My adventures in chain waxing: goals, reviews, suggestions...

[TobinHatesYou]

Trouble with metal expansion...lmao. I literally put my chains in the slow cooker while the wax is still solid and walk away for an hour.

I do not articulate my chain until I'm in the process of putting it on my drivetrain. I have 5 swishers made out of coathangers and hang the chains by them on one of my garage door tracks until the cool to ambient, then I put the chains+swishers in a plastic tube until I need them.

Man, I thought you were an expert?!

[musiclover]

Man, I thought you were an expert?!

Never said I was. I try to use scientific approach and doubt everything. If the data suggests that this is the right way to do it - I do it. If tomorrow I will be proven otherwise - I will stop doing it without any doubt or regret.

I would not do something without understanding why I do it. Like, for example, why do you break it after it hardens and not at 90, 80, or 60 degrees?

There was a scientific work about paraffin threads lubrication. Their most effective cooling procedure was quite peculiar and specific.

[mikemelbrooks]

1. Length of chain submersion. Some instructions say that the chain must be in the paraffin for at least 10-15 mins so that the chain reaches the temperature of paraffin. Is that a good idea? On the other hand, you may have troubles with metal expansions?..
2. When to break the chain? Most of the guides suggest to fully cool the chain and then break it (usually, without explaining why). This is my pure speculation, but I thought that if you break it while it is still hot the paraffin may get inside of the moving joints right where it is needed? By the way, if you break it like that it does not become hard afterwards and remains mobile.

If you don't leave the chain in the wax untill it reaches melting point the wax will solidify before penetrating.
The reason I wait untill the chain has cooled before i break it is because there is nothing to be gained by braking it hot and a danger of burning myself with a hot chain and wax.
BTW your speculation is wrong the only thing that determine a solids melting point is temperature and pressure. Agitation while the chain is submerged helps the wax penetrate I swish the chain until no air bubbles come of it.

[musiclover]

there is nothing to be gained by braking it hot

What data is this based on?

[mikemelbrooks]

there is nothing to be gained by braking it hot

What data is this based on?

Logic, breaking the chain doesn't alter the chemical properties of either the chain or the wax. It will not flow where it is needed.

I thought that if you break it while it is still hot the paraffin may get inside of the moving joints right where it is needed?

If the above were true there is more chance of the wax flowing out of the chain than just agitating the chain while submerged in molten wax.
Your thinking seems confused, if you think logically and use some basic chemistry and physics.

[musiclover]

Logic,

So, speculations, same as myself? Not interested, thanks, was asking for some experimental data.
I wonder if anyone found any actual data in relation to that.

breaking the chain doesn't alter the chemical properties of either the chain or the wax. It will not flow where it is needed.

Spreading a grease around the balls of a bearing does not alter the chemical properties of either the grease or the balls, and yet you do need to do this for the lubricant to work. The difference is that, unlike normal grease, paraffin becomes solid in room temperature.

Your thinking seems confused, if you think logically and use some basic chemistry and physics.

You keep referring to chemistry and physics without any chemical and physical data. This is useless in terms of any new information.

[taladjidi]

In any case, the effects of "experimental parameters" while braking the chain (before, after, at what temperature) must be marginal if not negligible after 20km of riding. I've been waxing my chains for approx 1 year now using paraffin and PTFE with the "oz formula", as well with a special blend of WS2 powder and PTFE. I use a metal cofee pot that I put in boiling water to melt the wax, which allows me to then transfer it into a small ultrasonic cleaner to help the wax penetrate the links. I noticed that the biggest difference was using the ultrasonic cleaner : the chains stay silent a lot longer.

[taladjidi]

[/quote]
You keep referring to chemistry and physics without any chemical and physical data. This is useless in terms of any new information.
[/quote]

In any case I doubt that any of us has time or the rig to test these statements Anyhow, I do think we can make educated guesses considering good physical arguments. At least this is how half of my physics PhD worked !

[musiclover]

This is really the simplest thing to reproduce, I will try to do it at my earliest convinience. All I need is a couple of steel plates and an electronic microscope (which I happen to have).

I will then submerge the plates in hot paraffin, and two plates I will let cool and then rub against each other and the other two I will rub immidiately out of the tub whilst it is still hot. And of course another pair not submerged in paraffin at all - and then just have a look at the surface in the microscope. Whichever has more paraffin residue - wins.

[taladjidi]

This is really the simplest thing to reproduce [...] .All I need is a couple of steel plates and an electronic microscope (which I happen to have).

I'm not sure I share this definition of "simplicity" . But I would be super interested in the results for sure !

[TobinHatesYou]

Why would the amount of paraffin residue matter more than the smoothness of the surfaces...lol. You simply want the paraffin (and possibly lubricious solids) to fill-in / polish out the imperfections. I doubt articulating the chain immediately after or later will make a significant difference. It will be EVEN LESS of a difference than adding a small amount of PTFE after riding a bit.

[Mocs123]

I've decided that I am going to start waxing my chains as my next chain needs replacing.

What chain should I start with? Dura Ace?, KMC? YBN? I've never used anything but Shimano chains but some things I've read say wax doesn't adhere to them as well. Should I go for the Ti-Nitride coating? I really prefer a silver chain to gold or black, but the silver chain is the only one without the coating. Is it worth it to buy a pre-waxed chain(s) or just clean them myself?

Should I use Silca's hot wax, MSW, or just straight Parafin (with or without additives)?

Perhaps a related but seperate topic - is an ultrasonic cleaner worth getting?

[mgrl]

Wax adheres to shimano chains perfectly happily if you clean them well enough.

[TobinHatesYou]

I've decided that I am going to start waxing my chains as my next chain needs replacing.

What chain should I start with? Dura Ace?, KMC? YBN? I've never used anything but Shimano chains but some things I've read say wax doesn't adhere to them as well. Should I go for the Ti-Nitride coating? I really prefer a silver chain to gold or black, but the silver chain is the only one without the coating. Is it worth it to buy a pre-waxed chain(s) or just clean them myself?

Should I use Silca's hot wax, MSW, or just straight Parafin (with or without additives)?

Perhaps a related but seperate topic - is an ultrasonic cleaner worth getting?

Wax adheres just fine to ANY chain once the surface has been roughed up by a bit of use. The coatings really don’t matter. IME, KMC have a better aesthetic finish than YBN.

[musiclover]

I've decided that I am going to start waxing my chains as my next chain needs replacing. .................

And you still had those questions after reading the 29 pages of the thread?
There are no clear answers it is all highly debatable...

The only thing - I recommend is Connex chains, they do not get mentioned enough.