Chain waxing + graphite question

In article .com,
"Ozark Bicycle" wrote:

HarryB wrote:

What is the exact name of this product,

It *might* be "DuPont Teflon Multi-Use Lubricant", a liquid with teflon
solids which sets up dry. On the back, it says Mfg. & Dist. By Finish
Line, Inc. I've used it on a number of things (pivots, etc.) with good
results, but never on a chain (I have my own "chain ritual"). The good
news is that a 4oz bottle is ~$3.39 at a big box home improvement
center, so it's much cheaper than stuff with the official Finish Line
label.

Yes, that is it. See
http://www.performancelubricant.dupo...cts_multi.html . It
may be made by Finish Line, but it is sold under the DuPont brand name.
It says it can be used on bicycle chains.

and why is it better than the
hot wax method that I'm now using? My priorities are as follows
(highest priority first):
1) Clean chain
2) Reduced chain wear
3) Low cost
4) Ease of relubing

Because wax is a poor lubricant, doesn't last, and doesn't hold up to
water. I've used the DuPont lubricant on my mountain bike chain, and it
stays clean. I have only tried the squeeze bottle, not the spray.

ProLink is also a good lube, but the chain doesn't stay as clean in the
presence of dirt as with the Teflon lubricant.

--
Mike DeMicco

In article . com,
"Ed Pirrero" wrote:

Mike DeMicco wrote:

Don't use graphite- it's messy and corrosive if the chain gets wet.


Corrosive? How?

E.P.

It's called galvanic corrosion, caused when two dissimilar metals are
brought together in the presence of an electrolyte (e.g., water). Do a
Google search for more information.

--
Mike DeMicco

Mike DeMicco wrote:
In article . com,
"Ed Pirrero" wrote:

Mike DeMicco wrote:

Don't use graphite- it's messy and corrosive if the chain gets wet.


Corrosive? How?

E.P.

It's called galvanic corrosion, caused when two dissimilar metals are
brought together in the presence of an electrolyte (e.g., water). Do a
Google search for more information.

--
Mike DeMicco

Which two dissimilar metals are we talking about here? I don't believe
carbon is a metal.

In article .com,
"flatline" wrote:

Mike DeMicco wrote:
In article . com,
"Ed Pirrero" wrote:

Mike DeMicco wrote:

Don't use graphite- it's messy and corrosive if the chain gets wet.


Corrosive? How?

E.P.

It's called galvanic corrosion, caused when two dissimilar metals are
brought together in the presence of an electrolyte (e.g., water). Do a
Google search for more information.

--
Mike DeMicco

Which two dissimilar metals are we talking about here? I don't believe
carbon is a metal.

I don't know if it is or is not, but frankly I don't care. For the
purposes of galvanic corrosion, graphite is highly incompatible with
steel or aluminum. That is a fact. Look it up. The military has
universally banned graphite in lubricants, just because of the corrosion
problem.

--
Mike DeMicco

On Thu, 09 Feb 2006 09:49:52 -0800, Mike DeMicco
wrote:

[---]

Because wax is a poor lubricant, doesn't last, and doesn't hold up to
water.

That's also what I've often read elsewhere; but surely wax must offer
some advantages - how else do you explain the almost religious fervour
of its proponents?

Andrew Price wrote:

Because wax is a poor lubricant, doesn't last, and doesn't hold up to
water.

That's also what I've often read elsewhere; but surely wax must offer
some advantages - how else do you explain the almost religious fervour
of its proponents?

And the chains also seem to last longer compared to any other lube...

I'm starting to believe that cleanliness of the chains is *very*
important in achieving a long life (and reduced friction)... more so
than lubrication.

In article . com,
"Ron Ruff" wrote:

Andrew Price wrote:

Because wax is a poor lubricant, doesn't last, and doesn't hold up to
water.

That's also what I've often read elsewhere; but surely wax must offer
some advantages - how else do you explain the almost religious fervour
of its proponents?

And the chains also seem to last longer compared to any other lube...

Do you have proof of that? I tried wax, but quickly got tired of having
it fail mid ride; as a minimum causing squeaking and as a maximum,
severe chainsuck. Also, it's worthless when it gets wet. I then tried
blending wax with oil, but that defeated the cleanliness aspect of the
wax. Besides, it was a PITA to go through the whole ritual and has to be
done too often for my liking. Plus the wax flakes off and builds up on
cogs, chainrings and pulleys and thus is not as clean as everyone makes
it out to be.

I'm starting to believe that cleanliness of the chains is *very*
important in achieving a long life (and reduced friction)... more so
than lubrication.

