Chains

On Sunday, December 8, 2013 9:26:35 PM UTC-5, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Sunday, December 8, 2013 6:13:59 PM UTC-5, James wrote:



"Metal conditioner". Huh?



Sulphur additive?



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_pressure_additive



Hmm. Maybe my hot wax blend should include a squirt of 80w90 EP gear

oil, along with the MoS2 grease.



I think my current batch of chain wax has 80W90 gear oil, rather than plain motor oil, mixed in to it.



Trouble is, I mix up one of these batches only once per decade or so, and I don't remember for sure what's in this one. But it's dark green and smells funny, kind of like gear lube, so I think that's what it is.



IIRC, the first batch I ever mixed used plain motor oil in with the wax. Then I read an article in _Machine Design_ magazine where some researchers were enthusiastically testing boric acid as a lubricant additive for situations I judged similar to a bike chain. Supposedly, initial results said its crystals had the same low-friction shear action as MoS2 but with greater resistance to moisture. So I tried mixing some boric acid powder into my previous mix. I used it for a while with uncertain benefit.



But then I carried my bike on a rear rack of a car for a 3 hour freeway trip in January. The bike ended up coated with road salt, and the chain was rusted unbelievably. Rightly or wrongly, I blamed the boric acid for helping that rust, and pitched the batch. Again, I'm pretty sure this is the next batch, and I think it's got gear lube.



I'll try to remember to take notes on the next batch. After ten years pass, that is.



- Frank Krygowski

Frank Krygowski wrote:

:Trouble is, I mix up one of these batches only once per decade or so, and I don't remember for sure what's in this one. But it's dark green and smells funny, kind of like gear lube, so I think that's what it is.

:I'll try to remember to take notes on the next batch. After ten years pass, that is.

Just buy a bottle of CHain-L.

--
sig 120

On Sunday, December 8, 2013 9:26:35 PM UTC-5, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Sunday, December 8, 2013 6:13:59 PM UTC-5, James wrote:



"Metal conditioner". Huh?



Sulphur additive?



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_pressure_additive



Hmm. Maybe my hot wax blend should include a squirt of 80w90 EP gear

oil, along with the MoS2 grease.



I think my current batch of chain wax has 80W90 gear oil, rather than plain motor oil, mixed in to it.



Trouble is, I mix up one of these batches only once per decade or so, and I don't remember for sure what's in this one. But it's dark green and smells funny, kind of like gear lube, so I think that's what it is.



IIRC, the first batch I ever mixed used plain motor oil in with the wax. Then I read an article in _Machine Design_ magazine where some researchers were enthusiastically testing boric acid as a lubricant additive for situations I judged similar to a bike chain. Supposedly, initial results said its crystals had the same low-friction shear action as MoS2 but with greater resistance to moisture. So I tried mixing some boric acid powder into my previous mix. I used it for a while with uncertain benefit.



But then I carried my bike on a rear rack of a car for a 3 hour freeway trip in January. The bike ended up coated with road salt, and the chain was rusted unbelievably. Rightly or wrongly, I blamed the boric acid for helping that rust, and pitched the batch. Again, I'm pretty sure this is the next batch, and I think it's got gear lube.



I'll try to remember to take notes on the next batch. After ten years pass, that is.



- Frank Krygowski

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

so why add wax ? wax is inferior to cebum...why not cook in synth gear lube ?

so how does Finish Line take this turn ? I'm guessing Velo was low low on chain oil advert$ so no prob dissing the 'industry'

On Sunday, December 8, 2013 9:40:46 PM UTC-5, wrote:

so why add wax ? wax is inferior to cebum...why not cook in synth gear lube ?

It's misleading to ask why I "add" wax. Wax is the primary component of what goes on my chain. What I "add" is perhaps 10% or less of some other oily substance (gear lube, I think). So a better phrasing is "So why do you use wax?"

The answer is because it keeps the chain, the bike, and my pants far cleaner than any of the many oily chain lubes I tried in the past. It gives suitably long chain and sprocket life, according to my experience and at least according to one real-world test. Using my method, it takes less time than carefully applying oil PLUS cleaning the oily grime off the bike. It works best for me.

But you use what you like, of course. I'm not trying to change anyone's religion.

- Frank Krygowski

On Sunday, December 8, 2013 6:26:35 PM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Sunday, December 8, 2013 6:13:59 PM UTC-5, James wrote:



"Metal conditioner". Huh?



Sulphur additive?



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_pressure_additive



Hmm. Maybe my hot wax blend should include a squirt of 80w90 EP gear

oil, along with the MoS2 grease.



I think my current batch of chain wax has 80W90 gear oil, rather than plain motor oil, mixed in to it.



Trouble is, I mix up one of these batches only once per decade or so, and I don't remember for sure what's in this one. But it's dark green and smells funny, kind of like gear lube, so I think that's what it is.



IIRC, the first batch I ever mixed used plain motor oil in with the wax. Then I read an article in _Machine Design_ magazine where some researchers were enthusiastically testing boric acid as a lubricant additive for situations I judged similar to a bike chain. Supposedly, initial results said its crystals had the same low-friction shear action as MoS2 but with greater resistance to moisture. So I tried mixing some boric acid powder into my previous mix. I used it for a while with uncertain benefit.



But then I carried my bike on a rear rack of a car for a 3 hour freeway trip in January. The bike ended up coated with road salt, and the chain was rusted unbelievably. Rightly or wrongly, I blamed the boric acid for helping that rust,


Probably rightly:

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/me...nce-d_491.html

... and pitched the batch. Again, I'm pretty sure this is the next batch, and I think it's got gear lube.

I'll try to remember to take notes on the next batch. After ten years pass, that is.

On Wednesday, December 11, 2013 5:38:23 PM UTC-5, Dan O wrote:
On Sunday, December 8, 2013 6:26:35 PM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:

IIRC, the first batch I ever mixed used plain motor oil in with the wax.. Then I read an article in _Machine Design_ magazine where some researchers were enthusiastically testing boric acid as a lubricant additive for situations I judged similar to a bike chain. Supposedly, initial results said its crystals had the same low-friction shear action as MoS2 but with greater resistance to moisture. So I tried mixing some boric acid powder into my previous mix. I used it for a while with uncertain benefit.

But then I carried my bike on a rear rack of a car for a 3 hour freeway trip in January. The bike ended up coated with road salt, and the chain was rusted unbelievably. Rightly or wrongly, I blamed the boric acid for helping that rust,

Probably rightly:

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/me...nce-d_491.html

Good find. Thanks.

- Frank Krygowski