Chain Wax Discussion thread

Pro mechanic here. I often wax chains for friends and customers- my process is below.

1) scrub clean in parts cleaner w/ nylon brush (parts washer fluid- diesel fuel 70%, automatic transmission fluid 30%- non combustible and amazing effectiveness)

2) let sit in mineral spirits overnight, shake periodically in the first hour.

3) shake in acetone next morning, let chain dry (usually an hour or so, you can help this w a compressor)

4) crock pot on low, let the chains sit in wax for 2 ish hours. I use an old coat hanger. Shake the chains in the first 10 minutes, allowing all bubbles to dissipate.

5) hang chains above crockpot, so wax drips back in. Dry it for as long as it takes to be stiff.

6) break the wax on a pvc pipe-NOT on the bike. This saves disc brake pads.

7) put the chain on, making sure you add a dab of lube to the master link. Run the chain through the cassette a few times.

Some notes-If the chain gets really dirty, I just boil it suspended in water for 10 minutes and dry it out, then back in the crock pot.

Sram tool hardened chains-x01/force and above- seem to react well to waxing, both 11 and 12 sp variations. They also last forever- as they should because they’re huge dollars.

Not sure if this helps much, but figured I’d try and help people avoid a few mistakes.
 
Eickelbt said:
Pro mechanic here. I often wax chains for friends and customers- my process is below.

1) scrub clean in parts cleaner w/ nylon brush (parts washer fluid- diesel fuel 70%, automatic transmission fluid 30%- non combustible and amazing effectiveness)

2) let sit in mineral spirits overnight, shake periodically in the first hour.

3) shake in acetone next morning, let chain dry (usually an hour or so, you can help this w a compressor)

4) crock pot on low, let the chains sit in wax for 2 ish hours. I use an old coat hanger. Shake the chains in the first 10 minutes, allowing all bubbles to dissipate.

5) hang chains above crockpot, so wax drips back in. Dry it for as long as it takes to be stiff.

6) break the wax on a pvc pipe-NOT on the bike. This saves disc brake pads.

7) put the chain on, making sure you add a dab of lube to the master link. Run the chain through the cassette a few times.

Some notes-If the chain gets really dirty, I just boil it suspended in water for 10 minutes and dry it out, then back in the crock pot.

Sram tool hardened chains-x01/force and above- seem to react well to waxing, both 11 and 12 sp variations. They also last forever- as they should because they’re huge dollars.

Not sure if this helps much, but figured I’d try and help people avoid a few mistakes.
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Thanks! This is what I do too, except for the lube on the master link. Always assumed that with both rollers waxed, that wasn’t important.
 
krink said:
Thanks! This is what I do too, except for the lube on the master link. Always assumed that with both rollers waxed, that wasn’t important.
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I did the same for a while, but I’ve started doing that because I got a seemingly random squeak on my MTB a few months back, and that seemed to be the culprit, so for my sanity I added that step. Might have been some road salt?
 
ebarker9 said:
I've been wrapping the chain around a section of PVC pipe to break up the wax right after application, but can imagine that it would be a giant pain if there were a ton on there.
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That's actually what I did to loosen it up a bit, definitely helped.
 
ebarker9 said:
I've been wrapping the chain around a section of PVC pipe to break up the wax right after application, but can imagine that it would be a giant pain if there were a ton on there.
Click to expand...

I use the eyelet end of the screw on the bench vise, personally.

Doesn't everyone have a vise?
 
With the wet weather over the past week, found the first chink in the wax armor. Sunday and Monday I didnt have any rain but the roads were wet with a lot of run off / small streams across the road. Both rides required chain removal to make sure it was dry and blew out the chain with air. I didnt have to reapply the wax but it was kinda of annoying to have to do that extra step so my chain didnt rust.

Mtb yesterday mainly to get to spots for TM and it was squishy conditions but not a lot of splattery mud. Chain looked horrible afterwards, needed to remove, wipe down and blow with air. Required a drip rewax after less than 50 miles of mtb miles.

On the plus side, in both these situations there is no gunk / mess and i washed both bikes and the cassette and chainrings are very clean.
 
That will help burning up quick links too. Wonder if there's another way? Nothing really comes to mind.
 
stb222 said:
yes there is, use the same quick link over and over and over
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I meant for drying the chain. Toss it in a bowl of rice? Does that even work? Or set it on fire? That will melt the wax.

Is there any concern beyond surface rust? In theory there should be plenty of wax in the pins. If that's the case, drying the surface with a rag should be good enough, no?
 
rlb said:
I meant for drying the chain. Toss it in a bowl of rice? Does that even work? Or set it on fire? That will melt the wax.

Is there any concern beyond surface rust? In theory there should be plenty of wax in the pins. If that's the case, drying the surface with a rag should be good enough, no?
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It likely wasn't wet enough to need to blow out the links but it sounded pro, so...
 
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When do you apply a "maintenance" drip wax?

I'm curious if I should drip some on after a bike wash or wet ride. I normally don't and only apply when the chain gets noisy.
 
The riding through muck in a “almost need to redo the wax chain” results in a super loud and super shitty shifting chain. Still clean AF though 😂
 
What ultrasonic cleaner and mixes are you using to clean your bike components, including chains?
 
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