I did Turp and Denatured Alcohol. The alcohol gets rid of what seems to be all of the Turp because the smell is super strong and after the alcohol and air dry the chain smells like nothing whereas after Turp and air dry it smells like Turp
If Iām not mistaken, Turp in Australia (referenced by ZFC) means mineral spirits, not turpentine.
I think itās the same thing. Home Depot sells it as one name, Walmart too. I got a quart of Turpentine and a quart of Denatured Alcohol from my local Walmart. Your names may vary
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I donāt know if thereās a difference in how effective they are at degreasing a chain, but turpentine (derived from pine trees) is different than mineral spirits (derived from petroleum).
In any case, the alcohol bath afterwards takes care of residue, so it may not matter.
I know which would go better in my Gin & Tonics 
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So far got 4.5 hours total (1:15 outside the rest inside) on the latest round of lube after a re-cleaning. Things still seem good, itās not as quiet as it was itās the initial application I assume some of the wax that was in there taking up space between the pin and roller has been pushed out and is no longer acting as a silencing cushion.
Chain is almost 100% clean to the touch and no squeaks or anything yet. Iāve determined a very non scientific way to test for how long the wax stays in place: I remember with RRG after some time the chain would get tighter, I could tell when I put the bike into the 36x21 gear combo and spin the crank backwards, the crank would slow down/stop after about 1.5 revolutions while it would do double that on a clean chain. I guess I can use this as a measure of how ādryā the chain is, since I assume once the wax wears away itāll cause the chain to have more friction and slow down the backspin the same way.
Also scored some twist top bottles at the dollar store, mixed up the jar and bottled some for the dripper. Jar was definitely the way to go since now I have plenty in there to do immersion and enough to fill up a few more of these 2oz bottles for in between stuff
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Thereās definitely a lot of good options out there. The part that sealed the deal for me was when this beat MSW in the initial wear tests from ZFC. Not having to mess with piping hot chains and wax is a plus, as is the ability to ātop offā using the dripper if needed.
The one negative Iāve found is this stuff loves to get stuck in my DA hollow pins, though that would happen with wax as well, or really any immersion method. Doing the drip would avoid this and maybe some waxy splatter too, but having Di2 itās super easy to pop the derailleur off for a good clean or a bath in the sink
For this second round I did take off the RD and thoroughly cleaned the jockeys and such to ensure any old dirt/lube wasnāt getting pushed into the fresh chain
I hot-waxed two chains tonight with Silca wax. A new X01 eagle chain for my MTB and an 11 speed shimano with about 500 miles on it for my gravel bike.
I had previously been using Squirt as the lube on both chains. Cleaning included hot water and dawn dish soap, boiling water, 2 stage citrus degreaser, and isopropyl alcohol. Then a bake in the oven at 170F to dry them fully, and preheat before dropping into the wax.
I melted the bag of wax in hot water, and dropped the chains in. Pulled them out as the wax was approaching itās freezing point
When the wax dries on the chains, they are very stiff. Each link needs to be individually broken free and articulated.
I put them both back on their respective bikes, but it was too late to go for a quick spin. It will be interesting to see how they perform.
I also bought a tub of the Silca SS lube for topping up between waxings.
Itās a lot of work for sure. Letās see if itās worth it.
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After the first cleaning, there is much less labor involved, a quick clean, then back into the wax. The stiff chain is normal, after about 15-20 min of running it will feel great.
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Iām curious about their bag of wax too, let us know how it goes and how long it tends to last.
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Iāve gave that Silca Synergetic a try on my road bike when it was time for a new chain. I thought it might suit the way I use that bike. The drivetrain looked very clean to the eye but it was definitely leaving a black mark on anything that touched it. The wear data they give is impressive and I have no doubt it works, still not sure I really would rate it over NFS for wet lube.
In the end Iāve started trying out waxing chains and swapped that bike to MSW. I figured Iād start with MSW and try other things out as I go if waxing works for me. I ride MTB and gravel in dry dusty conditions here and wanted to get something that worked better in those conditions. After seeing how clean my MTB was I just couldnāt live with my road bike being āgreasyā.
I had a few relatively new chains that I wiped down well with citrus degreaser, and then I stole the multiple jars of mineral spirits method from somebody else where I move the chain through progressively cleaner jars of mineral spirits. I start with the mineral spirits for chains that still have the factory grease. But a bit of shaking in mineral spirits and a final jar of alcohol. Then I let them dry for a bit. I added later the step of taking a new clean microfiber cloth and wiping the chains down after drying before waxing. I waxed following the directions for MSW for the most part, I realized now I could do a better job of checking the temperature of the wax but I didnāt seem to have too much trouble getting plenty of wax on the chains. I guess weāll see if I get suitable mileage from them. So far so good.
