Video to make the bottled liquid wax.... • Wax your chain anywher... You can also use plain stearic acid. I bought from here... www.awo.com.au/stearic-acid/
Amazing update. Works perfect like this. Used 15g for 3 chains. For German customers: I got 200g Quickshine deep fat fixer from Amazon for about 10€. Works great
I‘m also a recent waxing convert living in Germany. The Quickshine fat fixer and the PTFE are still on their way. I wanted to also do a 3 chain rotation. Was not sure a small 500ml leg wax melter would do the job. What wax melter did you go for @drama069?
@@MatthewBell-mg7fh Flüssigwachs Emulsion stelle ich mir auch selbst her. Einfach eine recht flüssige Emulsion aus Parafin, Polysorbat 80 (Emulgator der das Wachs mit Wasser verbindet), Wasser und Alkohol herstellen und in Fläschchen abfüllen. Bei Bedarf kann man auch hier PTFE Pulver, Graphit oder sonstige Aditive zumischen. Preis für einen Liter hier niedriger, was sonst ein kleines 100ml Fläschchen Kettenwachs kostet.
@@photooutdoor2574 Wenn du auf PTFE verzichten möchtest, dann solltest du auch mit der fertigen wasserbasierten Wachsemulsion vorsichtig sein. Die gibt es zwar relativ günstig in Chemiehandel, hat dann aber Emulgatoren drin, die auch umweltschädlich sind und zudem Haut und Augen reizen. Polysorbat 80 ist ein biologisch abbaubarer Emulgator, der auch für kosmetische Anwendungen zugelassen ist.
Everybody, please consider wearing a FFP 3 mask when working with ptfe, tungsten or graphite powder. From below 10ug diameter you are handling pure particulates which are prooven to have dangerous effects on your lungs. Especially when adding the powder to melted wachs and stiring it, a cloud of particulates can take off just by the movement of the hot air on top of your wax surface. Apart from that, what a nice idea to try fat fixer for diy strip chips. Thank you oz!
The original waxing videos changed my cycling life, this is a phenomenal update to the process and makes it a total no brainer. Outstanding thanks so much for the continued waxing updates.
. I've been using your method for a few years now. 460 km in 5 days bike packing including the Brisbane valley rail trail and chain untouched smooth and quiet all the way. Love it. Cheers Les
I'm responsible for cleaning mine and gfriends drive chain - I just prefer it that way when I know it's done to my standards. You convinced me to try waxed chains and it's an absolute gamechanger. Thanks so much!
Fantastic update. Thank you for making this process even easier. I am a total convert to chain waxing, as the difference it makes to a ride is profound. In the event of a mechanical or snagging a flat is made easier as there's no grease or dirty oil residue to deal with
Not sure if you mentioned it, but most oil solidifiers require a temp of at least 176f/80c in order to function properly, so it would be pertinent to ensure your wax reaches this temp when using the solidifier. Also, I really wish I had heard that bit about removing wax buildup from the smallest cassette cogs a few years ago. I was fine with 9spd and a 12t smallest cog, but when I purchased a new gravel bike the wax buildup on the 11spd cassette lead to skipping in the 11t cog that took me longer than I would like to admit to diagnose. Lastly, Silca must hate you for this 🙂
> Lastly, Silca must hate you for this 🙂 actually, I think he is bringing customers to them. With Silca the process is bit easier. Also after I started waxing using home made wax, I later also bought squirt drip on wax (Which actually I don't recommend and If I'll not create my own drip on wax formula I'll probably buy silca)
@@donavonlewis1039 It's sticky and gunky. It creates black gunks all over drive train which is bit annoying, It's sticky to touch and bit dirty (you'll get dirty hands after touching your chain if you're using squirt, it's not as bad as with oil by any means). It has kinda consistency of paper glue. I kinda suspect that If I melted in to wax som glue stick I would get similar result. But for like multi day trips I would probably still use it. And I like it's less viscous than super secret, and also I think it dries faster. and it's half of price of supersecret if not even more.
