Ultrasonic chain cleaning.

[Stihldog]

This ultra sonic cleaner just reminded me of a tool that I sometimes use during brake bleeds. An old electric toothbrush (minus the brush). I touch the calliper, hoses and master cylinder with it to free up some micro bubbles. I have no idea if it works …but my OCD improves.

Just had a bollocking from the wife for emptying petrol in the garden after doing a deep clean of the drive train.

I also use the wife’s toothbrush for derailer cleaning and carefully put it back in the holder. Then I have bigger problems then OCD.

 

[Digging dog]

Good idea. She who must be obeyed has a vibrating "Exercise" machine, picture included for those with vivid imaginations.

Should have tried using it to clean the chain.

 

[urastus]

replace drivetrain once a year

the normal thing, regardless of how you treat your chain, is to replace chain when it has reached .5 or .75 wear. The cluster should last a few chains. I'm running very cheap ($10 each) chainrings; I replace them about 1500km but they're running the chain the whole time, unlike any gear on the cluster. I buy cheap chain rings because I can't get a shimano in the smaller size I want.

Some folk might burn through the smaller gears in the cluster if they're down in those gears often - that would make sense because there's a lot less teeth to share the load, but they can be replaced.

Basing wear on time is kind of irrelevant.

 

[Digging dog]

Always check the chain using a Park Tool CC4 guage. It's probably sad but I have a new chain in stock ready.

 

[Canmore TLCC 29]

Just had a bollocking from the wife for emptying petrol in the garden after doing a deep clean of the drive train.
I've checked in previous posts for recent info on Ultrasonic cleaners and was wondering if anyone has or could recommend a cleaner that will take a 10 - 51 tooth cassette. Obviously without going into industrial kit with industrial pricing.

Just in case this post wasn’t a joke. If you don’t understand how bad it is to dispose of solvents in the garden, I can’t help you. But if you need to know where to dispose of solvents, check out this government website.

Find a local hazardous waste disposal service

Find out what help you can get from your council to dispose of hazardous and toxic waste

www.gov.uk

 

[shakeystart]

Tra

Used a chain cleaning device & Muc-off degreaser and other cleaning products but the chain still had a gritty sound. 20 mins in petrol sorted it. A certain mail order company has a unit for £42, was thinking of giving it a try.
Only issue, the cleaner and liquid will cost the same as a new chain.

Those things are awful!

 

[Digging dog]

Just in case this post wasn’t a joke. If you don’t understand how bad it is to dispose of solvents in the garden, I can’t help you. But if you need to know where to dispose of solvents, check out this government website.

Find a local hazardous waste disposal service

Find out what help you can get from your council to dispose of hazardous and toxic waste

www.gov.uk

The original quote from my good lady was "watch what you are doing near my flowers", anything I do involving bikes or cars gets me in trouble. Just to get some brownie points I cleared the collection of old paint cans & used oil out of the garage, the petrol & used Muc-Off has joined them and is scheduled to go to the tip next week

 

[Jamsquared]

Obrital sander clamped upside down in a workbench or vice. Glue a Velcro backed pad to the bottom of a Chinese takeaway curry container which you then fill with muc off or similar. Put the chain parts into and put the lid on. Velcro strap the sander trigger in the on position and leave it buzzing away till the chain or parts are clean. Easy cheap and you're welcome

 

[Digging dog]

Not really Ultrasonic but a good idea. A clean chain & a Chinese meal.

 

[Stihldog]

Obrital sander clamped upside down in a workbench or vice. Glue a Velcro backed pad to the bottom of a Chinese takeaway curry container which you then fill with muc off or similar. Put the chain parts into and put the lid on. Velcro strap the sander trigger in the on position and leave it buzzing away till the chain or parts are clean. Easy cheap and you're welcome

Trust me. A hand held belt sander won’t work and is not faster.… (Just kidding)

That’s a clever idea. I haven’t used the orbital palm sander for a while and I have a few plastic Chinese takeout bowls/plates. Might try that. Might be able to fit any mucky parts in there.

