Cleaning chains with petrol

[bladerunner]

A friend mentioned to me recently that he cleans his chains with petrol so I tried it and it seems to do the job pretty well. Has anyone else tried this and is there a downside?

 

[FitSsikS]

I haven't used that technique in quite some time. If I recall it reeeaaally dried the chain out, getting rid of every bit of lubricant right down to the bone.

So just make sure the new lube permeates well.

 

[Fiemme]

What FitSsikS said. Make sure you lube afterwards.
I use Kerosene its a bit cheaper than Petrol. I soak the chain in a container of kero and leave it on the washing machine while cleaning clothes. The vibration gets all of the grit out of the rollers. Just make sure you re-lube when its back on the bike.

 

[FitSsikS]

I use Kerosene its a bit cheaper than Petrol. I soak the chain in a container of kero and leave it on the washing machine while cleaning clothes.

Kerosene is also a bit safer to use as it doesn't produce flammable fumes at normal room temp (which gasoline does). I mention that because quite often a washing machine may be in the vicinity of appliances which have a pilot light.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

Kerosene is also a bit safer to use as it doesn't produce flammable fumes at normal room temp (which gasoline does). I mention that because quite often a washing machine may be in the vicinity of appliances which have a pilot light.

Use diesel...

 

[JayKosta]

Kerosene (American usage) = Paraffin (British, I think).

I don't use on bike, but brand "Ultra-Pure Lamp Oil", clear, odorless, 100% paraffin, is a good solvent and light weight lubricant.
I think kerosene/paraffin is too light weight for the chain as a lube.
Currently I'm using a spray lube that is (was?) sold for use on industrial chains & cables - e.g. quarry equipment.

For bike chain, I first use a short stiff bristle 'chip brush' to remove all the exterior dirt from the chain, cogs, derail pulley, sprockets, etc.
Then apply liquid lube to chain, and remove the excess with a paper towel.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

I haven't used that technique in quite some time. If I recall it reeeaaally dried the chain out, getting rid of every bit of lubricant right down to the bone.

So just make sure the new lube permeates well.

For that reason I was going to say DO NOT use petrol!!! It is very difficult to get lube back into ALL the places the petrol can reach. Plus Petrol does not just get lube out of the chain surfaces, it also gets it out of the microscopic pores of the metal... making it really bone dry as FitSsikS says.

Instead I use a good degreaser like Pedro's. There are others. And I do not have any fancy, techy devices to use the degreaser with. I just coil up the chain into a flat spiral and put it in a small plastic tub with enough degreaser to cover the chain and swirl it around with my finger placed at the center of the spiral. If you twirl the chain against the direction it is coiled it will not come uncoiled (sounds perverted but it works great). The natural motion of the chain links from the swirling action gets the grit out of the crevices. One rinse like that turns the solution black. So I dump it out and repeat 2 or 3 more times. I might use a little more degreaser that way. The chain comes out shiny clean, but after it is dry it does not feel bone dry. Then it is ready to lube.

But if the chain has about 2000 miles on it or it has stretched too far, I don't bother with a cleaning. I just replace the chain with a new one.

 

[Giuseppe Magnetico]

I used to use diesel, white gas, kerosene, all kinds of seriously harsh crap on parts, and your health for that matter, until I started educating myself and started giving a sh!t. Extreme Simple Green Aircraft & Precision Cleaner. Clean any bike part, even carbon with this stuff, and don't risk cancer doing it! What a concept.!

 

[QuickStepper]

Simple green or almost any other biodegradeable cleaner works better than using gasoline or other petroluem products. Giuseppe mentions the cancer connection, and it's really something to be concerned about. Don't use any chemicals to clean with that have benzene in them (such as almost any petroluem product). And if you must use such products, do not put your fingers or hands in them, and don't breath them either. I like Pedros stuff, but I don't go sticking my fingers in it any longer either. Use a screwdriver, a wire coat hanger, etc.

I used to use all sorts of stuff, never thought about what I was touching or how long I had various parts of my skin (hands, fingers, then touching arms, legs, etc.) exposed to stuff containing chemicals known to cause cancer. Not any more.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

For that reason I was going to say DO NOT use petrol!!! It is very difficult to get lube back into ALL the places the petrol can reach. Plus Petrol does not just get lube out of the chain surfaces, it also gets it out of the microscopic pores of the metal... making it really bone dry as FitSsikS says.

Instead I use a good degreaser like Pedro's. There are others. And I do not have any fancy, techy devices to use the degreaser with. I just coil up the chain into a flat spiral and put it in a small plastic tub with enough degreaser to cover the chain and swirl it around with my finger placed at the center of the spiral. If you twirl the chain against the direction it is coiled it will not come uncoiled (sounds perverted but it works great). The natural motion of the chain links from the swirling action gets the grit out of the crevices. One rinse like that turns the solution black. So I dump it out and repeat 2 or 3 more times. I might use a little more degreaser that way. The chain comes out shiny clean, but after it is dry it does not feel bone dry. Then it is ready to lube.

