wax, 1/3 ceresin (or beeswax) 1/3 calcium grease.

Likely a bit less effective when it comes to watts, but extremely resistant to elements and protects against wear extremely wear - the best thing you can have barring an oil bath.

 

[Balor]

The hard brittle wax falls off the outside of the chain and takes the dirt with it while the wax which is in the deep spots does its work.

But it will be 'washed off' by the the merest sprinkle of rain (actually water contaminated with abrasive particles that your wheel provides in great quanity).

In my opinion adding grease to wax is totally contrary to the purpose of using wax.

Using wax can have a lot of purposes. If absolute cleanliness is your goal, using only 'candle wax' absolutely works.
If maximum longevity is your goal, adding microcrystalline waxes and some oil (that, nonetheless, remains trapped in wax matrix and does NOT attract dirt, the contaminant that make it black is 'iron filings') is definitely in order.
When properly waxed, such chain create a 'watertight' and highly resilient seal of flexible wax and oil inside your pin-plate interface that does not let any water-borne abrasives to penetrate it.

If you ride in very dry conditions, however, it is not as important.

 

[Balor]

*shrugs*

Well, *I* admit on getting on a 'chain-l' oil fad and paying for it in, well, chains.
Still, real-world performance of above mentioned mix is extremely good - while not absolutely spotless, it is by several orders of magnitude cleaner than wet oils, and chains last extremely long - both 'per application' and when it comes to longevity in adverse conditions.

 

[RAR]

Ignore buttons are wonderful

 

[Gary123]

Would scented candles make your bike smell better?

 

[super slim]

Would scented candles make your bike smell better?

Could be dangerous if on a cycle tour through the Rockies as bears would want to lick the chain!

 

[Gary123]

My wife loves to burn scented candles especially after I ride. Hmmmm.

 

[Balor]

Ignore buttons are wonderful

And those people complain about how 'close-minded' and 'groupthinkish' DF riders are, and "if only they've tried something before judging it harshly".
*sigh*

 

[ratz]

But it will be 'washed off' by the merest sprinkle of rain

Not really true; we never changed chains on RAAM and the last two days we got rather wet; both riding the bikes in the pouring rain and dragging them behind the trucks at 65mph.... At the finish line, the waxed chains were fine for probably another 100-200 miles of riding; and the fresh chains were in the tool kit unused.

 

[Balor]

Not really true; we never changed chains on RAAM and the last two days we got rather wet; both riding the bikes in the pouring rain and dragging them behind the trucks at 65mph.... At the finish line, the waxed chains were fine for probably another 100-200 miles of riding; and the fresh chains were in the tool kit unused.

I don't think you've been using candle wax, though. Been there, done that.
Waxes range wildly in crystalline structure (hence "takiness"), melting temperature, naturally occuring impurities (like oil content).
Come to think of it, there are "soy wax candles", which might indeed be a good waxing material (I've read some papers) Hard to find here, though.

 

[ratz]

I don't think you've been using candle wax, though. Been there, done that.

Specifically, I was referring to Paraffin. (which is the most common wax for candles as it's odorless).... Paraffin doesn't wash off in water that's why they use it as the base for chain oils.

Properties. Paraffin wax is mostly found as a white, odorless, tasteless, waxy solid, with a typical melting point between about 46 and 68 °C (115 and 154 °F), and a density of around 900 kg/m3. It is insoluble in water, but soluble in ether, benzene, and certain esters.

 

[Balor]

Specifically, I was referring to Paraffin. (which is the most common wax for candles as it's odorless)....

What EXACTLY were you using to wax your chains? Like I said, paraffins vary greatly - for instance, pure paraffins with higher melting temperature tend to be much 'tackier' by themselves.

Paraffin doesn't wash off in water that's why they use it as the base for chain oils.

*sigh*

Selective quoting is bad, mkay?

But it will be 'washed off' by the the merest sprinkle of rain (actually water contaminated with abrasive particles that your wheel provides in great quanity).

Note I've even included parenthesis that indicate that 'washed off' is not meant to be taken literally!

When properly waxed, such chain create a 'watertight' and highly resilient seal of flexible wax and oil inside your pin-plate interface that does not let any water-borne abrasives to penetrate it.

A typical candle (low melting point, high crystallinity) wax is hard, brittle and has NO adhesion to metal at all. Hence, it would quickly flake off pretty much everywhere. Yea, it would still remain trapped in the pin-plate interface in miniscule amounts, that would still be enough to lubricate it for quite a while (hundreds of miles), but it would NOT form a "seal" hence once you hit water filled with dirt (abrasive particles) - they would quickly migrate into pin-plate interface, scour away the remaning paraffin and continue on their 'dirty job'.
Once the chain dry up, they would start 'squaking' immediately (before that the water itself would actually serve as a kind of 'lubricant').

Actually, this 'dry running' may in fact STILL be preferable to using wet oil that would trap those abrasive particles and continue supplying them into the friction pairs.
There are some experiments I've read online by people who been dry-running their chains, and they've been getting a bit MORE lifetime of their chains compared to wet-lubing them.

Using a right mix of waxes and greases makes the chain nearly impenetrable to contaminants - I've tried it all myself for thousands of kilometres, I know what I'm talking about.

Though, when 'watts' are concerned, using tacky waxes and greases might reduce efficiency not unlike using heavy oil does. Still, my goal is mostly about chain longevity in all conditions (both ultimate and 'per application'). If your goal is different, your composition should be different.

 

[Balor]

Your experiences are completely opposite of mine. My candle wax sticks fine to metal. My chains lasts miles and miles longer than they use too. You flakey spill sounds great but reality is even candle wax is soft not brittle. Maybe in really cold climates? But on the real roads around here the road temperature and low melt point of candle wax has them a little softer than I like. Why because its sticky and picks up dirt. Put this one down as another one of your facts you might consider re-looking at.

Well, it simply means that YOUR candles are made from a wax with high content of micro-crystalline waxes and, likely, oils too. I've tried a few candles before turning to mixing them with beeswax/ceresine mix and all of them have been NOT sticky at all, flaked off extremely fast and, again, one short ride in the rain and need to 'rewax' ASAP.
This is why, if you want consistent results, you should be using not 'candle wax' (unless you have a SPECIFIC brand of candles in mind), but, say, wax from candle shops supplies:

http://www.candlesandsupplies.net/Candle-Making/Straight-Paraffin-Mottling-Wax
http://www.candlesandsupplies.net/Candle-Making/High-Meltpoint-Wax
http://www.candlesandsupplies.net/Candle-Making/Wax-Additives

 

[ak-tux]

I also wax may chain. I use ordinary parrafin candle wax mixed with some 2 to 3 tablespoons of some type of engine oil treatment with Teflon or PTFE. The engine treatment makes the wax less brittle and sticks to the chain longer. I usually re-use my wax over and over until it's too dirty.

I read followed this document: http://www.socalvelo.com/sub/misc/chainwax.htm.

Another good document with pictures is here: http://felixwong.com/2006/08/waxed-bicycle-chains/

 

[DavidCH]

Oh my.... now I don't even need to heat the wax! (I will though because I bought enough wax to last me years. But this stuff below looks really cool)

CeramicSpeed’s new UFO Drip chain coating is supposedly the fastest available – despite becoming solid on the chain

http://flip.it/z5veK1