 

[IainF]

FWIW, I've found the ultrasonic cleaner to be a faff. After you've cleaned your chain to produce the brown water shown above (20 minutes in the cleaner?), you should probably clean it again and see if more comes off (and again?). I've found petrol to be the best cleaner (I've even tried boiling a chain water/degreaser and petrol still got an amazing amount of dirt off the chain afterwards).
If you just put the dirty petrol back in a bottle and leave it for a few days, the dirt settles out and you can use the petrol again.
All of this kind of depends on how clean you want your chain to be. More of an issue for roadies than MTB riders maybe.
I (clearly) have too much time on my hands because I then wax my chains in wax with 1:10 ratio of PTFE powder. I don't think this lubrication lasts as long as the YouTube videos would have you believe but it does make for a very quiet drivetrain and one that just doesn't pick up trail dirt...

 

[Digging dog]

Unfortunately I decided to use a chain wax after, yet another aerosol can to add to the collection.
I'm definitely impressed with the cleaner, it dislodged the fine particles stuck in the links.

 

[NZ_Levo]

maybe i'm just too simple to get the complexities here...but sometimes ignorance is bliss.

buy a new chain
strip to bare metal with petrol then isopropyl alcohol
treat with molten wax with a bit of PTFE powder mixed in
every however many kms you think - 500 perhaps - take off the chain, swill it round in boiling water, all the crap and grit removed but not the wax
every couple of months maybe do the boiling water trick then rewax
back on the bike and away you go

i've tried so many lubes and every one from dry through to wet has ended up making the drivetrain a gunky mess full of grinding paste - except this one. the drivetrain does not attact dirt in the first place and wax inside the important bits is way more durable than anything else i've used - anecdotally, of course. but i always think your own experience is the way to go....

now, if only Connex would make a 12-sp reusable link like the old 11-sp the process would be complete.

 

[Digging dog]

It's whatever floats your boat, I used Gunk to clean engine parts, thought it brilliant, used it to clean an engine bay and noticed it had cleaned the tar out of the driveway.

 

[bazxa]

I use a 3 ltr cleaner, filled with hot clean water and components floating in a tupperware container. Petrol, then metho. The tupperware reduces solvent use and contamination of the ultrasonic unit. It is critical to relubricate well, the solvents remove all lubricant from under the roller.
Currently using hot wax, 1/2 hour soak time in the wax bath but not absolutely convinced it is the best chainlube for off road. Hot wax, graphite &PTFE, particle size is critical for penetration. General environment is dry with plenty of dust and sand.

 

[Digging dog]

Spoke to an industrial chemist yesterday. Their engineers recommend a product called Elbow Grease, it's available locally at high street £ shops.

 

[IainF]

maybe i'm just too simple to get the complexities here...but sometimes ignorance is bliss.

buy a new chain
strip to bare metal with petrol then isopropyl alcohol
treat with molten wax with a bit of PTFE powder mixed in
every however many kms you think - 500 perhaps - take off the chain, swill it round in boiling water, all the crap and grit removed but not the wax
every couple of months maybe do the boiling water trick then rewax
back on the bike and away you go

i've tried so many lubes and every one from dry through to wet has ended up making the drivetrain a gunky mess full of grinding paste - except this one. the drivetrain does not attact dirt in the first place and wax inside the important bits is way more durable than anything else i've used - anecdotally, of course. but i always think your own experience is the way to go....

now, if only Connex would make a 12-sp reusable link like the old 11-sp the process would be complete.

This is pretty much what I do.
Given the melting point of wax is a lot lower than the boiling point of water why do you reckon that the boiling water doesn't remove the wax. I get what looks like a waxy residue on the surface of the water after putting a previously waxed chain in boiling water...
As I side note I use 12 speed Eagle chains with 10/11/12 speed components road and MTB and they work fine and (allegedly) last a really long time. A friend measured the rollers on an Eagle chain and compared them to an 11 speed chain and found them to be the same (not sure of the brand of the 11 speed chain)

 

[Digging dog]

Planning on a ride towards the end of this week then reclean just to see what has accumulated.
Then try the warm wax bath.

 

[greengenes]

Use a wax based lubricant (Squirt). The chain never needs cleaning, just wiping down and re lubing, as it doesn't ever pick up dirt and grit and rust that causes all the wear problems. I would never consider going back to wet or dry lubes, with the accompanying black gritty gunge grinding paste.

 

[Digging dog]

Is that the e-bike specific product?

 

[Marksou]

As everyone on here has bought the 3L version (it’s no longer available from the Vevor site) I’ve gone for a 1.3L one.

 

[Digging dog]

I went for a cheap and cheerful 1Lt unit.
I'm now satisfied that the chain is clean, next is try a boil in the bag wax or hot oil bath.