White spirit chain cleaning question

[meic]

though wide mouth plastic drinks bottles would work equally as well.

Does this make the English water more palatable?

[reohn2]

though wide mouth plastic drinks bottles would work equally as well.

Does this make the English water more palatable?

Possibly,though because we're used to it visiting other 'countries' the clear mountain water can come as a bit of a shock

[iandriver]

What I took from the kmc article wasn't to follow it to the letter, but to be aware of how possible it is to completely strip your chain. I've no doubt there are great ways to clean a chain. Its the letting it dry properly and ensuring every link is then lubed that's the big bit. No stranger to jam jars myself.

[iandriver]

So, has anyone tried one of this vacuum bags that chefs use to quick marinate meat? Pop the chain and a bunch of lube in and presto

[Mick F]

Shove it in the microwave?


I suppose having a plastic bad dedicated to chain lube can't be a bad idea. Clean dry chain popped in there with some lube and given a good squishing and squeezing.

[freeflow]

My favoured lubricant is currently Purple Extreme which does require a nice clean chain to work well.

I tried it once and thought it was too thick for my liking and attracted road muck.I've been using TF2 aerosol for a few years now and find it the best for keeping the chain clean whilst still well lubed reapplication is needed after three or four rides,it does wash off in prolonged all day rain though.

Purple Extreme is one of the very thin lubricants that you apply the day before and allow to 'dry'. Similar in viscosity to white spirit. It wicks in around the rollers very quickly. I find it picks up a small amount of road grime after 2-300km but that in general my whole drive train stays very clean and runs very smoothly.

[reohn2]

My favoured lubricant is currently Purple Extreme which does require a nice clean chain to work well.

I tried it once and thought it was too thick for my liking and attracted road muck.I've been using TF2 aerosol for a few years now and find it the best for keeping the chain clean whilst still well lubed reapplication is needed after three or four rides,it does wash off in prolonged all day rain though.

Purple Extreme is one of the very thin lubricants that you apply the day before and allow to 'dry'. Similar in viscosity to white spirit. It wicks in around the rollers very quickly. I find it picks up a small amount of road grime after 2-300km but that in general my whole drive train stays very clean and runs very smoothly.

Forgive me,I must have it mixed up with another of the many lubes I've tried

EDIT:- Just checked it out.
I haven't tried that one,and at £10 for 120ml I don't think will be any time soon it's a bit steep is that,by comparison TF2 is £5 for 450ml with reapplication at around the same kind of mileage.

[CREPELLO]

What I took from the kmc article wasn't to follow it to the letter, but to be aware of how possible it is to completely strip your chain.

If you mean, strip the chain of all the manufacturer lube (?), I would sooner strip that all out, knowing that I had a completely clean chain, than try to lightly clean the dirt off, in the hope that some of the original lube stayed intact and probably contaminated.

Its the letting it dry properly and ensuring every link is then lubed that's the big bit.

The big bit must surely be getting the chain is grit free as possible. I agree that getting it dry is an issue though, if water has been used as a rinse. I think it was Brucey that I first heard mention that if you unfortunate to live in a hard water area even drying a chain in the oven can lead to a limescale residue. How much of problem this is, I don't know, although the stuff that accumulates inside a kettle has the roughness of sandpaper. Chasing the water out with WD40 or similar might be the best option.

I had tended to clean with white spirit, in a chain scrubber, until that recently broke and I felt that it never got rid of all the grit. I now use a small jam jar, with several changes of WS. Last time I tried to get as much grit out as possible without resort to a water rinse...and failed. I have avoided the water rinse because I feel that the WS can act as a very effective carrier for any lube before it evaporates. It also avoids any white spirit going down the drain, which is not a good thing, even if it does seem like a minuscule amount.

The water rinse does seem to get rid of every last bit of grit.

SO, to water rinse, or not to rinse, that IS the question

[CREPELLO]

I prefer Gunk - engine degreaser - as it's water-soluable and my chain can be washed in hot soapy water afterwards and hung up to dry. WS is fine, I've used it, but I prefer Gunk.

Mick, can you reuse Gunk, ie, does the gunk in Gunk settle out in a jar?