I have been waxing for 30,000km now. I started with your guide but I have modified a bit to speed things up. First I use a much higher temp for wax (150C), it cause the water stuck in the chain to boil off and it's much faster. I also don't wait for the wax to cool down, I pull out the chain while hot and wipe them right away wearing thick gloves. I then start moving the links before it finish cooling down, so no more stiff link to break. I didn't notice any difference in wear and I still get around 300 to 500km per wax. Plus, you end up with way less wax all over your bike and stuck on the cassette and chainring. All my chains are still below 0.5 on the CC-4. I'm still on the original cassette and chainring. AXS 12 speed.
Thanks for your tip ! How long do you put the chain in het 150C wax ? And you don't let the temp go down before you put the chain out of the wax ? And the last question is if you wipe down the chain with a cloth is there a chance there is to much wax going away from the chain ? Thanks again for you help
@@MHMvanOs-qt9cc I sometime let it come down a bit, but to be honest there is plenty of wax left even if you remove it while very hot. Wiping the chain didn't affect the performance as well. I think enough stay in the roller.
@@morneauh my waxed chain after riding some kms around 50.60km after the flaking my chain when i touch it, it leaves black stains (little bit on my fingers) but the chain is dry no noticeable stickiness like the lube ones , i use just paraffin wax and i wax my chain after every 300km i am waiting for your response if u can help me the problem i am facing
Thank you for sharing all your expertise! I'm dragging my chain through a outside candle fed with old candles. After that, i put the chain into my oven at 90 °C. -Just for the idea of using different methods :)
I use a cheese grater to scrap away the settled contaminants on the bottom of the wax puck. Also, I use a strong magnet to remove any ferrous metals from the hot wax. You won't believe how much stuff the magnet picks up after rewaxing several chains.
For anyone considering this, please note PTFE is a group of nasty chemicals that stays in the environment for hundreds of years without breaking down, hence the nickname "forever chemicals". If possible I'd advise on finding alternatives. Obviously the industry uses this in many applications on a huge scale. But if you want to make a conscious choice, it's better to choose something else. Most outdoor brands are going away from PTFE:s for this very reason. Leave no trace ;)
Thanks a lot for your videos, at first I hesitated, then decided to go for your previous method of 3 plastic jars and the chemicals. And now see this update, haha. I wonder whether the new method is *AS* efficient as the chemical deep clean. Because I already prepared myself for a longer journey of cleaning.
I bought a Priority Bicycles Turi 3 years ago and it uses an Enviolo rear hub and a Gates belt instead of a chain. *I put 7000 **_MILES_** on it and never did anything other than wash it with soap and water!* Then the crankset plastic sprocket got some cupped wear on it and the belt began to make a creaking sound under torque so I ordered a new sprocket, but in the meantime I put some cornstarch on the belt and the creaking sound went away. I changed the sprocket anyways when it arrived and then replaced the belt with the spare I had bought (and never used) for my road kit, and the old belt looked just as good as the belt that had zero miles on it! Seriously, I know the Derailleur is as efficient as it gets, certainly more efficient than an Enviolo hub (mine is 300%), and more efficient than my new Priority 600 that has a Gates belt as well but uses the Pinion C1.12 - 12 speed (600%) crankset gearbox, but the belts have never cut up my pants, which have gotten caught in the crank sprocket many times, and it looks like they will last orders of magnitude longer than any chain will, will never have cassettes to wear out, AND are literally *_no maintenance!_* Just wash the bike like you would a car and go. Frankly I used to love working on my old Schwinn Le Tour. I was like a bloke with his old '68 Jaguar and how he loved to tinker with the points and plugs every month or two, adjusting the valves and setting the dwell on the points. But now I'm so done with a derailleur and that constant maintenance. Even the way you've found (which is smashing genius) to extend the time between maintenance and the wear of all the components is no temptation for me to go back. I'm never going back to a derailleur, EVER. I have just as much fun and don't care about (or notice) the loss of efficiency since I'm not in any race. I'm just off to the chemist to get my prescriptions, doing my groceries or out for my 20 mile exercise ride. BTW I'm still subbed to your channel after those three years. Partly for other stuff, partly to see if you're gonna change my mind about chains, but I doubt it.
