[net.cycle] Wax as a chain lube; and apology

rblanders@watrose.UUCP (Robyn Landers) (03/30/85)

First, an apology to Rick Sellens for spelling your name wrong in my
last submission to net.cycle!

Now, about using wax as a chain lubricant to avoid those nasty messy
oily hassles.

It seems to me that this might be fine on a bicycle, but on a motorcycle?!?
I think that a motorcycle chain spins a lot faster, undergoes a lot more
stress, tension, heat and general brutal punishment than a bicycle chain.
I've felt my chain after a long ride (to check tension,  lube etc) and
it gets fairly warm, warm enough that wax might not adhere too well.

It sure sounds like a neat (in both senses of the word) idea, but it also
sounds to me like there's no way mere wax could protect a motorcycle chain.
(In fact, I think I'll go back and see if there was a :-) on that article.
No offense, but I just can't believe wax.)

I suppose the last word, however, will go to whoever decides to try it
and can provide experimental evidence rather than sheer speculation, 
as do I.

-- 
"you probably don't believe me, but it's true"

{allegra,linus,decvax,utzoo}!watmath!watrose!rblanders

wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (04/05/85)

One comment I'd like to make regardng "parafin" on chains, either for bicycles
or motorcycles (this has also been discussed on net.bicycle):
Some of this information originated with written material that came,
originally, from Great Britain.. There, the word "parafin" does NOT mean the
white waxy stuff we use for candles or sealing home-made jellies; it means
what we call "kerosene". The material usually referred to a method of CLEANING 
a chain, as we would refer to washing it in kerosene (now largely
supplanted by more exotic solvents).

While using American "parafin" as a chain lubricant may work, I think it
has been due more to luck than to planning... :-)