So I ended up getting the Silca hot pot thing. To be honest, it’s not worth the money. Re-dipping a chain that has already been waxed and used is really a pain. The bowl is far too small for a slightly stiff chain to be bent up and dunked in, and doing multiple chains is really a drag because the wire I used was too stiff to get a chain folded into the pot. Medium crockpot on medium with the top vented and a temp gun is the way for me. Also, Hambini ( not really a fan) made some valid points about Zero Frinction and their testing protocols. I like wax for its cleanliness, not wattage gains.
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I was wondering about that… it seemed like the bowl was awfully small. I liked the idea of better temp control and the chain hanger is also nice compared to by homebrew solution.
Haven’t watched that Hambini vid yet. He gets a bit old since everything he discusses is ‘crap.’ Adam questioned Hambini vs Enduro BB bearing recomendations way back, so Hambini probably has an axe to grind. ZFC may not be perfect, but it’s also the best source of independent info we have. I don’t think we can tell how Silca compares MSW, Rex, etc. from ZFC, but you can at least determine immersive > drip > wet with some outliers (e.g. Halo).
EDIT: I read the Hambini blog post. The concerns in 4.1 are valid, but not sure if significant. CeramicSpeed shows a Sram crank arm on their test rig too. Margin of error is likely greater than we assume. 4.2/4.3 also has some valid points, but it would very difficult for anyone to test across all gearing scenarios. “Both representatives emphasized that maintaining chain cleanliness is the single most crucial factor in achieving low friction and optimal performance.” “They noted that any potential benefits of wax are largely negated by the inconvenience of frequently removing the chain for immersion – a cumbersome and time-consuming process that most cyclists are unlikely to undertake.” So, clean is better. And wax is bad because it’s time consuming so people won’t do it. They also mention wax flaking off, but it’s the wax between roller and pin that matters. Wax will not combine with dirt/grime like any oil-based lubricant. To thoroughly clean a chain, “they advocated for deeper cleaning methods, including ultrasonic cleaning and the use of specialized solvents designed to thoroughly remove contaminants from every part of the chain without attacking or corroding the metal”… and those cyclists who won’t immersive wax will regularly do this? 
4.4 is also true but it friction will cause wear, so it makes sense that less wear indicates less friction. The biggest issue is the measurement issue that Hambini points out. It would appear Adam can only measure chain wear in increments of .01mm or 1.5% of wear (vs 100% wear which is 5% elongation). Obviously, the ZFC data has numbers the claim to be more accurate than that.
I have bikes with both wax and wet lube. Waxed chains last longer, no doubt… and properly maintaining a waxed chain is no harder than PROPERLY maintaining a wet lube chain. It’s just easier to kinda-sorta maintain a wet lube chain and replace it when it dies.
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I just got the Silca crock pot today and used a strip chip to strip a new T-Type chain. Hard to believe that chip works as well as the whole ultrasonic chemical bath thing, but if it does - man was the time saved worth it! I like that it has precise temp control. I feel like I was probably cooking my wax before and then waiting for it to cool before removing the chain was a pain in the ass.
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I just accidentally left my Molten Speed Wax in my cheap crockpot on high for too long. It registered 105C when I came back. MSW say to heat it to 93C. As far as I can see they don’t specify if there’s issues with overheating, but I’m sure before I started waxing I read something about the properties of the wax changing/being ruined if you go too hot.
I carried on and waxed anyway, but not ridden them yet.
Do you think I need to bin the wax and start afresh? Or is it actually No Big Deal? 
Ta!
I just purchased that recently and waxed my first chain. Went great with the strip chip, such a breeze. How is your LCD screen? Mine seems a bit hard to read, like some of the lcd bars are not working properly. The bottom of the first digit doesn’t seem to work, and I can’t really tell if this is 65 or 85 as that bar appears light. 75
I think the buong) burning point is higher, around 130 or more so I wouldn’t worry about it. I’d also not use high without a temp control sensor, low gets the wax to pretty much the perfect temp and can’t overheat it
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I’ve owned the Silca unit for 4-5 months now and the temp readings on mine have always been very easy to read. I would reach out to Silca, looks like yours should be replaced.
