I use mineral spirits to clean the chain every time. It's definitely the easiest and best way to clean the chain.
I think the white stuff you are seeing is the separation of chemicals in the wax, probably from cooling too rapidly. I would just make sure you mix the wax really good once it gets hot and I would completely replace the wax every time you get a new bag.

How long do you use one bag for? Until you start to run out of he wax?
Do you do any sort of last rinse after the mineral spirits? Looks like they recommend denatured alcohol or acetone...

Thx!

I don't clean mine EVERY time, maybe every 2-3 times. I do use mineral spirits (paint thinner). I use a plastic water bottle (like Aquafina or whatever). I put the chain inside, and a couple ounces of paint thinner, out the lid on and shake. Repeat 2-3 times until the thinner remains clear. Remove and let dry.

ETA: I. Remove the chain by just cutting the bottle open.

I don't do an alcohol bath.

Dunno what the white is. Looks like maybe some separation of the paraphin from the ptfe, maybe. I doubt it matters because you will stir it up when you drop the chain in and stir it around.

I put just enough wax in the bottom of my crock to cover my chain by about 1/4 inch. Every few months I pour that out while it's still hot and replace with new. Since I don't clean my chain EVERY time, some dirt and stuff contaminates my wax after a while.

After 18 months, though, I'm still using my first 2 lb bag of msw.

I might be wrong, but I think that white stuff is... wax. The teflon and molydenum settle to the bottom in my wax bath. Maybe they stick onto the dirt that came off your chain, which would explain why you want to clean it before re-waxing. I periodically swish the wax around then pour off the top 90%, and the dirty junk stays on the bottom to be wiped out with a paper towel. The reverse of panning gold.

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Andy Tetmeyer (I work at HED)

I use the bag until most of the wax is gone then dump it out and start over.
I clean the chain with mineral spirits and let it hang for around 10 minutes(while the wax heats up) by then most of the mineral spirits should have evaporated.