Final steps when chain cleaning

I ride a Trek Liquid 20 in Singapore. That means inordinate amounts
of mud and water.

I've been wondering about the cleaning and lubricating process.

I end up doing things the way Park Tools advocates...
http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/CM5.shtml

Where I'm puzzled is the "drying the chain with a rag" bit, after
cleaning/rinsing the chain and before lubricating it.

The thing I've noticed is, "yeah, I can get the moisture off the
plates and things, but if you look in the cracks and crevices, you can
see that there is definitely water trapped here and there. All the
rag-wiping in the world isn't going to drain it out.

I think about the only thing you could do would be to run a hair dryer
on the chain. Or perhaps if you let the chain sit out overnight it
would mostly evaporate (or rust...)

So what should I do? and how long to wait after "wiping with rag" to
actually spray on the lubricant?

Michael Slater wrote:

I think about the only thing you could do would be to run a hair dryer
on the chain. Or perhaps if you let the chain sit out overnight it
would mostly evaporate (or rust...)
I know a lot of people who go to a gas station where they have a device to
inflate tires. They use that to dry the chain.

I would move to a drier country after reading what you have to go through
when cleaning the chain ;-)

Greets, Derk

On Sun, 27 Jul 2003 12:22:51 GMT, Paul Kopit
wrote:

On 27 Jul 2003 01:03:09 -0700, (Michael
Slater) wrote:

I think about the only thing you could do would be to run a hair dryer
on the chain. Or perhaps if you let the chain sit out overnight it
would mostly evaporate (or rust...)

So what should I do? and how long to wait after "wiping with rag" to
actually spray on the lubricant?

Keep 2 chains and one can dry while the other is in use.

It would take a long time with a hair dryer. In the oven or in a
frying pan might work.

Yea but he's keeping the chain on his bike. I don't see why it would
take so long with a hair dryer. 5 minutes?


If drying the chain became a regular ritual,
I'd rinse in 99% isopropanol (rubbing alcohol). Acetone would work
better but it costs more.

How does this work? Does that stuff replace the water and then
evaporate?

Thanks,
Thunder9

On 27 Jul 2003 01:03:09 -0700, (Michael
Slater) wrote:

The thing I've noticed is, "yeah, I can get the moisture off the
plates and things, but if you look in the cracks and crevices, you can
see that there is definitely water trapped here and there. All the
rag-wiping in the world isn't going to drain it out.

I think about the only thing you could do would be to run a hair dryer
on the chain. Or perhaps if you let the chain sit out overnight it
would mostly evaporate (or rust...)

So what should I do? and how long to wait after "wiping with rag" to
actually spray on the lubricant?

Srpay it down with WD40, that will disperse any moisture left in the
chain. Wipe it down, then apply lube.

G

On 27 Jul 2003 01:03:09 -0700, (Michael
Slater) may have said:

Where I'm puzzled is the "drying the chain with a rag" bit, after
cleaning/rinsing the chain and before lubricating it.

The thing I've noticed is, "yeah, I can get the moisture off the
plates and things, but if you look in the cracks and crevices, you can
see that there is definitely water trapped here and there. All the
rag-wiping in the world isn't going to drain it out.

No, but there's a good chance that the chain lube will displace the
water anyway, removing it from contact with the metal surfaces. The
less water that's present to be displaced, though, the better.

I think about the only thing you could do would be to run a hair dryer
on the chain. Or perhaps if you let the chain sit out overnight it
would mostly evaporate (or rust...)

I believe that your climate is very similar to where I grew up, in
which case it would be more likely to rust. It would be better to get
the lubricant on to the chain right away.

So what should I do? and how long to wait after "wiping with rag" to
actually spray on the lubricant?

My advice: Don't wait at all. If your chain lube doesn't displace
the moisture that's present when you're lubricating it, will it really
be able to protect the chain while you're riding in wet conditions?

