more on cleaning
the recent post inplies that most people use soap and water since they clean inside the house. i am wondering if is there any reason (other than environmeltal) that one should not use solvents on the chain & dr's? i always spray off gunk with starting fluid, brake or carb cleaner. its bad for the ozone, but not as bad as a car... -alan |
"alan" wrote: (clip)is there any reason (other than environmeltal) that one should not use solvents on the chain (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Lets say you apply solvent to the chain, by dipping, spraying or wiping, and it penetrates into the link pin clearances. If you then lubricate the chain, the solvent is in the spaces where you want the lubricant to go. You could wind up riding with a clean chain and little or no lubricant in the loaded areas. I like to use a product which is both a lubricant and a solvent, so I am less likely to wind up with dry surfaces inside the chain. |
Exactly what Leo said..
plus the fact that I find using degreasing dish soap to work even better than the expensive solvents! Mike http://mikebeauchamp.com "Leo Lichtman" wrote in message ... "alan" wrote: (clip)is there any reason (other than environmeltal) that one should not use solvents on the chain (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Lets say you apply solvent to the chain, by dipping, spraying or wiping, and it penetrates into the link pin clearances. If you then lubricate the chain, the solvent is in the spaces where you want the lubricant to go. You could wind up riding with a clean chain and little or no lubricant in the loaded areas. I like to use a product which is both a lubricant and a solvent, so I am less likely to wind up with dry surfaces inside the chain. |
"alan" .@. wrote ... the recent post inplies that most people use soap and water since they clean inside the house. i am wondering if is there any reason (other than environmeltal) that one should not use solvents on the chain & dr's? i always spray off gunk with starting fluid, brake or carb cleaner. its bad for the ozone, but not as bad as a car... -alan Citrus based cleaners and Simple Green are cheap, biodegradable, work well, and are not as toxic to you as the products you mentioned. -- mark |
If you use something like gasoline or diesel fuel to clean a chain it
will dry out afterwards but yet leave a microscopic film of lubricant to keep it from rusting inside until you apply a proper lubricant. Even if the insides of the chain are not completely dried out, the solvent will still continue to dry out, leaving just your lubricant. By contrast if you use a soap or detergent to do the cleaning you must dry it thoroughly INSIDE and out, then apply your lubricant. The problem this creates is that you never know if it is dry inside and if it is dry inside, oxidation (rust) begins to take its toll. Greg |
Using "biodegradable" detergents is no better for the environment than using a recyclable solvent system. In fact, if you dispose of the washings improperly, you could be doing MORE damage. Regular paint thinner is an excellent solvent as it dries rapidly yet is not a serious fire hazard like gasoline. Unless you remove the chain and soak/shake, you are only cleaning the outside. If you use oils, the inside of the chain will be just as dirty and that is where the wear happens. Since all grit/dirt settle in paint thinner, one can easily decant the clear thinner for reuse. There are no ozone depleting chemicals available to the general consumer since 1995. -- Weisse Luft |
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