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

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rolfo
Posts: 113
Joined: Sun Apr 23, 2006 11:15 pm
Location: Netherlands

by rolfo

HansZuDemFranz wrote:
Fri Mar 24, 2023 1:09 pm
rolfo wrote:
Fri Mar 24, 2023 12:43 pm
Sorrry, but I couldn't find the answers in the post...

I had my Silca wax overheated to 140 degrees (left the crackpot on high..). Is this wax still usable or did it lose it function?

And I drive Sram AXS (force and red) chains but the drivetrain seems pretty loud when the the wax has broken in.
Same experience here? I use the Silca secret drip the fill the chain up, but rolls of as the chain is still waxed. So it doesn't seem the chain is the "raw"at that point.
Also on my "Tacx" set up which even come outside ;-)

Any info would be helpfull, thanks!
Cant help you with the first question, but regarding the noise, I had the same issue when running Sram AXS waxed. In my experience a Red cassette helps dramatically with the noise.
Thanks for your response!

I use a sram force chain on a new model force cassette and also a sram red axs chain on a sram red axs cassette. No differences to find ;-)

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BdaGhisallo
Posts: 3261
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2004 1:38 pm

by BdaGhisallo

rolfo wrote:
Fri Mar 24, 2023 12:43 pm
Sorrry, but I couldn't find the answers in the post...

I had my Silca wax overheated to 140 degrees (left the crackpot on high..). Is this wax still usable or did it lose it function?

And I drive Sram AXS (force and red) chains but the drivetrain seems pretty loud when the the wax has broken in.
Same experience here? I use the Silca secret drip the fill the chain up, but rolls of as the chain is still waxed. So it doesn't seem the chain is the "raw"at that point.
Also on my "Tacx" set up which even come outside ;-)

Any info would be helpfull, thanks!

I've done that and I didn't notice any problems. I am still re-waxing using the same pot of Silca wax. I have done two or three waxing cycles since I overheated the wax and I haven't sensed anything different.

Sock3t
Posts: 448
Joined: Mon Jun 11, 2018 2:20 am

by Sock3t

I don't bother boiling my chains before rewaxing. After inspection of a used chain (typically 300 miles or so) I just can't find any dirt or build up.

Could be wrong, but yeah, I just rewax and go.

MrStop
Posts: 111
Joined: Tue Sep 21, 2021 8:59 pm
Location: United States

by MrStop

I just finished my first wax job on two new Ultegra 12-speed chains. Definately not too bad for my first experience. The LBS didn't carry UFO clean, so I used the old school mineral spirits & denatured alcohol method. I wasn't in a hurry, so for my second round of mineral spirits I let the chains soak for a day and then finished the cleaning process.

For waxing, I used 1 lbs of Gulf Wax and 1/2 oz of Tungsten Disulfide powder. I wore a mask with the powder, but I didn't notice any dust. The lack of dust isn't surprising since tungsten is pretty heavy (I used to use it to add weight to pinewood derby cars). To melt the wax, I used my Instant Pot with a seperate 3 Qt liner. I put some water in the existing 5qt container and then added my 3qt liner. This created a double boiler in the Instant Pot. I set the Instant Pot to Saute, Normal Heat and 8 minutes and added the wax. I ended up having to add a few minutes to get the wax to melt. I turned off the Instant Pot when the water reached boiling. When the wax was melted, I added the Tungsten Disulfide powder and stirred it in. I then followed the proceedure to wax the chains.

As an experiment, I'm trying to see if I can create my own drip lube. I purchased a small squeeze bottle. I filled it about halfway with Naptha and then poured the melted wax and Tungsten Disulfide solution to fill the bottle. I added a bolt to the bottle to aid in mixing. It will be interesting to see if the product remains usable in drip form. If not, I'll use UFO Drip to top the chain off when needed.
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manystyles
Posts: 59
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2011 11:23 pm

by manystyles

A lot of questions can be answered from Zero Friction Cycling’s website.


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man1ac
Posts: 63
Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2022 4:58 pm

by man1ac

Question for the Ultrasonic Owners: I wanna save some of the expensive alcohols/turps and cant I fill the Ultrassonic Cleaner with 2l of Water (like 2/3) and then put a glas (chain + degreaser) inside it? Like a pot in a pot? Maybe itll weaken the utrasonic a bit, but ill save up like 80% of alc/turp?

TobinHatesYou
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Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:02 pm

by TobinHatesYou

man1ac wrote:
Sun Mar 26, 2023 7:23 am
Question for the Ultrasonic Owners: I wanna save some of the expensive alcohols/turps and cant I fill the Ultrassonic Cleaner with 2l of Water (like 2/3) and then put a glas (chain + degreaser) inside it? Like a pot in a pot? Maybe itll weaken the utrasonic a bit, but ill save up like 80% of alc/turp?

I've been doing this for years. The attenuation is minimal.

MrStop
Posts: 111
Joined: Tue Sep 21, 2021 8:59 pm
Location: United States

by MrStop

I did my first big ride with a waxed chain yesterday. It was weird not having a calf tattoo.

manystyles
Posts: 59
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2011 11:23 pm

by manystyles

MrStop wrote:I did my first big ride with a waxed chain yesterday. It was weird not having a calf tattoo.
Same! It was oh so smooth! There was so much muddy run off even tho it had not rain in a few days. Hoping a quick wipe off with a MF towel and isopropyl alcohol will be sufficient.


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HammerTime2
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Location: Wherever there's a mountain beckoning to be climbed

by HammerTime2

Do you normally get a calf tattoo? Even in my grimy wet lube chain days, i only got the very occasional calf or sock tattoo, usually when off the bike.

MrStop
Posts: 111
Joined: Tue Sep 21, 2021 8:59 pm
Location: United States

by MrStop

It varies, but pretty often when I was using wet lube especially with spirited rides.

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C36
Posts: 2471
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2017 3:24 am

by C36

man1ac wrote:
matcav wrote:
Thu Mar 23, 2023 4:24 pm
man1ac wrote:
Thu Mar 23, 2023 12:44 pm
After waxing I'll run the chain for like 200-300km (only nice weather) and then I need to do it all over again?
in good weather conditions, my chain usually stands good for 4/500km - shorter if it's wet/dirty rides.
then yes, I usually take it out, and install another one (I have two chains rotating on the same drivetrain) already prepared. If both did their turn, I put them in a container with boiling water, rinse them a couple of times, dry, and go for another wax bath
Thank you! So you dont relube with any wet-wax lube "on the fly"?
No, I use silva super secret to top the chain after 300+ and extend full rewax to a total of 500/600+ km

Erlandal
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2022 8:36 am

by Erlandal

https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/lubetesting/

ZFC's lubricants chart has been updated, and the Rex formula arrives taking two places on the podium.

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wheelbuilder
Posts: 1193
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2017 2:10 am

by wheelbuilder

MrStop wrote:I did my first big ride with a waxed chain yesterday. It was weird not having a calf tattoo.
What kind of riding and for how long? You don't see many people with this. Are you getting them when off the bike but proximal to it or something?

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kervelo
Posts: 866
Joined: Wed Jan 21, 2009 6:58 am
Location: Finland

by kervelo

Erlandal wrote:
Wed Mar 29, 2023 5:42 pm
https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/lubetesting/

ZFC's lubricants chart has been updated, and the Rex formula arrives taking two places on the podium.
I find it strange that their list does not contain the Dynamic lubricants, the choice of the Team Jumbo-Visma, Team Alpecin-Fenix and Team Bora-hansgrohe.
https://www.dynamicbikecare.com/pages/partners

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