Hello, I need your Input.
I chose to go down the hotwax rabbit and probably already ran into a speedbump.
I cleaned my chain by letting it run through the heated ultrasonic cleaner in muc-off cleaner. I whipped it thorougly with a cloth and threw it in the Silca Chain Stripper. In the ultrasonic cleaner and heated (~90 degree Celsius) and now my Chain Strip has the colour of a happy puddle of mud.
Did somebody experience the same? Is it just cosmetic damage?
by OkArugula5721
8 Comments
Are you asking if your chain strip has cosmetic damage? It’s contaminated with the stuff it pulled off the chain, which is what is supposed to happen.
For future reference, buy a gallon of Odorless mineral spirits and a quart of Denatured alcohol. Soak your chain in the mineral spirits in the ultrasonic cleaner, then use the alcohol to wipe it a few times.
This isi far cheaper than the other bike specific cleaners and often simpler and more effective.
From the rabbit hole diving I did a few weeks back, you’ll want to take a coffee filter and funnel, and pass that sludge through. Then wash your chain in the filtered material again. Repeat washing/filtering until your solution is clear with the chain in it.
Or do the easier bit: buy the strip chip and a brand new chain and just do it at once.
But note: if you’ve used your chain, strip chip won’t work. Only on a new chain with factory grease.
Edit – my bad, didn’t see the other pics where it looks like you’re using a filter and it’s still coming through black.
Did you try and clean a used, grimy chain?
If yes, there’s your answer
It is best to start with a new chain.
You ran a used chain through a cleaning solution and, if I guess correctly, the chain is now clean and the solution is dirty. Everything worked as expected.
When I first tried Silca Chain Stripper (which is intended for cleaning used chains, as opposed the Strip Chip that is only for new chains), I did try to filter it through a coffee filter. But it remained black, and I thought it was ruined. I asked Silca about it, and they confirmed it was fine to continue using it.
it will separate out eventually. Tip it into a new container and discard the sludge after. I didn’t find the product to be great for the price though
Youre concerned because the chain stripper liquid that is engineered to get dirt and grease out of your chain is discolored? So it worked?
Or am I missing something.
Nothing is as good as the silca chain stripper. I was unfortunate enough to do their 3-step process before that stripper was released: Mineral spirits, simple green aerospace, and IPA. All in an ultrasonic for 30 minutes each. I was still getting black crap out of my chian and the hot wax just didnt take.
The silca stripper turned black immediately on “clean” chains that went through the 3-step. That stuff is just really good at what its supposed to do.