That may be true, but there are other lubes that are fairly clean and
lubricate better and last longer.

--
Mike DeMicco

Mike DeMicco wrote:
In article . com,
"Ed Pirrero" wrote:

Mike DeMicco wrote:

Don't use graphite- it's messy and corrosive if the chain gets wet.


Corrosive? How?

E.P.

It's called galvanic corrosion, caused when two dissimilar metals are
brought together in the presence of an electrolyte (e.g., water). Do a
Google search for more information.

What a polite and informative reply.

E.P.

On Tue, 07 Feb 2006 07:08:22 -0600, HarryB wrote:

I have been hot waxing my chains for the last year or so and have been
quite pleased with the results. Before I rewax I take the still cool
"cake" of wax out of the cooker and scrape off the small amount of
sediment (dirt) that has settled to the bottom of the cake.

I have read that some people recommend adding some graphite to the wax to
help increase the life of the chain. However, if I add graphite to the
wax, wouldn't it settle to the bottom of the wax cake after I'm done with
waxing? In that case, wouldn't I remove the graphite when I scrape off the
sediment, defeating the purpose of adding the graphite?

I would think graphite would be unimaginably messy. Put a little oil in
your wax instead.

Matt O.

On Thu, 09 Feb 2006 09:49:52 -0800, Mike DeMicco
wrote:

In article .com,
"Ozark Bicycle" wrote:

HarryB wrote:

What is the exact name of this product,

It *might* be "DuPont Teflon Multi-Use Lubricant", a liquid with teflon
solids which sets up dry. On the back, it says Mfg. & Dist. By Finish
Line, Inc. I've used it on a number of things (pivots, etc.) with good
results, but never on a chain (I have my own "chain ritual"). The good
news is that a 4oz bottle is ~$3.39 at a big box home improvement
center, so it's much cheaper than stuff with the official Finish Line
label.

Yes, that is it. See
http://www.performancelubricant.dupo...cts_multi.html . It
may be made by Finish Line, but it is sold under the DuPont brand name.
It says it can be used on bicycle chains.

and why is it better than the
hot wax method that I'm now using? My priorities are as follows
(highest priority first):
1) Clean chain
2) Reduced chain wear
3) Low cost
4) Ease of relubing

Because wax is a poor lubricant,

I can't agree. When I replaced the last drive chain on our tandem
(because it broke,) it had just over 2,000 miles on it. I checked it
with a Park Tools chain checker and it measured about 25% stretch. My
timing chain has about 3,200 miles on it and I just checked and it has
not even stretched 25%. (Since this chain is longer than the drive
chain, isn't shifted, and only has my torque on it, I would expect it
to last longer than the drive chain.) These chains have been
thoroughly cleaned of the original lube and only waxed. I submit that
if wax is a poor lubricant I wouldn't be seeing this kind of mileage.

doesn't last,

I suspect that I get at least 700 miles before the chain would start
to squeak. That is much longer between relubing than other lubes I
tried. (We only ride pavement.)

and doesn't hold up to water.
I do agree with that. If the chain only gets slightly wet from riding
in a light rain I didn't have to rewax, but after a downpour it
squeaks immediately. We seldom ride in the rain, so this isn't much of
a concern for me.
I've used the DuPont lubricant on my mountain bike chain, and it
stays clean. I have only tried the squeeze bottle, not the spray.

ProLink is also a good lube, but the chain doesn't stay as clean in the
presence of dirt as with the Teflon lubricant.

I have tried a couple of different lubricants, ProLink being the one I
tried the longest before switching to hot wax. I called ProLink and
followed the directions I was given for the "correct" preparation of
the chain prior to using ProLink (thoroughly saturating the chain with
ProLink.) I don't recall how often I was supposed to relube, but it
involved putting a drop of lube on each link. This takes quite a while
(a tandem has *many* links.) Some of the lube would drip off, so I had
to put down rags or cardboard to absorb the drips. Then I had to leave
the bike sit overnight or the lube would sling off. And, I was told to
be sure to relube after each ride in the rain. Then I needed to run a
cloth over the chain to take off the excess lube before riding after
relubing.

All of this was a lot of work and the chain was not whistle clean like
with the hot wax method. The chain rings, cassette, and rear
derailleur always had a black residue on them. It wasn't a heavy
residue, but it was dirty. Since I try to keep our tandem showroom
clean, a clean drive train is very important to me. Besides, I didn't
like to see a chainring tattoo on my stoker's lovely legs - she's
never had one after I switched to hot waxing.

Harry