If you're adventurous, then you may want to try the chain cleaning and
lubricating method advocated by another of the frequent contributors
here. He suggests a hot wax dip immediately after using conventional
cleaning methods; heat paraffin wax to slightly more than the boiling
point of water, drop the wet chain in it, wait until the sizzle
subsides (which shows that the hot wax has both removed the water and
fully penetrated the chain) and then fish the chain out with a piece
of wire. As soon as the chain cools just enough to be safe to handle
(but before the wax has fully hardened) the chain is reinstalled and
the bike is *immediately* ridden, to prevent the chain from freezing
in position due to wax adhesion. This also removes the excess wax.
He contends that no additional lube is needed, and that the chain will
pick up less dirt with this method than with regular lube. I have one
bike on which I'm trying his method, and it seems to be working so
far, but it hasn't been in service long enough for me to be able to
say for sure. The principal problems with the method lie in the area
of heating the wax without running the risk of igniting it. He
suggests doing it in a pan on the stove; I melted it in a small,
covered baking pan in an oven set for about 120C. You must make sure
that you do not approach the flash point of the paraffin, which is at
just about 200C, as it will spontaneously ignite if you do.

--
My email address is antispammed;
pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Yes, I have a killfile. If I don't respond to something,
it's also possible that I'm busy.

On Sun, 27 Jul 2003 13:27:33 GMT, (Thunder9) may
have said:

Yea but he's keeping the chain on his bike. I don't see why it would
take so long with a hair dryer. 5 minutes?

If you've ever lived in a climate like that, you know that drying a
chain with a hair dryer would be likely to take on the order of half
an hour. Around here, I'd expect the hair dryer to speed the process
only a little; the occluded water in the link joints and rollers has
little exposed surface area, and the links would have to be heated
quite a bit before the rate of evaporation would increase much. Metal
absorbs a lot of heat without a lot of temperature change.

If drying the chain became a regular ritual,
I'd rinse in 99% isopropanol (rubbing alcohol). Acetone would work
better but it costs more.

How does this work? Does that stuff replace the water and then
evaporate?

Water and isopropyl alcohol are soluble in each other; using the
alcohol as a rinse replaces most of the water with the alcohol, which
then evaporates rapidly; the remaining amount of water is then usually
so slight that it quickly evaporates as well. I have used this method
in other applications. (I generally use denatured alcohol, though,
because it's cheaper.)

--
My email address is antispammed;
pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Yes, I have a killfile. If I don't respond to something,
it's also possible that I'm busy.

"Werehatrack" wrote
My advice: Don't wait at all. If your chain lube doesn't displace
the moisture that's present when you're lubricating it, will it really
be able to protect the chain while you're riding in wet conditions?

If you're adventurous, then you may want to try the chain cleaning and
lubricating method advocated by another of the frequent contributors
here. He suggests a hot wax dip immediately after using conventional
cleaning methods; heat paraffin wax to slightly more than the boiling
point of water, drop the wet chain in it, wait until the sizzle
subsides (which shows that the hot wax has both removed the water and
fully penetrated the chain) and then fish the chain out with a piece
of wire. As soon as the chain cools just enough to be safe to handle
(but before the wax has fully hardened) the chain is reinstalled and
the bike is *immediately* ridden, to prevent the chain from freezing
in position due to wax adhesion. This also removes the excess wax.
He contends that no additional lube is needed, and that the chain will
pick up less dirt with this method than with regular lube. I have one
bike on which I'm trying his method, and it seems to be working so
far, but it hasn't been in service long enough for me to be able to
say for sure. The principal problems with the method lie in the area
of heating the wax without running the risk of igniting it. He
suggests doing it in a pan on the stove; I melted it in a small,
covered baking pan in an oven set for about 120C. You must make sure
that you do not approach the flash point of the paraffin, which is at
just about 200C, as it will spontaneously ignite if you do.

I experimented with waxing chains for a while- I found that the safest
method of melting the wax was a double boiler. I would put the wax in a
small open can, and put the can in a pot of boiling water. The boiling water
would be hot enough to melt the wax, but a long ways below the flash point
of the paraffin. A second benefit was that the water in the pot would keep
the wax hot and molten for a good while after I took it off the stove,
allowing better penetration of the wax into the chain. This used to be a
popular method of cleaning and lubing chains, especially in wet climates.
Opinions vary as to whether additional lube is needed; I've seen bike chain
specific waxes on the market, and heard reports of people blending lubes
into the wax.

