mattr wrote:
Let the wax in the crock pot cool and harden. Looked at it this morning. It is a tan color vs. the white wax I put in originally.
Waxed 2 chains. Both were used. Cleaned both in the ultrasonic cleaner with 50/50 water/simple green then washed in water and wiped down with a rag.
Waxed the 1st chain then dropped in the 2nd to wax. When i went to pull the 2nd chain out, I couldn't see the chain the wax was so dirty/dark?
Let both chains dry. Installed the first chain on my tri bike. Turned the crank for a few minutes to loosen the chain up. The little pieces of wax falling off all look a little dirty. Should I strip the wax off the chain and try to clean again using MSPEEDWAX protocol you linked? Would the mineral spirits strip the wax off or do I need to use something else?
Was my first time using the ultrasonic cleaner also. Should I be running it for a while then dumping the dirty simple green, add fresh simple green and clean again. Essentially do the mspeedwax steps but in the ultrasonic cleaner. I thought the logic behind the ultrasonic cleaner was it got all the dirt/gunk in the nooks an cranies out vs. just shaking the chain in a bottle full of mineral spirits but maybe I need to do a 2-3 step clean process?
Yeah, the chains are definitely not clean enough when you're putting them in the wax. I've waxed used chains, which were originally lubed and VERY grimy; I always managed to get them spotless and white-rag-stain-free before I put them into the ethanol. Both the ethanol and wax are still colorless after about 15 chain waxes. My guess is that the hot wax displaced most of your chain's grime, and that your wax job is sufficient for your purposes. In another post, I mentioned putting the chain in the oven. I'd do that so you don't have all those loose pieces all over the place. And I'd definitely do that before/if you try to re-clean and reapply the wax.
I've never used an ultrasonic cleaner or simple green so I can't answer those questions, but a few hours and a few shakes in mineral spirits left no grease or grime behind. If the mineral spirits won't ruin your ultrasonic cleaner, I'd definitely try that combo for your next chain cleaning. I'm not sure what solubilizes paraffin, but a quick google search should give you the answer.
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