lyrrad wrote:
He states don't go over 85 deg C, no reason just says so, more than likely because Jason at friction facts used 82 deg C, but the only reason he used that temperature is because that is as high as his ultrasonic cleaners would go.
I and others have found that best results are obtained around 150 deg C.
DONT use candles, they have additives to prevent the wax from sticking to molds, this not only makes the wax feel sticky, but also means it does not adhere to the chain properly.
Use pure paraffin, good wax looks bluish white, is very hard and does not feel sticky and is almost translucent to look at near the corners of a block.
Throw the chain in on top of the cold wax and turn it on, go adjust your brakes or watch TV, come back when the wax is fully melted, turn off the pot, lift the basket and let it drain, get an old towel and tip the chain out onto it and wipe off any wax from the outside of the chain, give it a good swoshing around to remove as much as possible.
As soon as it is cool enough to handle, put it on the bike and spin the pedals.
So, on the temperature topic...
What do you mean by "best results" at elevated temps?
And if you're just doing it until (per paragraph 3) the wax is just melted, it won't be much above 70C...
I've only done it extra-hot once after forgetting it for a while and leaving the slow cooker on high. The main thing I noticed was the garage got really smoky, which would suggest the wax was decomposing.
As for candles - I'm using plain white cheap ones from Woolies. I tried some other paraffin beads and they made the chain super sticky. The candles I've used, not so, at least in my experience.
PS don't forget to blow the wax out of the hollow link pins! :D