Another chain wax question - just using drip wax

[Turkle]

Hi, everyone. Since I store my bikes inside my home, I've been considering waxing my chains for a while now... Seems like a nice way to keep things WAY cleaner.

But the idea of using a crock pot and all that headache..... no way, man.

So I was intrigued to read this article:

https://www.tobedetermined.cc/journa...wax-your-chain

(Read the section labeled "Simple")

The cool thing here is that once the chain is cleaned, this author doesn't even bother with the full-wax bath. They're just using the drip wax, applied every 200 miles or so.

Now, this is a level of commitment I could get behind. Spend a day cleaning my chains, then throw them back on the bike and just apply the drip wax and we're all set.

My question: Is anyone else using this method?? Only using drip wax and not bothering with the full wax bath? Any feedback to share?? Does this actually work 98% as well as the full wax bath?

Thanks!

[litcrazy]

I can’t compare the long term results, but I was using squirt and smoove before immersion wax. I now immerse first and once in a while and use Silca drip wax in between. I’ve been quite happy with this. Immerse once, drip frequently for 1000 miles, rotate in a new chain and immerse. I plan to rotate 2 or 3 chains this way.
The thing I’ve found is the magic of drip wax, like immersion, only emerged after I become fastidious about the initial cleaning.
When used on a mostly degreased chain, it combined with the residual grease and wasn’t nearly as clean.
So with either method, the initial cleaning seems like the hardest and most important step.
Having switched to Silca chain stripper for my last batch, the process felt a whole lot easier.

[NHAero]

As Litcrazy has done, I started with Squirt and then moved on to the harder stuff. My dealer/pusher is a guy named Poertner.

I definitely experienced that moving from petro-based lubes to drip wax was an upgrade, chains lasted longer and were so much cleaner.

[nmrt]

Yep. I am using this method. Was using varying lubes before -- White Lightning, Muc Off, Squirt, Goldlink (?). But one day, I spent a few hours cleaning them with the Silca Chain Stripper followed by Silca Super Secret. While I was not fully satisfied with the results of the Chain Stripper (my fault, should have spent more time), the chain after the application of the drip wax runs quieter, is cleaner, and the lubrication last longer.

Originally Posted by Turkle

Hi, everyone. Since I store my bikes inside my home, I've been considering waxing my chains for a while now... Seems like a nice way to keep things WAY cleaner.

But the idea of using a crock pot and all that headache..... no way, man.

So I was intrigued to read this article:

https://www.tobedetermined.cc/journa...wax-your-chain

(Read the section labeled "Simple")

The cool thing here is that once the chain is cleaned, this author doesn't even bother with the full-wax bath. They're just using the drip wax, applied every 200 miles or so.

Now, this is a level of commitment I could get behind. Spend a day cleaning my chains, then throw them back on the bike and just apply the drip wax and we're all set.

My question: Is anyone else using this method?? Only using drip wax and not bothering with the full wax bath? Any feedback to share?? Does this actually work 98% as well as the full wax bath?

Thanks!

[Turkle]

Originally Posted by nmrt

Yep. I am using this method. Was using varying lubes before -- White Lightning, Muc Off, Squirt, Goldlink (?). But one day, I spent a few hours cleaning them with the Silca Chain Stripper followed by Silca Super Secret. While I was not fully satisfied with the results of the Chain Stripper (my fault, should have spent more time), the chain after the application of the drip wax runs quieter, is cleaner, and the lubrication last longer.

Great, thanks. It's not clear from the website - is the Silca chain-stripper usable on already-worn chains, or do I have to use it on a new chain?

[Jdm]

I used squirt for years until I read this article (paywall) that showed how immersive waxing was much better than drip wax. It doesn't show how immersive waxing combined with drip wax performs.

Even though I have a bottle of Silca Super Secret, I never use it. For me, it's easier to wax my chains (4 in rotation) than to bother with drip lube each week.

My super simple process:
- track chain mileage by bike with my Garmin
- when a chain hits 180-200 miles, replace it with a waxed chain. Put the old chain on a wire hanger so it's folded and looks like a rectangle.
- Repeat until I don't have any more fresh chains.
- When all my chains need waxing, stack them flat in my super small cheap crockpot on top of the hard wax. Set to low. Come back in about 3 hours (it's flexible) when the wax is melted and the chains are soaking in wax.
- Pull out a chain, let it drip for 20 seconds, then hang
- After all chains are hung, take them off the hangers, run them over a stick to break the wax, then hang the chains on the wall from a nail.
- Install a clean chain with the same quick link. I don't wax quick links because I don't want to lose them in the pot.

[.RJ]

Originally Posted by Turkle

Great, thanks. It's not clear from the website - is the Silca chain-stripper usable on already-worn chains, or do I have to use it on a new chain?