Lately I've been removing the chain from the bike, dunking it in citrus
degreaser (or automotive Simple Green), wiping it dry, and lubing it and
putting it back on the bike. Would combining this with waxing the chain be
appropriate in a humid climate?
--
mark

http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq/FAQ/8d.2.html

--
Robin Hubert

"Michael Slater" wrote in message
om...
I ride a Trek Liquid 20 in Singapore. That means inordinate amounts
of mud and water.

I've been wondering about the cleaning and lubricating process.

I end up doing things the way Park Tools advocates...
http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/CM5.shtml

Where I'm puzzled is the "drying the chain with a rag" bit, after
cleaning/rinsing the chain and before lubricating it.

The thing I've noticed is, "yeah, I can get the moisture off the
plates and things, but if you look in the cracks and crevices, you can
see that there is definitely water trapped here and there. All the
rag-wiping in the world isn't going to drain it out.

I think about the only thing you could do would be to run a hair dryer
on the chain. Or perhaps if you let the chain sit out overnight it
would mostly evaporate (or rust...)

So what should I do? and how long to wait after "wiping with rag" to
actually spray on the lubricant?

On Sun, 27 Jul 2003 14:56:41 GMT, "mark"
may have said:

I experimented with waxing chains for a while- I found that the safest
method of melting the wax was a double boiler. I would put the wax in a
small open can, and put the can in a pot of boiling water. The boiling water
would be hot enough to melt the wax, but a long ways below the flash point
of the paraffin.

This also keeps the temp of the wax just below the boiling point of
water, though, and part of what I was trying to accomplish was to use
the vaporization of the water to drive out all the moisture and carry
any small amount of remaining crud with it; sort of an instant
steam-cleaning. The flash point of the wax is at 200C (395F), so
heating it in the oven at 250F seemed to be a reasonable procedure,
and in fact presents no apparent major hazard as long as the pan is
handled with due care and the oven is turned off when the pan is being
moved. (The latter is simply a safety precaution; I have a gas oven.)

Lately I've been removing the chain from the bike, dunking it in citrus
degreaser (or automotive Simple Green), wiping it dry, and lubing it and
putting it back on the bike. Would combining this with waxing the chain be
appropriate in a humid climate?

That's similar to what I've done with one of mine; I used an
automotive degreaser, then pressure-washed the chain, and then waxed
it. This is a wet climate by some people's reckoning[1], but I seldom
ride in the wet since I don't have fenders on any of my bikes yet. I
just waxed that chain a week or two ago, so I'm not ready to pronounce
the experiment either a success or a disappointment just yet. So far,
though, it's working, and if it turns out to be less effective than
I'd like, I doubt that the presence of the wax will interfere with
simply relubricating the chain conventionally. Ergo, there appears to
be no *drawback* to using the wax.

There's a bike shop nearby that rents units for people to ride on the
bike trails in the large city park that's close to them. I may stop
in and ask them what they use for lube on their fleet, since those
trails get muddy when it rains and they're sandy and dusty when it's
dry.


[1] I don't consider Houston particularly wet, but then, I grew up in
Miami, where there's probably three times as much rain. I get the
strangest looks when I tell folks that I moved here for the cool, dry
climate and the presence of four distinct seasons...but that's the way
it seems to me.

--
My email address is antispammed;
pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Yes, I have a killfile. If I don't respond to something,
it's also possible that I'm busy.

In article ,
(Thunder9) writes:

If drying the chain became a regular ritual,
I'd rinse in 99% isopropanol (rubbing alcohol). Acetone would work
better but it costs more.

How does this work? Does that stuff replace the water and then
evaporate?


Alcohol and water combine to form a mixture (I think it's called an azotropic
mixture) that evaporates more easily than the water does. I little fact of
physical chemistry that bedevils alcohol distilation.

Personally I wouldn't use water at all. I use paint thinner with good results.
It evaporates quickly and it doesn't promote rust. .

Tom Gibb