White spirits to clean my chain??

Seve OB

On a cleaning note, I have read that people use parafin or white spirits to clean chains. The cleaning stuff that I got with the Chaing gang cleaner is finished and as I have loads of white spirits, I was thinking about using it.

Does anyone have any opinions on using white spirit as a cleaner for a chain? I will use it though this and dry it off after before applying lube

Icyseanfitz

ive used it, does the job and i havnt noticed any side effects from it

magicbastarder

i used to use petrol to clean the chain. probably around the same price?

Seaswimmer

magicbastarder wrote: »

i used to use petrol to clean the chain. probably around the same price?

diesel your only man.

Pour diesel into a bowl or similiar item and use to clean chain. Pour dirty diesel back into a container and hey presto next week your diesel will be clean again. Pour off the clean diesel and use to clean chain again and repeat indefinitely.

Diesel dosent evaporate so no need to be too fussy about your container...

MB Lacey

Seaswimmer wrote: »

diesel your only man.

Pour diesel into a bowl or similiar item and use to clean chain. Pour dirty diesel back into a container and hey presto next week your diesel will be clean again. Pour off the clean diesel and use to clean chain again and repeat indefinitely.

Diesel dosent evaporate so no need to be too fussy about your container...

So do you just go up to a diesel pump in the garage, fill a few litres into a container (I guess you have to buy one of those plastic petrol containers?) pay for diesel, take it home and that's it for the next year or so?

07Lapierre

White spirits? Petrol? Diesel? geez...is this all a bit O.T.T. ?

What about some degreaser, an old rag and some "elbow" grease? (Degreaser is optional)

Seaswimmer

MB Lacey wrote: »

So do you just go up to a diesel pump in the garage, fill a few litres into a container (I guess you have to buy one of those plastic petrol containers?) pay for diesel, take it home and that's it for the next year or so?

Thats what I have been doing to all my bikes for last 35 years!!!

I pour my used diesel into a 2 litre coke bottle cut in half (horizontally!!!)
Eventually when your diesel is all gone you can dispose of the sludge and then refill from your diesel can.
I have been using the same litre of diesel for over a year for chain cleaning..
Save your money and dont bother with expensive degreasers and other cleaners. Big advantage of diesel is that it leaves an oily coating on the chain. Petrol tends to dry everything out as well as being more dangerous to store.

MB Lacey

Seaswimmer wrote: »

Thats what I have been doing to all my bikes for last 35 years!!!

I pour my used diesel into a 2 litre coke bottle cut in half (horizontally!!!)
Eventually when your diesel is all gone you can dispose of the sludge and then refill from your diesel can.
I have been using the same litre of diesel for over a year for chain cleaning..
Save your money and dont bother with expensive degreasers and other cleaners. Big advantage of diesel is that it leaves an oily coating on the chain. Petrol tends to dry everything out as well as being more dangerous to store.

how long do you leave the chain in the bowl of diesel, and do you just do this to the chain or cassette aswell?
I have never cleaned a chain/ cassette in my life but am about to get a new bike and will try keep the chain/ cassette etc nice and clean.
Apologies to be talking about disel when OP asked about using white spirits.

Seaswimmer

MB Lacey wrote: »

how long do you leave the chain in the bowl of diesel, and do you just do this to the chain or cassette aswell?
I have never cleaned a chain/ cassette in my life but am about to get a new bike and will try keep the chain/ cassette etc nice and clean.
Apologies to be talking about disel when OP asked about using white spirits.

I dont take the chain off but simply wipe it with cloth or clean it with an old tootbrush. i have a brush which is designed for cleaning cassette. I also use the diesel with this brush..You can get chain cleaning kits in any bike shop. wiping the chain with a rag soaked in diesel will get the worst of the dirt off and then it depends how fussy you are or how dirty the chain is..

brayblue24

I pour my used diesel into a 2 litre coke bottle cut in half (horizontally!!!)
[/QUOTE]

:D I love the fact that you felt you'd better emphasise it all at the end-just in case!!

Icyseanfitz

MB Lacey wrote: »

how long do you leave the chain in the bowl of diesel, and do you just do this to the chain or cassette aswell?
I have never cleaned a chain/ cassette in my life but am about to get a new bike and will try keep the chain/ cassette etc nice and clean.
Apologies to be talking about disel when OP asked about using white spirits.

you will soon get sick of it :pac:

doozerie

One thing to bear in mind with the diesel approach is that you can't (well you can, but you shouldn't) chuck the resulting residue in the bin. Your local recyling centre might accept it, or maybe you can find somewhere friendly (e.g. a garage maybe?) that deals regularly with such waste and will be willing to take it from you. That hassle doesn't appeal to me personally, and I also just dislike chucking (and handling) relatively nasty substances so I prefer water soluble degreasers that claim to be environmentally friendly - mind you, the dead patch of grass in my back garden might question whether Finish Line's claims about the "environmentally friendly" nature of its degreaser product are entirely true!

