chain wash'n'brush up

A chain really needs a good soak to get the crud out of the rollers and the plate links so spirit is best.  I have always hated petrol, even though it was mentioned often in manuals and instructions, so I favour the less volatile and user-friendly paraffin or white spirit.  I'm not actually sure where you buy paraffin nowadays - they used to sell it at petrol stations in ancient times.  If you can spare some, your finest drinking meths is a very good cleaner and degreaser for a multitude of things.  Expensive though as you would probably need a litre.  I still have my Linklyfe (?) somewhere in my shed - and it never goes off!  Well, it's no more than 56 years old!

Lionel, paraffin is available in places like Homebase, B&Q and most good builder's merchants at about £10 for a gallon.

If using parafin ,I do a final rinse with a small amount of  old fuel.  I have always thought that parafin residue  causes rust . Petrol however is much more dangerous and great care is needed .Always work outside. 

I wouldn`t recommend washing your chain in a river, especially if you haven`t removed it from the bike yet!

No guys, you're wrong about rusting when cleaning with paraffin.  That's a myth because paraffin contains water.  The point is that you just clean with it - then you oil it or grease it thoroughly, not leave it dripping with paraffin and unoiled!

After working on valve seats with grinding paste  I always wash well with parafin and then powerwash with the karcher .Water seems very good at dispersing the parafin and any thing else. The leaf blower dries it off.Rust will follow in a blink so another wash in some petroil mix or similar is needed.

Hi Alan, Remember to dry your brakes out before going too far !!  Perhaps you could add a little oil to the water to stop rust?.

'...Lots of us then had parafin heaters ...'

My very first 'Saturday' job was working helping a chap deliver paraffin door to door in Crawley on a Saturday from 10 til 4, for the princely wage of 10/-. Sold by the gallon (or a 1/2 gallon), if just the one measured into a metal jugs & then poured into the customers container, if more the meter on the lorry was used.

I had to keep a separate set of clothes to do the job because everything stank of Paraffin & got laid off at Easter because the weather was warming up & from what I vaguely remember it always seemed to be raining, nobody I knew then had central heating.

Robert,

  there was a little oil in the water filling the gearbox and primary! All flushed out now and refilled. Getting back on subject, I still have the chain to do although it hasn`t rusted at all due to a good coating of lube. I was thinking of digging out the old tin of Linklife which i haven`t used for a few years due to "fling". Last time i used it my wife`s new leather jacket got a splattering and it don`t clean off leather very easy! It also has a habit of finding it`s way onto the seat. Anyone else had issues with Linklife "fling"?

Micheal, I like your idea of a water cooled Norton but I think Brian Crighton beat me by a few decades!

My oil fired central heating boiler provides me with a plentiful supply of Kerosene at 27p per litre or £1.25 a Gallon. Local heating oil supplier will fill a 30l drum from his supply tank.

Hi Michael,

Certainly takes you back, frozen fingers in the garage with just the old Valour heater.

I seem to remember the advert finishing in “Esso blee duler” or something similar.

Happy days.

Regards

Dick

Pink, & I can smell it now!

Love that white foamy oil.  Where do I get some?.

More here on Esso Blue adverts here:

https://centuryads.blogspot.com/2015/02/boom-boom-boom-esso-blue-dealer.html

It's the being advertised on TV that seems so bizarre in retrospect.

Robert,

Just add water as they say : )

I would be wondering about the wheel bearings .  My 99 manages to get water in the engine and gearbox without the help of a handy river. Need to improve the breathing arrangements.And maybe insulate the oil tank !.

Alan

Not had too much trouble with "fling" of the Putoline chain wax.  The swinging arm and stands have a bit of wax on them but that's all that's obvious.

One tip - if using chain wax and including the joining link, make sure it is well secured to the chain before you start the heating process. If you have to fish it out after removing the hot waxed chain you may get the full medieval experience of molten wax dripping on to your hand.  You know how I know!  Best to wear gloves just in case.

Andy

RAF search and rescue helicopters were permitted to fill up with Aladdin Pink in an emergency but not Esso blue. I wonder why?

Using Linklyfe was banned after I tipped a tin of the molten stuff on the kitchen carpet. I still have the dregs somewhere... 

Robert, the wheel bearings were replaced with the sealed type a little while ago so should be ok but I will keep checking for play as usual.I did replace the double row bearing in the sprocket today as it was one of the open type with felt washers, replaced with sealed type.

Michael, my soggy Commando wasn`t due to flooding, I was crossing a ford when suddenly the front end disappeared in a massive hole!....Note to self :- in future, check with a stick first....

Andrew, "fling" was the reason I stopped using Linklife as I couldn`t clean it off clothing. Perhaps Pink or Blue would clean it off?

Gordon, your kitchen carpet story reminds me of the time I over pressurised a gallon can of waxoyl, I ended up looking like the Lurpak man and the garage floor was dangerously slippery for months afterwards! My wife keeps telling me I shouldn`t be allowed out.... 

The fatal flaw of the Linklife can was the low position of the handle pivots which made the can unstable when the contents  liquid  from heating. Too much work for most people taking the chain off.   Alan,  I NEED to worry about something,and your wheel bearings  were helping till you said sealed. 

Only the chain to worry about now, to Linklife or to not Linklife? Maybe Michael`s suggested Kettenmax is the answer!

Sadly, while no-one was paying attention the Imperial Gallon 4.54litres became pre-packed 4 litres. 

Anyway you could get it at a more reasonable price at an agricultural merchant. There's one in the next village to me. Tried them last year and much better price.

Hope this helps