I did do my first 'waxing' session. It was a bit messy.
I dug out two squash bottles from the recyling. Thoroughly rinsed them. Set them aside to dry.
Cut off the long piece of a wire coat hanger, fashioned one end into a hook and made another 90 degree bend in it else where. I figured I'd use that for fishing chains out of bottles and dropping the chains into the wax.
I put 100ml of UFO chain clean into each squash bottle.
I popped each chain in bottle 1, gave it a good shake and after three minutes fished them out.
I popped each chain in bottle 2, gave it a good shake and after three minutes fished them out.
I then rinsed all four chains well with water, dried them off with paper towels and finished them with the heat gun on a lowish to moderate setting to get them completely dry.
The Silca Secret Blend Chain wax went into the small Swan slow cooker, which was put on the slow setting. First chain placed on top.
I found I couldn't really fit anything through the chain to neatly drop it into and fish it out of the slow cooker - it really was just a little bit too small for that. I found myself fishing the chain out with the hook end of the makeshift tool.
And then I waited. It took a long time for the wax to melt. I periodically checked the wax temperature with an infrared thermometer. What I found was, that that the slow cooker did not distribute the heat very evenly.
When the wax melted, but before the temperature exceed 70 degrees, I removed the lid.
I went to fish the chain out, and found not all the wax had melted. All of the wax on top had melted, but the chain was immersed in a solid lump of molten wax.
So I left things longer still.
Eventually, the chain was no longer immersed in molten wax. I lifted the chain out with the makeshift tool. Ooops. Should let the makeshift tool get warm first otherwise I pull a load of wax out with it!
Hooked the chain about half way along it's length and held it up above the slow cooker whilst the excess wax dripped off. Wound up with solidify wax globules at either end of the chain.
When chain had cooled significantly, placed it down on top of some paper towel, mainly to make it look like I was trying to take some care, doing this in the kitchen.
Rinsed and repeated for the other three chains.
Put some of the chains down to soon and they stuck to the kitchen towel. It seemed to separate fairly easily though.
Unfortunately, the wax did get quite warm at one stage - north of 85 degrees C. I think some of it may have touched 90 degrees C at one point, but as I said, temperature wasn't evenlty distributed. Still, considerably more than stated in the slow cookers manual.
I seemed to wind up with a lot of wax on the chains - even without allowing for the wax to cool slightly before removing the chains. The plates seemed to be well covered.
Wiggled each link in one of the chains free. Re-installed it on the bike. With the bike and the stand, popped the bike into small-small and big-big, running the chain through a few times. Lots of small wax flakes everywhere.
Popped the others in sealed sandwhich bags for safe keeping.
All in all, not too bad. Took longer than expected.
Perhaps should not have cheaped out so much on the slow cooker.
Net cost of doing this:
- 3 x Ultegra 12 speed chains, found for £30 each; total £90[1]
- 1 x Silca Secret Blend Hot Melt Wax - £44
- 1 x CeramicSpeed UFO Eco-friendly Bike Drivetrain Cleaner 500ml - £22.99
- 1 x SWAN SF17010N 1.5 Litre Round Stainless Steel Slow Cooker - £14.99
- 1 x IR digital thermometer - loaned FoC
Total: 171.98
Haven't decided yet when I tend to cycle chains. I'm thinking ~200km - 300km.
Wondering if I should carry some of the drip wax in case I'm ever caught short ... but I understand that needs to be applied some time before the bike is ridden, so maybe not that useful.
[1]: from eBay; seem and look legit; usual RRP £50; 4th chain already on the, as yet unridden, bike