Finally gone down the waxing rabbit hole. Biggest pain is not just prepping chains but cleaning all other moving parts but took my time as wax melted. Loosened chain links around a thick broom and refitted. At firt their was flakes of wax everywhere and felt super stiff but slowly loosened up. Been running DA9100 mechanical and using Finish Line green wet lube for years, and wow now it shifts like DA should. So weird looking and feeling chain after a ride and it, frame and rear wheel is spotless clean😊
To follow up, shifting is magic, driveline and rear remains clean but even after a 32k ride it is very noisy. Chain in right direction and refitted correctly, sounds like a oil lubed chain that has dried out.@@stevenleffanue
Hi Steve. Love all you do for us. You are a top rate content producer! Waxing for 3 + years due to your most excellent videos. I have a suggestion regarding measuring the chain. I check my chain wear only after removing the wax using boiling water. Its my belief that measuring with wax in the chain can skew the results. Thanks for the info.
I recommend having as many chains as you can tolerate, wax them all at once, and rotate through all the chains. It delays exposing the cassette and crank to a worn chain, which minimizes how much the cassette and chainrings wear, which minimizes how much the chain wears, too. It saves a ton of $ and rides better.
Exactly what I do. I am currently cycling 2 chains weekly. I pour boiling water into them in a pot and agitate them then wax them in PTFE and Graphite wax. I prefer 3.
Thanks for sharing; I never went through the hussle of freeing the links - I just mounted the stiff chain and rode about 200 meters; It slipped a lot on the first couple of pedal strokes, but at the end of my street, it was fine.
I do same procedure, really I learnt it from you, but ultrasonic clean new chain. I am surprised how many metal chips and flakes from manufacturing find at the bottom of the machine. Nice video.
Hi Oz. Really easy way to wax! Thank you from America! Thanks for taking the time to do excellent "how to" videos that you have invested a LOT of time producing based on science. Oz, I've been waxing now for 4 years now based on your excellent videos! I absolutly love riding on a waxed bike and won't do otherwise. Even though I'm a weekend warrior, I have learned so much from your content. I think it's content creators like you that truly affect the world in such positive ways in the new way we share info. CHEERS MATE! 😄
Really appreciate your in-depth videos and wealth of information. What 'hotpot' appliance would you recommend? Maybe include links to the recommended/used products in your video description? Thanks so much for sharing :)
Glad you are liking the vids 👍. A hotpot with temperature regulator is best...can set it and leave it for as long as you want or lower the temperature to remove the chain at about 75degC to leave more wax fir wet conditions.
Amazing! Thanks a bunch! Used to let the wax cool before pulling out the chain, this leaves way less wax, even less flaking and less build up of old wax. Just one question, do you clean the microfiber cloths in de washing machine?
250-300km in road hours is basically every 10hrs of riding which for many is weekly. I’d recommend buying 4 chains you can swap every week so you’re only waxing monthly. Don’t discard cassettes and chains in your general water bin, please recycle! There are great pre mixed waxes you can use instead of candles and your own blend of additives.
Is it a must I use the oil solidifier? because, it's the only thing missing now, that last time I watched your waxing video you told us to get only wax and PTFE. Now, as I was about to do it, I heard there's one more thing to get.
I tryed this method on a nbrand new chain, worked almost flawless. I still had some oil/greas in the chain, but only minimal barely noticeable. The wax only lasted around 200km before the chain got louder.
@@stevenleffanue thx for the reply. I soaked it longer than in the vid, there was no bubbles on my first waxing, only on the rewax i had bubbles. Maybe i jsut need more of that oil solidifier?
@stevenleffanue another good update to improve the process. I saw below that you said that you only had Aussie links for where you buy all of the 'ingredients', can you post them in the description anyway, thanks.
This is brilliant, thank you! One question, should that first mixture be reserved for new chains only, so you wax it ther first and then every subsequent time you wax in the 1:100 mixture?
The commercially available block that converts grease seems like it's two compounds. I bet that's extra WS₂, the converted grease would have no friction modifier in. Are the amounts mentioned taking that into account? Also I feel like the friction modifier might need some help getting in the converted grease, perhaps the commercially available product has something like that in? That one also needs 125 °C to make the conversion happen, what's different in this method that it needs only 95 ° C?