Iāve got a bottle of Smoove for topping up if needed and Iāve been using it on the master links. Itās a bit hard to get for me, I may need to use something easier to find.
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Just did my first top off from the dripper after a treatment. Did the treatment last weekend and got 9.5 hours and 205 miles on it. Was still running smooth but noticed the chain was a bit louder starting around 140-150 miles in, not squeaking at all but sounded like the rollers making contact with the cogs, especially in the big ring. That clacking kind of noise (i think people complain about the acoustics of the Ultegra big ring in general though)
- Did a good surface wipedown of the chain with a microfiber
- With chain on, opened my dripper bottle halfway and applied drops to the rollers while backpedaling quick enough to keep it from dripping, slow enough to keep it from splashing and so I could see what I was doing.
- Once I saw a few drops coming off the chain I knew I had enough on it
- Proceeded to work in the lubricant with my fingers doing approximately 6" of chain at a time. Run my hand back and forth a few times to work it into the rollers/spin them, backpedal a bit, next section.
- Shifted through all gears while forward pedaling to work wax in at various chain angles (chain was immediately quieter here)
- Wipe excess from surface
I am letting this cure overnight and I have a group ride tomorrow so should have approximately 24 hours to cure. So far I am happy with the time/distance I got out of the initial treatment, if I can keep this going with the dripper and only have to do immersion every 6 weeks that would be superb.
For others using this, what kind of distances are you stretching to between re-lubes? Iām more concerned with smooth/quiet operation, though a longer lasting chain would be nice they arenāt expensive enough to concern over.
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I used Synergetic on my gravel bike/mountain bike this winter. Silcaās claims of it lasting forever seem to hold up. This is my go to lube for now on, when conditions are wet.
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I rode 22 miles yesterday and 14 miles today on my MTB in dry dusty conditions. The lube performed well, but I did notice some slight and intermittent creaking on my ride yesterday and a little less today. The chain is a new X01 eagle chain, and Iāve read that the tight tolerances on these chains can make it difficult for the wax to fully penetrate.
I added some Silca SS drip yesterday evening, and probably will continue to do that after each ride for the first few rides - to give the wax full opportunity to penetrate the chain.
The chain stayed very clean, and generally Iām pretty happy - other than the creaking which Iāll monitor and see if it continues. My expectation is that as the chain loosens up a little, and I continue to add wax (periodic hot wax, augmented with Silca SS drip), the creaking will go away.
Iām going to Sedona next week where Iāll ride a bunch and get more experience with how the wax lube performs.
It will be interesting to see how the hot wax does on my gravel bike which has a Shimano chain with less tight tolerances vs the SRAM. I may go for a ride this weekend on my gravel bike and will report back on how the hot wax lube performs.
Gave it a second chance cleaning with citrus degreaser followed by isopropyl alcohol (each in a shaker bottle). Chains were perfectly clean but I got the same results. Muc-Off Ceramic Dry lasts about twice as long for me and is less than 1/4 the cost. The Silca Super Secret Lube is a dust magnet, makes a mess (soft waxy flakes on drivetrain and frame), and is crazy expensive compared to any other lube (so much is wasted). I certainly canāt feel any difference in efficiency. It seems like a direct replacement for hot wax at an exceptionally premium cost.
Youād be surprised how tough it is to thoroughly clean a used chain properly.
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As I thought, the wax seems to perform better on my gravel bike. Iām only one ride in of 40 miles, but I did not hear the same kind of creaking noise from my gravel bike drivetrain and my MTB.
Will report back more as I get more rides under my belt.
So far, my assessment of hot waxing is that itās nice - clean drivetrain, silent - but not a āwowā experience on longevity of a single application (at least on my MTB, maybe gravel will end up different).
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Being able to drip on more wax is awesome for sure. I just expected longer intervals but Iām using a used chain so Iām sure itās not 100% clean. I also saw that ZFC was doing 1000km intervals for their wear test, but I believe they are reapplying more frequently than that.
Iāve also heard of issues waxing newer SRAM chains due to tight tolerances, and my experience with engines and firearms would confirm that using thicker lubricants for tighter tolerances results in jams (even when you have a slide/bolt carrier moving with much more speed/force than a chain) so I would imagine a thicker wax with tighter tolerances could even lead to shifting issues
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I get this after a new application of SSCL, which makes me think I didnāt clean the chain well (judging by color). My buddy said this shedding is normal and would blow away outside but Isnāt doing that in a hotter room next to a hot trainer with no airflow over the bike
I use hot wax or Silca. I alternate chains, one in a bag that has been cleaned and prepped. When the other needs to be cleaned, I mount the clean chain and then clean and prep the dirty chain. That then goes into the bag for the next use.