On Mon, 12 Nov 2018 21:28:47 -0800, Jeff Liebermann
wrote:

On Tue, 13 Nov 2018 06:52:19 +0700, John B. slocomb
wrote:

I wonder whether this product might not be a useful chain lube
https://tinyurl.com/yc8dwzfp

By now, you should have gotten my clue that it helps to know the
ingredients and what they do.
https://webaps.ellsworth.com/edl/Actions/GetLibraryFile.aspx?document=23592&language=en

Chemical name CAS-No. Concentration (% w/w)
Butane 106-97-8 = 49 - = 67

n-Butyl acetate 123-86-4 = 8 - = 12

Propane 74-98-6 = 8 - = 12

Naphtha (petroleum), hydrodesulfurized heavy
64742-82-1 = 7 - = 11

Molybdenum sulfide 1317-33-5 = 5 - = 7

Polybutyl titanate 9022-96-2 = 3 - = 4

Graphite 7782-42-5 = 1.4 - = 1.8

Ethylbenzene 100-41-4 = 0.12 - = 0.16

The butane and propane are propellants and don't do anything for
lubrication. n-Butyl acetate is another name for acetic acid. My
guess(tm) is that it's used to mask the yucky smell.

Most of the contents is naphtha, which is an oily lubricant found
various forms in most lubricants. Others in the family are mineral
oil, stoddards solvent, kerosene, camp stove oil, petroleum
distillate, etc. These are not identical, but quite similar.

Molybdenum (di)sulfide is a friction reducer and the main lubricating
ingredient in the mix.
https://www.engineersedge.com/lubrication/molybdenum_disulfide_characteristics.htm

Poly butyl titanate (PBT), also known as titanium tetrabutanolate,
seems to be a lubricant that will coat the metal parts with a thin
(possibly nanoparticle) but hard layer of titanium dioxide. It's a
common friction reducing additive to lubricants.
https://res.mdpi.com/lubricants/lubricants-04-00012/article_deploy/lubricants-04-00012.pdf?filename=&attachment=1

Graphite is yet another friction reducer.

The tiny amount of ethylbenzene seems to be to prevent the naphtha
from turning to tar.

So, there's you have my best guess as to how this stuff works. The
problem is that there's nothing listed that would help the lubricant
enter the pin and sleeve area of the chain through capillary action.
If the chain were perfectly clean, I could possibly see it entering
the pin and sleeve, but any old oil, dirt, or wax, will block entry to
the only place where the various friction reducers can work. It might
work if you immersed the chain in a hot solution of this lube, but in
a spray can, that's not going to happen. Spraying the oil on the
surface of the chain isn't going to do anything for lubrication
besides attract dirt.

If one is lubricating a clean chain - I say that as I've seen chains
so dirty that you'd have needed a shovel to clean them - I'm fairly
sure that the mix of naphtha and the actual lubricants will enter the
pin and roller area. At least, another lubricant that I used for a
number of years - a mix of petroleum lubricants and a light carrier
which evaporated leaving a greasy residue - did. Unless, that is, one
could run an unlubricated chain for several years. :-)

cheers,

John B.