@@DR_1_1 The Connex link? Not as expensive as replacing Shimano/Sram or Campy quick links over the life of a waxed chain. Buy the Connex chain and it come with it anyway. They cost more as they are built to better tolerances.
Thanks for sharing 👍 After following your instructions and waxing our families 5 bikes I now get requests from others … 😊 I bought two used stainless pots at a flea market. One has 1:20 and the other 1:50 PTFE. Lowest setting on our induction stove does the trick. Not there yet on all our bikes but will run 2 chains per bike and Wipperman connex. Again, thanks for sharing 😊
@@stevenleffanuefollow with your advice I did a quick search realizing that the additive is intended to remove / consume / convert production chain oil into a solid byproduct mix with the molten wax.
From what I Googled, oil solidifiers are stearic acid. So adding a stearin candle in the paraffin wax should do the same job, harden the wax and up the melting point.
Nope, unfortunately not. Wax ist a Triglyceride, i.e. Glyerine C3H5(OH)3 + 3 x CxH(2x+1)COOH (i.e. stearic acid) ----> TG + 3 x H2O. Not all oil soilidifiers are amde the same. Some contain Perlite, which is kind of a fluffy rocklike stuff. I'd buy the silca chips, just to be sure.
Great video! A question about the cassette re-install on the freehub body; I usually put some grease on the body before sliding the cassette on but I noticed you didn't. So no grease is fine? Thanks!
I am a fan and have started waxing my chains. However, today I noticed that one of my chain links has seized up. I hadn’t ridden this bike for over a month. It looked like rust had got in there. The chain was waxed from new and prepped as per your instructions. What did I do wrong?
Hi, a question, is it one time use only? For example, once I degreased a chain this way, can I degrease another or will I have to do another batch of wax + grease solidifier? Or do I need to add another sachet in the same batch? Thanks for your content, very interesting!
Would you mind a deeper dive share on the Greece solidification powder? I’ve been hot waxing for many years and this is the first time I’ve heard of that helping. How do I know it’s actually helping? Have you done and A B test and can show the difference? Many thanks
Basically the folks at SILCA just did the same thing, repackaged the powder that causes a chemical reaction called oleogelation into fancy wafers, and charge 10x more for it.
Shimano chains come with oil/grease on them --- so with the new oil solidifier - cleaning the new shimano chain is not required? That doesn't bring contaminants into the wax mix? Will the new ingredient (oil solidifier) allow me to scoop out oil?
Hello and thanks for the really helpful and well researched videos. I have a question and hope you'll be kind enough to reply with some advice. Especially as it may help others too. I have just emptied by slow cooker ready for a new batch of wax and PTFE and the candles that I've purchased say "25% plant based wax and 75% premium paraffin". Will these be suitable? The packaging also says they are vegan which I thought would be obvious. Surprised they aren't marked as gluten free too. 🙄 I also have access to bees wax, which is obviously not vegan but wondered how that would work. TIA.
@@stevenleffanue Only issue is I only had purple Methylated spirits so hard to tell if completely clear 😂 Still great content but I did quickly check it wasn't April first today
Science is wonderful but totally lost me in high school. Here we benefit from those who do understand science and thanks to Steve for making this video for us.
I have questions for waxing my bike chain. But watch your video 4 yrs ago about waxing bike chain proceeds it was involved couple more step than this video. If you don’t mind tell me little more details why I should skip those steps or make an other video explaining why those steps wasn’t necessary?
Usually 95degC. Taking it out at lower temperatures leaves more wax on the chain. So, for riding in wet conditions, you could take the chain out at about 65degC.
I have a question - after, lets say 300 km, how does your waxed chain look like? Does it have some black/grey residuals? How much dirt is attracted? Concerning mosi2, teflon, etc. - one can add them to the wax lubes as well.
my bikes have aluminum front chainrings and when I wipe the hot chain with a rag the old wax is gray even though it was waxed with colorless wax, my wife at one time had steel front chainrings and the color of the old wax was not gray but depended on the color of the road dust(red, yellow...)