You can, but it will take 2 or sometimes 3 rounds of cleaning to get a used chain properly clean.

I have switched to drip wax and while its far better than the rock & roll it replaced I dont think its a replacement for the crockpot wax. The chain will still get a little dirty/grimy, just not nearly as bad.

[Turkle]

Originally Posted by Jdm

I used squirt for years until I read this article (paywall) that showed how immersive waxing was much better than drip wax. It doesn't show how immersive waxing combined with drip wax performs.

Even though I have a bottle of Silca Super Secret, I never use it. For me, it's easier to wax my chains (4 in rotation) than to bother with drip lube each week.

My super simple process:
- track chain mileage by bike with my Garmin
- when a chain hits 180-200 miles, replace it with a waxed chain. Put the old chain on a wire hanger so it's folded and looks like a rectangle.
- Repeat until I don't have any more fresh chains.
- When all my chains need waxing, stack them flat in my super small cheap crockpot on top of the hard wax. Set to low. Come back in about 3 hours (it's flexible) when the wax is melted and the chains are soaking in wax.
- Pull out a chain, let it drip for 20 seconds, then hang
- After all chains are hung, take them off the hangers, run them over a stick to break the wax, then hang the chains on the wall from a nail.
- Install a clean chain with the same quick link. I don't wax quick links because I don't want to lose them in the pot.

Ha - simple for you, maybe!! I have 6 bikes, using chains from 6-speed to 12-speed... I need a solution that I can easily maintain across many drivetrains.

[makoti]

What is this headache of which you speak?
Crockpot sits on a shelf until needed. Turned on, chain goes in. Crockpot sits, happily warming the chain and wax. It causes no disturbances while it works. After two hours of doing other chores, you return to find the crockpot, still sitting quietly, ready to be turned off. You do so, remove the chain, wipe it off, let it dry.
You need aspirin for that?

[Jdm]

Originally Posted by Turkle

Ha - simple for you, maybe!! I have 6 bikes, using chains from 6-speed to 12-speed... I need a solution that I can easily maintain across many drivetrains.

If I were you, I wouldn’t wax either unless you wanted to own at least 2 of each chain.

Squirt may be the way to go. However, you need to completely clean each chain with multiple rinses of mineral spirits and denatured alcohol. Just degreaser never worked well for me.

[eddief]

https://www.amazon.com/DuPont-Chain-...69&sr=8-6&th=1

Can't wait to see how it changes my life.

I want to believe this reviewer:

I have been using Boeshield and White Lightning as my go-to chain lubes for now 25+ years and I have been really satisfied with the results. Recently, I started cleaning my road and mountain bike chains and cassettes in an ultrasonic cleaner and getting them perfectly clean. Instead of waxing my chains, I decided on this Dupont drip wax for my road bikes this summer and couldn't be happier. The chains haves been impeccably clean and they runs super quiet (Dura-Ace drivetrain should). With an exception of my winter fat bike, this lube will be on all of my bikes from now on. Couldn't be happier with the results.

[BdaGhisallo]

Originally Posted by makoti

What is this headache of which you speak?
Crockpot sits on a shelf until needed. Turned on, chain goes in. Crockpot sits, happily warming the chain and wax. It causes no disturbances while it works. After two hours of doing other chores, you return to find the crockpot, still sitting quietly, ready to be turned off. You do so, remove the chain, wipe it off, let it dry.
You need aspirin for that?

Agreed. 95% of the work with waxing is the initial stripping of the factory grease on a new chain. Immersive waxing is not much of a chore and the benefits are plentiful.

[gravelreformist]

For your bikes you ride every day, I agree, you'll want multiple chains. For bikes that mostly sit, one chain is enough.

As stated, it's really the initial stripping of all the oils from existing chains that is time consuming. Once your entire fleet is waxed, it requires very little maintenance and what it does require is quite simple.

I don't find the drip wax to provide the same longevity of full immersion, and while I use it from time to time to extend the interval between immersions, I have found using drip wax alone results in excess build-up over time. The immersion part is so easy once you get set up for it that it's well worth the initial effort.

[Dave]

I've used my home made, pennies per ounce, drip lube for years now. I get great chain life and a clean drivetrain. I relube about every 150 miles or weekly in the summer. I take my chain off about every 600 miles for a real cleaning.

I weigh the lube ingredients on a food scale and combine 1 part paraffin with 20-30% heavy gear lube, then add 6-8 parts naphtha/camp stove fuel. If the oil and paraffin is melted together and left to cool, it's still solid paraffin that's a little softer than pure paraffin.

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by Jdm

Put the old chain on a wire hanger so it's folded and looks like a rectangle.

We're gonna need to see a picture.
I can't figure out how "wire hanger" --- which is usually sort of triangular in my experience --- yields "rectangle"
Thanks.