Basically I wanted to try chain waxing so I soaked my chain in paint thinner for a day to prepare it.
Today after pulling it out I noticed pitting corrosion?
This is almost new chain (100km) so Im really bummed this happened.
Should I still use it or will it ruin my cassete and chainring?
by Just-Community
19 Comments
Did you blow all the solvent out with compressed air. Did you dry in a warm oven? Now it’s good to go for lube. Oil or grease prevents rusting.
Running a clean chain leads to rust and seized links.
Might have corroded a bit but I wouldn’t call it ruined
It just got pitted a bit, I would run it but it will probably need to be replaced a bit sooner.
That corrosion was already there; not caused by paint thinner. OK to use IMHO.
Paint thinner didn’t cause the corrosion. Either it was already corroded and you can see it now that it’s so clean, or else there was moisture in the paint thinner. That said, it’s not really going to hurt anything. Just properly lube it and send it.
Since you are going to wax, get used to rust. Because chain without grease can (will) rust very easily.
I waxed. I got rust in 1 month. It looks bad. But it is cosmetic and doesn’t affect functionality.
Solvents won’t cause that. Most likely water and rust. If the chain is new, it should be fine.
I’ve been waxing for 3 years now and will never go back to traditional oiling. I highly recommend reviewing Silca’s videos on waxing. https://silca.cc/pages/how-to-apply-chain-lube And look into using that Strip Chips for prepping a new chain, avoids the use of harsh chemicals (paint thinner, acetone, etc).
I wax every 500 miles in the roadie and every 250 on Gravel – harsher conditions, more frequent waxing.
You certainly fucked up it’s paint job
I soak my brand new chains in xylene for 20 minutes and some swishing agitation. Then I do a second soak in denatured alcohol. Then hot wax. Works great. For reapplication I’ll soak in xylene for a few to get all the dirt away. I will NEVER go back to oiled chains. I live in AZ though so we mainly have to worry about dry dust not moisture. I’ve heard it can be less desirable for wet environments.
Paint thinner is usually a 7 on the Ph scale, neutral. So, I agree with other comments that you’re seeing preexisting wear.
If your degreaser is acidic, the chain would very likely have been weakened by an overnight soak, but again, paint thinner isn’t acidic.
I keep Ph strips in the shop to test new degreasers to confirm they aren’t acidic.
Chain wax is for the weak just use wet lube and ride
Paint thinner won’t corrode steel, you’re fine.
Personally, when I buy a new chain I strip it like you’ve done, then wax it.
Once it’s degreased from the corn syrup that comes on new chains, I dry it with a hot air gun so it’s also warmed.
Then I hit it with a wax (currently I think I’ve been using Squirt). I drip it in each link and give each link a working back and forth to get the wax in between the plates.
Once it’s waxed, I hang it on something for 24 hours to let the wax cure clean and untouched. You’ll have a clean chain for months, with some added maintenance if you hit bad weather.
Winter and road salt? If you are concerned just get a new chain….and clean the chain with hot water and soap, instead of organic solvents, that’ll be better for the environment.
Looks like the rollers are made of an alloy that maybe was discolored by / reacted in the thinner? You’ve said this was a brand new chain, so I doubt that’s rust, even if there was water in the thinner.
In my opinion, that’s just a neat finish effect. Wax it and ride it!
Depends on the thinner. What thinner did you use?
Mineral spirits, denatured alcohol, then wax. I’ve never seen rust.
Worst that could happen is destroying the o-rings if it’s an o-ring chain..
Just…
Let it dry and coat it in Chain oil, should be fine.
Also how another user said, was likely there already.