The Hot Tub of Queso/Waxed Chain Thread

[Roxtar]

No, I was referring to Roxtar's naptha+wax blend idea.

Rewax after 5+ SS applications is the same as a rewax after none: quick rinse in boiling water and G2G. No consideration needs to be given to the fact that you've used SS over the initial hot wax bc SS is the same product, just emulsified in water.

I've heard that the SS doesn't actually do much to penetrate, but it immediately eliminates the horrible grinding that a used-up waxed chain emits, so I always have a tiny dropper bottle of it with me. An application lasts 20-50 miles of MTB, so usually enough to get me home.

That's the reasoning behind my desire to find/create a drip lube that equates to the MSW formula. It should have no effect on the mix when rewaxing.
Naphtha evaporates pretty quick and clean so I don't think I'm introducing any real amount of petro to the solution.
Any chemical guys here to disagree?

[joetron]

I’ve been doing Silca immersion wax, that lasts about 60-100miles on mtb/100-200 on drop bar bikes in dry conditions-then SS drip every couple of rides as needed. Frequency increases as we start riding in the high country with water crossings/snow drifts/rain storms.
Re-hot wax every 2-3 months.

I experimented with Silca Synergetic this spring on the gravel bike and down in Sonora for a few big mtb rides. That stuff is legit. Very much on the clean side for a “wet lube”. In Sonora we started 2 rides with 15 steam crossings in 3 miles, then had a few hours of desert dust, and the chain was running sweet the entire ride. Evan, this stuff would have been great in Scotland.


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[climberevan]

Yeah, the Synergetic would prob have been the perfect lube for this trip. HOWEVER, since I forgot both of our chains ("I'll just give these a last hot wax and hang them here to cool while I pack the bikes.") and had to buy new ones in Inverness, I was subject to what they had there. I bought an expensive bottle of Peaty's lube that they recommended. It is pretty nice, and the chains didn't gunk up badly at all, but it seems to wash off after a couple of hours of rain or a few miles of riding in stream/trail, so an application never lasted a full day. I'm interested to check these chains to see how much they have worn with basically mud and water to lube them for several hundred miles.

[Huskier]

I started my queso journey last night. I used Silca Secret. Solvent soak to degrease (gasoline), flamed off, rubbed down remaining residue. Washed, scrubbed by hand again. Wax to temp, nice very thin consistency x 15 minutes, stirred/agitated frequently. Hung up to cool, back on bike.

Deraileur reallllly doesn't like it. Like there's more drag in the system not less and it sounds like dogshit. Is there some break-in period to be observed?

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[XXX-er]

Normaly I use Naptha AKA white gas which leaves the chain completely clean and dry but this time i had the LBS thro my new chain in the parts washer and then I squirted it no probelm


was this a new chain or a used chain which should not matter but maybe you had dirt in the chain ?

[jm2e]

Are people using queso anywhere else?
I’ve got my cassette off and it got me thinking.
What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, right?


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[buttahflake]

First five miles can be rough and loud with a freshly dipped chain, this is normal. I’m all in on the Silca program, waxed chains are fast, smooth and quiet.

[J. Barron DeJong]

First five miles can be rough and loud with a freshly dipped chain, this is normal. I’m all in on the Silca program, waxed chains are fast, smooth and quiet.

This, but also, did you -break- the wax bond between links well before installing it? Once installed I also spin the cranks backward for like 30 seconds to knock out/off some of the excess wax.

[J. Barron DeJong]

Are people using queso anywhere else? I’ve got my cassette off and it got me thinking. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, right? Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

You want to wax your cassette?

[jm2e]

I thought the idea was that you wax anything you did not want to get mucked up. It should make it like a non stick pan, right?

[waveshello]

I started my queso journey last night. I used Silca Secret. Solvent soak to degrease (gasoline), flamed off, rubbed down remaining residue. Washed, scrubbed by hand again. Wax to temp, nice very thin consistency x 15 minutes, stirred/agitated frequently. Hung up to cool, back on bike.

Deraileur reallllly doesn't like it. Like there's more drag in the system not less and it sounds like dogshit. Is there some break-in period to be observed?

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Here's a couple things I've learned now that I'm running waxed chain on 4 bikes.

If you want it to run real nice right from the start, you can break each link loose by hand. But first I start by running the chain around some 1/2" copper pipe or dowel or broomstick and pulling it back and forth. Then do the other side. Then go through by hand and move each link through it's full range of motion. It takes about 10 minutes to do all that for one chain. You might not have to do all that, but it pretty much guarantees it'll work flawlessly.