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Nah that’s no big deal at all. If the wax is yellow when solidified you’ve over-cooked it but at that temp you’re totally safe.
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If it is grey in colour when cold, then it needs replacing.
I waxed two chains for my new bike I picked up Friday. Did a 100 mile ride and was amazed how silent the drivetrain was. I’ve seen mixed reviews on how often to rewax the chain, obviously depending a lot on conditions. I wiped down the chain after the ride with a Silca gear wipe, and applied the Silca drip wax. I have around 75ish miles of mostly gravel the next couple days, and will see how things seem after that.
I’ve seen reports saying rewax in 50 miles for harsh conditions or going 800-1000 miles in clean condition if cleaning after rides and applying drip wax at that time.
It doesn’t matter to me if it’s 200 or 500, I just want to do it right.
What’s everyone’s process for identifying when to apply drip wax or rewax?
I’d say grey is ok , if it’s brown it’s toast
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I record usage in Garmin Connect with wax target of 300km. Not all kms are created equal (indoors vs outdoors in the rain) so it’s a loose target. Another way is sound. I think once you start hearing your chain while pedalling, it’s a good time to think about waxing.
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I use Maintrack (app in iOS, not sure if available on Android) to track the distance of all my bikes. This takes data from Strava, so all I do is select the correct bike for each ride. You can set up alerts so you get a warning every 250km, 300km, …
Like others have said, it really depends on conditions. These are my alerts for rainy and wet Belgium:
For my gravel bike, it’s 200km (120mi). For my road bike its 350km (200mi). For my MTB it’s almost every ride but I don’t ride it that often during training.
However, if I start hearing too much noise from the drivetrain, I will do it quicker. But in summer, my road bike often goes 500km (300mi) without rewaxing.
Some people definitely go longer without rewaxing, but I go by “better safe than sorry”. And I don’t find rewaxing to be much work or a hassle.
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I would disagree with this (regarding MSW). My MSW is ALWAYS greyish in color when cold, due to the additives in the wax, and I’ve always followed the recommended temps from the MSW owner himself, who was kind enough to provide me heating/waxing instructions when I bought their presto pot when I was searching for a better solution.
His recommendations for waxing using their pot…
- 25 mins on warm dial setting, which is approximately 170F/76C when I use my temp probe
- 5 mins at 200F/93C
Take it out and enjoy a quiet drivetrain.
I’ve never gone into details regarding overheating or longevity with him, as I’ve always followed his heating instructions, but I would go directly to the source @downhiller for a definitive answer for your overheating question…
info@mspeedwax.com will link you with the owner of the company, John Thompson, who was always quick to respond when I emailed him.
Good luck!
Paraffin wax is extremely stable. It has a flash point somewhere around 200 deg C (depends on the was formulation etc). The flash point is where it will catch fire if exposed to a flame. because it is straight chain hydrocarbons it is very stable and does not react. Think about the last time you saw a clear or white wax candle melt, did the wax change color? nope, and the flame was definitely more than 200 deg C. So anything around the boiling point of water (100 deg C) will pose no risk or concern. The discoloration is likely caused by what is being dissolved off of the chain not due to anything wrong with the wax itself. That said the contaminants from the chain may impair the lubricity of the wax. That is another issue though and could be a reason to dump or refresh.
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MSW said it can be reused. How?
Hi guys,
How do you wash the utensils used to clean your waxed chain? My pot is full of wax and it’s pretty hard to get rid of. Do you flush it down the drain? Doesn’t it become solid and clog the pipes?
Thanks!
I would definitely NOT do this. As you suggest, once it cools, will it probably solidify into a massive clog. I’ve no reason to make this claim other than knowing what cold wax looks like.
That said, I simply heat it so it’s liquid and pour it off into a storage container. At some point once it gets full, I’ll likely toss it in the trash bin.
I make fire starters. Cotton balls, dryer lint, or paper towels soak up the wax.