But if the chain has about 2000 miles on it or it has stretched too far, I don't bother with a cleaning. I just replace the chain with a new one.

Problem is a lot of degreasers are water based and yep, they clean but they may encourage your chain to rust. At least use some petroleum based cleaner..I still like diesel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ktTXjSqvJc

 

[gregod]

Problem is a lot of degreasers are water based and yep, they clean but they may encourage your chain to rust. At least use some petroleum based cleaner..I still like diesel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ktTXjSqvJc

diesel, of course, works well, but kerosene is a little cheaper (at least where i live) and is easier to clean up in my experience.

 

[Giuseppe Magnetico]

Diesel, REALLY? You guys do realize that it's not 1976 anymore, don't you? Ok, so you don't have a problem increasing your risk of lung, even prostate cancer, blood and kidney problems from diesel vapor and skin exposure? Not exhaust, just the vapors from the fuel in your parts cleaner tub! It's risky enough riding a bike everyday in the concrete jungle, the last thing I want to worry about is if the solvents I use to clean my bike are causing me long term health problems. I have enough trace metals in my bloodstream I'm sure from just building wheels, no need to add more toxins to my soup.

 

[richwagmn]

I've been using some of the citrus based cleaners that are around for household use. Does a really good job of cleaning the drivetrain and doesn't harm the frame (well, at least my frame).

I'm not sure that you want to remove all lube from your chain as petrol would do.

Here's Shimano's take on their factory chain lube.

http://www.bikerumor.com/2011/06/28/chainwear-challenge-quick-interview-with-shimano/

 

[pedaling squares]

I'm going to slip into a hemp shirt and snack on some vegan fare and ask you guys who work on bikes at your homes... how do you dispose of the dirty gasoline/diesel/etc ??

 

[BroDeal]

Take a liter of odorless mineral spirits. Add about another one third volume of motor oil. Put it into a big jar. Shake. Cleans and lubes at the same time.

The idea of putting it on a washing machine is ace. Had not heard that one before.

I have used white gas in the past but it is dangerous.

 

[ElChingon]

Diesel, REALLY? You guys do realize that it's not 1976 anymore, don't you?

This from a guy who promotes steel frames and the old school wheels that weight near the weight of a whole bike.

The Irony!

 

[ElChingon]

DX330, place part and DX330 in a closed container for an hour and sparking clean part comes out, no brushing, no shaking, no fuss. Also known as Acryli-Clean DX330 or you can also go for the heavier duty Ditzo DX440. Use it once and you'll never go back to what ever you're using now. A gallon lasts a long time unless you have a fleet of bikes as its not use once and toss out, more like wait till it gets thick or just gets consumed after N chains/cassettes/chainrings/hub parts. Like any product, care must be used but its worth its weight in gold and time.

 

[bladerunner]

Thanks for all your advice folks. I asked about using petrol because I live on a small island and I cannot easily get eco-friendly products. As petrol/diesel is readily available, I'll use it when I cannot find something more eco-friendly. Cheers.

 

[LauraLyn]

Take a liter of odorless mineral spirits. Add about another one third volume of motor oil. Put it into a big jar. Shake. Cleans and lubes at the same time.

The idea of putting it on a washing machine is ace. Had not heard that one before.

I have used white gas in the past but it is dangerous.

I have tried gasoline, but it tends to dry out the chain. I use de-greaser and then lube each link individually with a local product that also contains sheep fat.

Brodeal's suggestion looks interesting. Could be worth a try.

 

[Fiemme]

I'm going to slip into a hemp shirt and snack on some vegan fare and ask you guys who work on bikes at your homes... how do you dispose of the dirty gasoline/diesel/etc ??

Good for killing weeds in the garden! Also keeps the cats the away.

 

[LauraLyn]

I'm going to slip into a hemp shirt and snack on some vegan fare and ask you guys who work on bikes at your homes... how do you dispose of the dirty gasoline/diesel/etc ??

Re-bottle and take to your local recycling center.

(Poor it out on your property if you don't care about the clean up costs when you go to resell.)

 

[ElChingon]

Re-bottle and take to your local recycling center.

(Poor it out on your property if you don't care about the clean up costs when you go to resell.)

Clean costs = piling on sod on top of the spots.

 

[hiero2]

I need to get out of my rut more often. What fun!

Kerosene is also a bit safer to use as it doesn't produce flammable fumes at normal room temp (which gasoline does). I mention that because quite often a washing machine may be in the vicinity of appliances which have a pilot light.

Use diesel...

I used to use diesel, white gas, kerosene, all kinds of seriously harsh crap on parts, and your health for that matter, until I started educating myself and started giving a sh!t. Extreme Simple Green Aircraft & Precision Cleaner. Clean any bike part, even carbon with this stuff, and don't risk cancer doing it! What a concept.!

