Chain Tools
October 8, 2010 – 12:38 pm | No Comment

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Home » Cycling

homemade chain cleaner?

Submitted by on June 29, 2010 – 7:28 pm3 Comments
chain tools
face man asked:

i need to know what i can put in my bike chain cleaner tool exept for some expensive store bought thing.

3 Comments »

  • Bob A says:

    Use about any citrus degreaser from the dollar store or Walmart. Dish soap will also work in a pinch.

    Edit:
    You can always buy the real stuff.

  • McG says:

    Ok this time I must disagree with BobA.

    Do not put “any citrus degreaser” into your chain cleaning tool. Some citrus degreasers are d-Limonene solvent. As a straight solvent, d-Limonene can replace a wide variety of products, including mineral spirits, methyl ethyl ketone, acetone, toluene, glycol ethers, and of course fluorinated and chlorinated organic solvents. As with most organic solvents, d-Limonene is not water soluble, so it can be used in the typical water separation units. With a KB value of 67, d-Limonene has solubility properties close to that of CFC’s, indicating that it is a much better solvent than a typical mineral spirit. Straight d-Limonene can be used as a wipe cleaner, in a dip bath, or in spray systems as a direct substitute for most other organic solvents.

    By combining d-Limonene with a surfactant package, a water diluting and rinsible solution can be made. In most cases these products are used in the institutional and household settings in place of caustic and other water based cleaners. A concentrated solution of a d-Limonene/surfactant solution can be made to be diluted before use, or pre-diluted solutions can be formed. The use concentrations of d-Limonene in these situations are usually 5-15%. In general these solutions are used as spray and wipe cleaners. The water dilutable solutions can also be used in industrial settings where a water rinse of the parts is desired to remove any residue which may remain.

    So you have to be sure you have a low concentration of “orange” in the product you are using.

    Too high a concentration will melt the plastic the chain cleaner is made from.

  • hummerhead2002 says:

    Go to blueskycycling.com or bikebling.com and you’ll find real good chain cleaners!

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