[Arthur_Scrimshaw]

I remove the chain (quick link) drop it into an empty 4 pint plastic milk container, add a bit of white spirit, lid back on and with my thumb over the lid (I learned this is important through bitter experience) give it a good shake. Leave for 10 minutes or so, give it another good shake. Pour out the WS into a takeaway container and use with a paint brush to clean other mucky bits. Clean residue off chain with a rag. Hang up to dry then lube. I also use a rag with a bit of WS to wipe the chain in between proper cleaning as I find some of the modern lubes like muc off dry to a very sticky film which is hard to shift - then add fresh lube.

[beardy]

I use paraffin because I have an easy supply of it.

However I tried some solvents while cleaning out a bearing recently, including white spirit) and decided that petrol was noticeably the best, I think it is because the others are a bit too viscous.

[Mick F]

I prefer Gunk - engine degreaser - as it's water-soluable and my chain can be washed in hot soapy water afterwards and hung up to dry. WS is fine, I've used it, but I prefer Gunk.

Mick, can you reuse Gunk, ie, does the gunk in Gunk settle out in a jar?

Yes, though not as clear as white sprit does.

I have a plastic Tupperware sort of jar with a screwtop sealed lid. Approx 6" tall, tapered from 2" diam at the bottom, to 3" at the top. Cost less than a quid.

I put a couple of inches of Gunk in and then the chain, screw on the lid, and do the Maxwell House Shake etc.
After two or three uses, the Gunk level is noticeably down because you take some of it away each time you fish the chain out.

I let it what's left settle over a week or so (?) and gently pour off what I can into a clean jar for re-pouring with new Gunk back into my screwtop plastic jar after cleaning it out.

When I fish my chain out, I let the Gunk dribble back into the jar, but as Gunk is a bit thicker than WS, it lingers somewhat on the chain. Maybe I was more fastidious and patient, I could hang the chain up over the jar and wait until it's all dribbled off.

So yes, you can let it settle and pour off the clean top levels.

[Psamathe]

I prefer Gunk - engine degreaser - as it's water-soluable and my chain can be washed in hot soapy water afterwards and hung up to dry. WS is fine, I've used it, but I prefer Gunk.

Mick, can you reuse Gunk, ie, does the gunk in Gunk settle out in a jar?

Yes, though not as clear as white sprit does.
...

One reason why I'm intending to switch to White Spirit. I currently have a massively overpriced tin of Shimano chain degreaser and even left for ages and ages it does not settle out clear. Decanted off after a few weeks there is some rubbish left in the bottom, but still a pretty grubby looking liquid. I'm hoping White Spirit will settle decently (seems to even with paint, though that is a long process).

Ian

[reohn2]

One reason why I'm intending to switch to White Spirit. I currently have a massively overpriced tin of Shimano chain degreaser and even left for ages and ages it does not settle out clear. Decanted off after a few weeks there is some rubbish left in the bottom, but still a pretty grubby looking liquid. I'm hoping White Spirit will settle decently (seems to even with paint, though that is a long process).

Ian

WS tends to settle fairly clear the first time,after that it's a sort of amber/brown colour with all the crud at the bottom of the jar,I mop this up with a small rag and clean out the jar for re use

[Psamathe]

One reason why I'm intending to switch to White Spirit. I currently have a massively overpriced tin of Shimano chain degreaser and even left for ages and ages it does not settle out clear. Decanted off after a few weeks there is some rubbish left in the bottom, but still a pretty grubby looking liquid. I'm hoping White Spirit will settle decently (seems to even with paint, though that is a long process).

Ian

WS tends to settle fairly clear the first time,after that it's a sort of amber/brown colour with all the crud at the bottom of the jar,I mop this up with a small rag and clean out the jar for re use :)

I find with paint, I have one container in use and one "sitting" and after quite some time (6+ months) the paint crud has mostly settles to a gooey mess at the bottom and virtually clean stuff can be decanted off losing very little (crud at bottom is fairly thick and stays put). To be honest, I not sure how long I leave it to settle but it's a long time as I'm in not hurry whilst I'm using the other container. (And as it's mostly (close to) white paint and I washing-up liquid wash out the brushes after white spirit, I'm not too fussy).

What worries me about my grubby looking degreaser is that it might be losing effectiveness and not betting the crud out of the bearing areas (a bit like soap can bind with fats and then lose its effectiveness).

Ian