Lubricating a Bicycle Chain using Paraffin

If you are properly set up, you can use paraffin wax to lubricate your bike chain. The main advantages of the method I use (dipping the chain in hot wax) is that (once you're set up) it's fast, it's easy, and it produces a chain that neither picks up dirt nor produces greasy "tattoo" marks on you or your clothes. For this reason, I find it superior to oil. I lube my chains this way every 3 weeks or 300 miles.

This is a picture of me "dipping" my chain at my workbench.

Step 1 Set up your chain for removal without tools

The first thing you have to do is set up your bike chain so you can easily remove it from your bike. I use an SRAM "Power-Link", pictured. I don't know if there are other manufacturers who make this kind of thing, but I can say I've used these devices for years without trouble. Follow standard guidelines for chain length. Go to a mechanic if you're unsure. If you buy an SRAM chain, they usually come with one of these things included. (I am not affiliated with SRAM in any way, I just think they make decent products.)

Power-Links are very easy to use once you understand the techniques of linking and unlinking them. Here's a good website that explains the "secret" for doing this.

Comments

[chiefredelk]

For years I have put used wax in containers of hot water. This cleans the wax.. The wax melts comes to the surface the dirt goes to the bottom.. Remove the heat source and let the water wax cool down. Before the wax becomes hard carefully cut along the edges and remove.. By testing you will find the right temperature. The wax should be soft but not hard then it can be rolled up or cut in pieces..For melting wax I use a cheap one burner electric unit from Wallyworld.. I think less than 20 bucks.. A big metal can that some foods come in works well..I will try this wax trick on a chain saw chain.. I also ride a bike a lot and will be using this method on all my bike chains. I have a chain break tool so I don't use a master link for removal..

[boxofish]

Right on! This looks like a great idea and I'm gonna give it a shot. Just have to locate a wax heater now. Nice one!

[kill-a-watt]

use a double boiler. Get a large empty tin can or something and throw your pound of paraffin in that. Take the can and put it in a sauce pot that has water in it. As long as you have plenty of water in the pot, the wax will not go over 212F. Lay some newspaper on your kitchen counter. when it comes time to pull the chain out, take the pot-water-wax-can-chain together off the stove and over the newspaper, and then remove the chain from the can. This way the newspaper can be a safe distance away from the stove, and yet you won't drip wax on the stove.

[Akoi Meexx]

Excellent idea, I knew there had to be some reason I had a double-boiler at home.

[kill-a-watt]

there's no reason not to use a real double boiler, but as I said I use a regular pot, and an old juice can with the wax.

put an inch or two of water in the pan, but not so much that the can with wax floats.

When you are done, you can just lift out the can 'o wax and allow everything to cool.

I haven't done the chain wax thing yet, but I use mine to make "buddy burners", to waterproof matches, and to dip tools in to prevent rust.

I store the can on top of the fridge where I can dump in the odd scrap of cheese wax or a broken crayon in for the next melt.

[sharlston]

i do my chain this way:

get a frying pan then put the wax in
wait for it to melt
drop the chain in and wait about 5 minutes

this way the the wax penetrates the rollers and all the small parts

but its still a good method

[Leon Close]

I don't understand how this can work as a chain lubricant. If the wax is a solid, how does it move to replace lubricant that has been pushed out of the metal-to-metal contact areas? Are the forces in a bike chain not high enough to move the wax? I'm not trying to be critical here, I'd just like to understand this.

[beartoe]

Good question. I'm not a lubrication engineer, so I can't answer it. My intuition and experience explain it to me this way. When you heat the chain in a fluid, the joints expand. Paraffin seeps in to all the spaces. (This is why you want to leave it in the dip a while.) When you pull it out, it cools, and the paraffin gets "packed" in place. (When the chain cools, it actually feels "stiff".) The bottom line is, paraffin is solid enough that it doesn't displace easily, the way oil or other liquid lubricants would. I'd welcome comments from people who know their lubrication engineering who could enlighten me.

[Trans_Am]

It is VERY hard to ignite candle wax without a flame. Every year, I melt down old candles into one large can, and I use a campfire to melt the wax. If it starts smoking, move it further away from the fire. Just don't spill liquid wax on a campfire. Burns like kerosene.

[dungeon001]

Its probably pretty easy to substitute something else for the wax heater. Double boiler on a Coleman stove, metal pot on a hot plate, etc.... Probably lots of other suggestions in other projects involving wax on Instructables. Have never actually tried though I am curious as I have a couple of projects in mind for the future that will involve melting. Have also been thinking about getting a bike to get back in shape and this tip will be very handy if I do.

[beartoe]

Be VERY CAREFUL about using a non thermostatically controlled heat source! Paraffin is flammable (10 trillion candles can't be wrong), and it's not hard to heat it above its flash point. Then you have a big problem. If you're not going to use a paraffin heater, you can use a double-boiler on a hot plate. This will keep the temperature at 100 degrees Centigrade, which is fine. But it's messier.

[dungeon001]

The part of the comment about alternate melting of wax was for boxofish. I just failed at using the reply button.

[dan moulton]

Cool. I notice new chains have a waxy coating, is this parafin?

[beartoe]

Dan, it's probably paraffin based. It's possible to dissolve paraffin in mineral oil and lube using that. That's what I'm guessing the chain mfr's use. But it's stickier than pure paraffin, and so defeats the purpose of not attracting dirt.