Can you reuse the wax? Do you just let it harden and use it again without adding the PTFE and oil solidifier? Or is it just the best to trow everything away and use new wax and PTFE the next time you want to wax your chain?
Yes , it changes state into a gel or soft wax texture which simply blends into the paraffin wax. If you take scrapings ,put them on blotting paper and squash it with a weight for a day or so , no oil is present on the paper.
Yep. I also like to use a microcrystaline wax (with added WS2). Of course it costs 1.5 times the price, but does an even cleaner drive train and longer lasting lubrication.
Personally I don't think the grease converter powder will work that well compared with just removing it using strong solvents. Those grease converters are meant for edible oils which are different chemically from mineral oils. Edible oils and fats are unsaturated and have a fatty acid group at one end which makes soap possible, both of which make them more chemically active than the plain unsaturated carbon chains of mineral oils. Personally I will be sticking with the older method of degreasing the chain with multiple baths of gasoline so that I am sure that the old oil is completely removed.
I thought the same but tested various brand powders anyhow for last 5 months and the results were all very similar. The petroleum oil must be turned to a polymer as no oils were present after the procedure. I took video of the tests and mite put it up for everyone to view.
Cooking oil solidifiers appear to be made of stearic acid. It dissolves in hot cooking oil (or hot paraffin wax). Stearic acid melts at a much higher temperature than cooking oil. The solution has an intermediate melting temperature, still above normal ambient temperatures, so the mixture stays solid. This is not polymerization in a chemist’s meaning of the word. Molten paraffin wax all by itself is probably a good solvent for chain grease, as good or better than stearic acid. I haven’t tried it myself, but it seems likely. Lubricating grease consists of petroleum oil and a thickener. Petroleum oil is soluble in paraffin wax and the thickener is probably at least partly soluble especially when hot. I do not know how dissolved grease in the wax affects friction and wear performance. I have the idea that a bit of good lubricating oil dissolved in the wax might improve its friction and wear characteristics, but I don’t know. Too much oil would at some point start making the chain sticky again, causing the dirt build up waxing is meant to prevent. If I had the equipment to test chain friction, I would test blends of paraffin with lubricating oil. I do not know how stearic acid affects chain friction and wear. I have the idea that it might be good. Stearic acid might, because of the polar acid group on each molecule, tend to stick more strongly to metal surfaces than paraffin molecules, and because the rest of a stearic acid molecule is chemically very similar to petroleum, it might improve the adhesion of paraffin to metal. The word acid, in the name stearic acid might lead one to think that stearic acid will promote chain corrosion. I don’t think this is true. Chemists call a lot of things acids. The mineral acids, such as sulfuric, nitric and hydrochloric, are quite corrosive, but organic acids such as stearic are much less so and fatty acids, such as stearic acid, are less corrosive yet. (Fatty acids are a subgroup of organic acids.)
Those candles are probably made with 98%parafin and max 2% parafin oil which îs hard as plastic and flakes of it does not melt în my warm hand there are candles with parafin wax and> 10%parafin oil jar like not self standing that if used will turn grey inside the chain at the first ride Made my chain with more rafined parafin
If you are using a new chain, should you first decrease the new chain form any lubricant from the factory? Or can you use it just like this, out of the box, and put it in to the wax?
Why did you not clean the new chain? I thought they have a heavy grease even if it is n brandnew. I follow your old videos soaking in the gasoline, degreaser and methylated spirits before doing yhe waxing. Is that correct or this is the new method?
@@stevenleffanue ok thank you. I will follow this new step when i change new chain in the future. It is easy and more cheaper since I will not buy cleaning chemicals.
It doesn't escape because it is a solid, not liquid. It gets slowly deformed away from compressing surfaces, which, when rewaxed this gap is refilled with wax again.
Had a go a this... Waxed chain, seemed ok in the dry. Stayed clean and seemed to be less noisy, but went out and it pissed it down. Got home dried bike and chain. Next morning rust spots on chain! Not had this happen when I used oil. Any advice out there?
I am a bit confused: In the video you mention the ratio for wax and PTFE quite clearly (also for rewaxing) ... what about the solidifier ? Do you add some of it for rewaxing ? Or is it ONLY added to the "initial wax block" ?