Also, diesel might not be too friendly to your paintwork, seals, etc., so if you leave your chain on the bike while you clean it with diesel you should be careful where the stuff goes. That goes for any degreaser to a certain extent, but diesel is more harsh than some/many.

happytramp

The general rule of thumb is to keep riding without cleaning your chain until you hear/notice a problem that you suspect might be caused by the fact that you never clean your chain. At which point you should clean it, realise it wasn't the problem and start the riding/dirtying process over.

smacl

One thing to be wary with when using degreasers is to rinse thoroughly before applying any lube. If you don't the detergent in the degreaser will degrease the grease (oil) that you want to keep.

Cookie_Monster

07Lapierre wrote: »

White spirits? Petrol? Diesel? geez...is this all a bit O.T.T. ?

the last degreaser I bought smelled like it was about 90% white spirits anyway, why pay extra?

Seve OB

that's it. im going to use the bottle of white spirits that i already have in the shed to clean my chain with from now on!! thanks for the input guys.

doozerie

White spirits should be disposed of carefully too, obviously, so chucking or rinsing it is a hassle.

doozerie

Still not Friday? *sigh*

...ah feck it, here goes anyway: as we all know Sheldon Brown is *the* definitive source for all things bike related. Ignoring his advice is illegal in many countries, and probably means that you are a terrible person. He devised the ultimate method of cleaning and re-lubicrating your chain. Take note of the health warnings at the bottom of the page, it's probably best to carry out this particular chain maintenance procedure only within staggering distance of a well-equipped hospital. ...oh, and please dispose of any amputated limbs in an environmentally friendly manner.

Seve OB

doozerie wrote: »

White spirits should be disposed of carefully too, obviously, so chucking or rinsing it is a hassle.

Point noted. It will go down the drain at the side of my house rather than down the kitchen sink.

doozerie wrote: »

Still not Friday? *sigh*

...ah feck it, here goes anyway: as we all know Sheldon Brown is *the* definitive source for all things bike related. Ignoring his advice is illegal in many countries, and probably means that you are a terrible person. He devised the ultimate method of cleaning and re-lubicrating your chain. Take note of the health warnings at the bottom of the page, it's probably best to carry out this particular chain maintenance procedure only within staggering distance of a well-equipped hospital. ...oh, and please dispose of any amputated limbs in an environmentally friendly manner.

Priceless!

doozerie

stevieob wrote:

Point noted. It will go down the drain at the side of my house rather than down the kitchen sink.

Depending on your local waste drainage system, pouring white spirits into the drain is either as bad as, or worse than, putting it down your sink.

Seve OB

doozerie wrote: »

Depending on your local waste drainage system, pouring white spirits into the drain is either as bad as, or worse than, putting it down your sink.

never bothered me when i was doing a bit of decorating, so I aint going to be worried over 50ml or so to clean my chain with once every couple of months!

doozerie

stevieob wrote:

never bothered me when i was doing a bit of decorating, so I aint going to be worried over 50ml or so to clean my chain with once every couple of months!

Lack of concern about the environmental impact of what you do is not something to be carefree about, or proud of.

letape

doozerie wrote: »

Depending on your local waste drainage system, pouring white spirits into the drain is either as bad as, or worse than, putting it down your sink.

I had assumed that the previous response was a joke!

Seve OB

letape wrote: »

I had assumed that the previous response was a joke!

me too.

Doozerie are you being for real? How is one supposed to dispose of an egg cup full of used white spirits (diesel, petrol etc) in an environmental way so?

FYI I might be carfree about disposing of a dribble of white spirit, but I hardly think pride comes into it.

Lumen

stevieob wrote: »

How is one supposed to dispose of an egg cup full of used white spirits (diesel, petrol etc) in an environmental way so?

Burn it? That pile of used tyres isn't going to light itself.

smacl

stevieob wrote: »

How is one supposed to dispose of an egg cup full of used white spirits (diesel, petrol etc) in an environmental way so?

Well don't pour it down the drains FFS. The rats will get off their tits on the fumes, scramble out of the sewers, and savage you in a drunken frenzy!

doozerie

stevieob wrote:

How is one supposed to dispose of an egg cup full of used white spirits (diesel, petrol etc) in an environmental way so?

Pour waste stuff into a larger (sealable) container each time you end up with some and when you've accrued enough to overcome your "yerra, there's so little, I can't be arsed" gene, take it to your nearest recycling centre. Radical, I know, but I live life a little on the edge, me.

Seve OB

smacl wrote: »

Well don't pour it down the drains FFS. The rats will get off their tits on the fumes, scramble out of the sewers, and savage you in a drunken frenzy!

Might pour it down the drain and drop a match down after it, might synge a few of the little Rolands!