If you're running a narrow wide chain ring or have an RD with narrow wide jockey wheels, extra wax in the spaces in the chain can keep the chain from fully seating on to the teeth. Easiest thing is just to turn the crank and watch the chain come around on the chainring--push it down by hand where it's riding high, that'll clear out the excess wax.

It can all be a bit tedious at first, but you'll probably find efficiencies and stop caring as much, and then it gets better. Enjoy your clean bike!

[waveshello]

And to your question about a break-in period: There is one, numbers have been quoted but working the links loose by hand shortens it and I don't notice any drag after pedaling for a few minutes.

If speed is what you're after, adding Silca super secret drip lube to a waxed chain that's been ridden for ~100 miles makes a chain that spins very freely.

[rideit]

<p>
I&rsquo;m fairly new to the (hot) wax game, but I like to hit the chain with my heat gun on low (somewhere on the chainring) while making it run through the gears, etc. I don&rsquo;t get it stupid hot, just enough to soften the wax. Sometimes a bit will drip off.</p>
<p>
&nbsp;</p>
<p>
That said, as mechanics, we found that almost all drip on wax lubes (White Lightning was the worst) gobbed up drivetrains, and required extra steps to get clean for a higher level tune. I stopped carrying it in the shop for that reason. Sometimes it was caked on so thick on peoples cassettes, the chain wouldn&#39;t sit all the way down on the cogs.&nbsp;<br />
That&#39;s how I started improvising with the heat gun. (Yes, we would remove the cassette from the freehub body)&nbsp;</p>

[XXX-er]

I don&#39;t hot pot but I&#39;m pretty happy with Squirt drip wax, on an indoor trainer IME the bits of wax flake off on the floor in small pieces so I used a piece of cardboard under the bike to collect the bits of wax


so I never clean the chain I just apply again after the 3rd ride and leave over night for the water to evap and the drive train runs fine, I swap in a new X01 at .75 on the checker which is about 1700 kms on an Eeb

[Roxtar]

I started my queso journey last night. I used Silca Secret. Solvent soak to degrease (gasoline), flamed off, rubbed down remaining residue. Washed, scrubbed by hand again. Wax to temp, nice very thin consistency x 15 minutes, stirred/agitated frequently. Hung up to cool, back on bike. Deraileur reallllly doesn&#39;t like it. Like there&#39;s more drag in the system not less and it sounds like dogshit. Is there some break-in period to be observed? Sent from my Pixel 9 Pro using Tapatalk

I really have never experienced that. Granted, I havent used Silca but it has a great rep so I assume you are good there.
You might still have original oil gunk in the chain so perhaps rewax, this time leave it in for a half hour or so. Let it really get through the internals of the chain.
Ive never had to do as much calisthetics to break the links free as some have mentioned here. I just put a piece of 1/2&quot; PVC in the vice and run the chain around it on both sides. Always works.

[XXX-er]

For Naptha cleaning I coil a chain in the bottom of a spaghetti sauce jar on the end of a wire hook cover with 3inches of Naptha leave it overnight pull it out in the next day


the Naptha evaps almost instantly the chain is incredibly dry and clean there is not a spec of dirt or grease on the chain


I have put the lid on the jar and re-used tthe naptha a 2nd time


I donot know if Naptha melts or cleans wax cuz i never clean chains after the initial cleaning of shipping grease

[Roxtar]

For Naptha cleaning I coil a chain in the bottom of a spaghetti sauce jar on the end of a wire hook cover with 3inches of Naptha leave it overnight pull it out in the next day the Naptha evaps almost instantly the chain is incredibly dry and clean there is not a spec of dirt or grease on the chain I have put the lid on the jar and re-used tthe naptha a 2nd time I donot know if Naptha melts or cleans wax cuz i never clean chains after the initial cleaning of shipping grease

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[Norseman]

Shake it for a while in the jar of naptha and a lot more shit will come out of the chain rollers.

[Dee Hubbs]

Silca Chain stripper is worth every cent you spend on it. No nasty chemicals, no smells. Shake in a jar, filter used solutions through a coffee filter. Clean chain ready to wax.

[Norseman]

Cool. Is that stuff a citrus-based agent?

[Dee Hubbs]

It lifts and encapsulates the grease.
And prepares the chain surface for wax adhesion.
They basically reversed engined what was needed for wax to stick all the way back to what lifts the grease off the chain.

[waveshello]

Anyone notice that KMC is selling pre-waxed chains now? Just a few bucks more, and you get to skip the prep process. I ordered a couple, I'll report back when they arrive.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

I'll know I have really made it in life when I can buy $162 pre-waxed titanium coated chains for my fleet of meticulous bikes hanging in the radiant heated garage with epoxied floors.

[XXX-er]

Being a Macgyver type I discovered naptha cuz there was can in the shed and it worked really well