Simple green or almost any other biodegradeable cleaner works better than using gasoline or other petroluem products. Giuseppe mentions the cancer connection, and it's really something to be concerned about. Don't use any chemicals to clean with that have benzene in them (such as almost any petroluem product). And if you must use such products, do not put your fingers or hands in them, and don't breath them either. I like Pedros stuff, but I don't go sticking my fingers in it any longer either. Use a screwdriver, a wire coat hanger, etc.

I used to use all sorts of stuff, never thought about what I was touching or how long I had various parts of my skin (hands, fingers, then touching arms, legs, etc.) exposed to stuff containing chemicals known to cause cancer. Not any more.

Problem is a lot of degreasers are water based and yep, they clean but they may encourage your chain to rust. At least use some petroleum based cleaner..I still like diesel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ktTXjSqvJc

Thanks for all your advice folks. I asked about using petrol because I live on a small island and I cannot easily get eco-friendly products. As petrol/diesel is readily available, I'll use it when I cannot find something more eco-friendly. Cheers.

Too bad about the lack of availability. Simple Green works. Also any limonene (citrus base) degreaser works - and if you have something equivalent to a Home Depot, or Fedex, you can get that by the gallon relatively cheaply, and that will last a long time. Kerosene IS much safer than gas, but NO petroleum based product, nor mineral spirits, is friendly to the environment or your body. And, if you live on a small island, then you likely won't have a local disposal (recycling) available TO YOU (see idea below). At first, I thot bustedknuckle was being sarcastic saying diesel. Still nasty stuff, but if he says it is easier to manage than regular petrol/gas, I would at least investigate more.

If you use a water-based solvent, you have no disposal problem, but, yes, you will have to dry it properly to avoid rust. I use heat to make the drying superfast. I would think any minor surface rust result is not going to impact the remaining life of a chain.

Disposing of any of that nasty petroleum based stuff in the ground CAN result in big fines and big cost when you sell, or even if you don't. Depends on local regs. Since you are on a small island, your local regs may be MORE prohibitive, not less.

However, if you end up using diesel, as bustedknuckle suggests (I would avoid the mineral spirits method like the plague), and you say gas/diesel is readily available, surely you must have gas stations and mechanics. Go to your local mechanic, if you have one, or carry a six-pack to one you think might be friendly. Find out what he does with his waste oil. He will have some way to collect and dispose of waste oil. In all likelihood, this will be a service he PAYS for, so the 6-pack will be a cheap accommodation to get him to share that service with you. You can mix your waste into his.

Let me tell you a little story about cleaning parts, before I move on. Many years ago I was helping a bro-in-law for a summer, working at his garage/gas station. Towards the end of the day one day, I had little to do, so I started cleaning the tools and parts that had been left at the parts-cleaning station. It was a pretty nice station, with a recirculating pump, so the parts cleaner came out in a small but strong spray. Put the part in, scrub it a bit, and use the flow to help remove grit and grime. The cleaner went down the drain to a storage tank. I spent an hour or so cleaning parts, and finally quit - the fumes had gotten pretty nasty. This was odorless cleaner, and the system was designed to keep the fumes down, but that was a long time to be cleaning parts. I went out into the fresh air to get away from them. As I recall, I felt fine at the time. A couple hours later, my brother and I were heading home in his truck. My lungs started seizing up. I mean quite literally seizing up. As we were moving down the road, it became harder and harder to breath - it felt like my throat was locking up and wouldn't allow air to pass. I said something to my brother. It kept getting worse, and I soon could barely speak at all. I managed a croaking request to my brother to stop the truck. but I did get out STOP loudly enough he could hear me. I stumbled out of the truck, and after a precious short time, my lungs started working better. After about 10 minutes, all was fine.

Doctor's message? It was likely an asthma attack brought on by the parts cleaner. Scared me, buddy. Scared me but good. I've never had anything like it before, or since. I have seen other people have asthma attacks, and I can relate. I go a long way to avoid breathing fumes from any petroleum products these days - especially the volatile HCs that you find in most solvents.

 

[Cancellator]

What do you think about cleaning (NOT lubing) chains using WD-40? I know it's no good as a lube, but does it work as a degreaser, followed by wet lube?

 

[Master50]

never use white gas, gasoline, acetone or other extremely volatile fuels. As was mentioned that gas besides it inherent danger to catch fire or explode it completely removes any lubricant that might have been on the chain. At least Diesel and kerosene leave the metal slippery.
I use royal purple as a lube on my road bike and it is a very clean lube with almost no goo after 500 km. This stuff is so good i lube only 1 time a month and clean the chain every second month whether the chain is dirty or not. I use a biodegradable solvent now but when I did use diesel or kerosene the guys at Canadian tire would let me pour it into the waste oil tank. Unfortuneately too many people also poured gas and other more volatile solvents in the tanks too. They still take my used oil but nothing else.