@@stevenleffanueIf we add the grease converter for the initial block, then can we reuse that (which contains the grease converter) for latter waxings or should we melt a new one with just wax and the additive?
Keep using it as normal wax. It should last the usual 3,000km. The oil conversion powder is just to clean the chain initially and becomes waxlike itself anyhow.
In the old method i think it was a ratio of 1/10 pfte when now its 1/20. So can a go to the 1/20 ratio in the old way too? I clean the new chain before use.
1:20 is for initial wax batch. Once the ptfe embeds itself into the metal a 1:80 or even 1:100 will maintain the low friction quality for rest of the chains life.
@@stevenleffanue Ok, thanks. Just bought my a new second hand slow cooker for 20€ and waiting for the pfte to arrive. Paraffine i can buy at a wine making shop for 6€/500gr. Greetings from Belgium.
Thank you for your effort! A little comment on the "additives": PTFE, as mentioned, is not the best environmental friendly choice for waxing. I chose MoS2-Powder. Because it was easier to get my hands on in Germany. But there is a downside: The smell of warm MoS2 is very unpleasant. I have to wax outside, otherwise my flat smells like a Metal-Workshop (Smell of old warm transmissions). I will not use MoS2 again. Furthermore, I will get some graphite. Hopefully, it has less odor also it is much easier to get here in Germany. Anyone made the same experience ?
I've tried tried wax with graphite for the same reason(also living in Germany + environment...). It's odorless. After 1000km(e-bike) my chain is worn off. I didnt't really note down my chainwear before. But i think my oiled chains made approximately 500-700km. That improvement is not really worth the hassle imo. I will now test PTFE. If it really extends the lifetime of a chain that drastically, i think it's maybe outweighs the downsides. PTFE by its self isn't (despite it's everlasting/not degrading properties) poisonious. The precursors are the problem...
@@grott3n0lm 1000km sind viel zu kurz. 500-700km sind absolut verrückt wenig. Ich müsste, wenn ich diesen Verschleiß hätte, alle 10 Wochen eine neue Kette kaufen. Entweder deine Ritzel / Kassette sind auch schon fertig und wurden nicht gewechselt und fressen jetzt die Kette auf oder ich weiß es nicht. Oder du hast so eine starke Belastung, dass der Antriebsstrang dafür einfach nicht ausgelegt ist (viel Berge und hohe Unterstützung durch den Motor). Wie hast du denn das gemerkt, dass die Kette getauscht werden muss? Gefühl oder mit einer Lehre? Ich würde auch mal gucken, dass man den Antriebsstrang komplett auf Stahl umbaut. Bei einem E-Bike machen Alu-Ritzel und Kassetten wirklich gar kein Sinn. Ja ich weiß man kann ein paar Gramm einsparen, aber einmal Groß vor dem Radfahren bringt die gleiche Ersparnis. Ansonsten gibt es auch E-Bike Ketten von KMC vielleicht da mal gucken. Ansonsten das günstige Zeug kaufen, das ist dann aus Stahl und hält länger.
@@ZiggobertDanke für deine Anteilnahme. 😅Dass das wenig ist, ist mir schon bewusst. Deswegen hatte ich ja viel Hoffnung in das Wachsen gesetzt. Die KMC EPT Kette habe ich auch vor kurzem bestellt. Obwohl die vorher von Shimano hat auch mit "e-bike-ready" geworben. Der Antrieb ist komplett aus Stahl. Der Einsatz ist im (Mittel)gebirge mit teils heftigen Anstiegen und oft auch hoher Unterstützung. Ich mache nicht wirklich viel Strecke, sammel dafür aber ordentlich Höhenmeter. Habe bis jetzt immer nach Gefühl gewechselt und dann meistens auch die Kassette. Letztes Mal gab es auch ein neues KB. Jetzt dokumentiere ich das allerdings genauer und messe mit Messschieber.
@@grott3n0lm 😀 dann scheint die Belastung wirklich hoch zu sein. Ich hab so eine kleine Rohlofflehre, gibt es aber auch von anderen Herstellern, die schmeiß ich mal alle Monate rein. Meine Ketten halten immer ein paar Tausend Kilometer.
