Which immersive wax are you using?

[kubackje]

I've used few like squirt, effetto mariposa flower power, ceramic speed ufo, dynamic slick wax and bike 7 pro wax is the best one in my experience. Chain last super long, wax life is long, easy to apply and very clean. It's so good I can't justify going hot wax and putting extra work.

[dolph]

I've used few like squirt, effetto mariposa flower power, ceramic speed ufo, dynamic slick wax and bike 7 pro wax is the best one in my experience. Chain last super long, wax life is long, easy to apply and very clean. It's so good I can't justify going hot wax and putting extra work.

I used red black diamond, silca hot melt and drip wax and all hace been good and dry nonsticky.

I started a new wax por with dynamic wander wax but the texture feels different to all others, al paraffin waxes are powdery, dusty and dry, dynamic wax feels a bit sticky to the touch and the residue is not as "airborne" as the other waxes.

Does tour dynamic wax feel dry to the touch?

[kubackje]

I used red black diamond, silca hot melt and drip wax and all hace been good and dry nonsticky.

I started a new wax por with dynamic wander wax but the texture feels different to all others, al paraffin waxes are powdery, dusty and dry, dynamic wax feels a bit sticky to the touch and the residue is not as "airborne" as the other waxes.

Does tour dynamic wax feel dry to the touch?

I use dynamic slick wax so the one in the bottle. I thinks its a little more sticky then bike7 but not as much as squirt.

[pavlo.k]

I've been experimenting with a wax blend for a bit. Tried a super low oil content wax with some hard lubricants mixed in. Overall it's ok but the main problem I have is that the wax is just too brittle and it's flaking off the chain. I tried mixing in some microcrystalline wax (around 10% of total wax volume) and it improved it somewhat but still not that great.
Looking for tips.
Thanks

[crazyravr]

For all those interested. Watch this. Simple and to the point with all the data to back it up.

[ChrisB]

I've used few like squirt, effetto mariposa flower power, ceramic speed ufo, dynamic slick wax and bike 7 pro wax is the best one in my experience. Chain last super long, wax life is long, easy to apply and very clean. It's so good I can't justify going hot wax and putting extra work.

In my case I went from Squirt to Effeto Mariposa, very happy as it creates less particles when riding indoors and lasts longer than Squirt.
Not considering going hot wax for now.

BR Chris

[Da11as]

This one time I met a guy on the road with a snapped chain and his hands were covered in black chain grease. I was thinking had he just switched to immersive waxing he would have avoided the mess. Maybe not even snap his chain! Seeing that, I'm never going back to drip lube! 

Have to comment on this, I've only had broken chains when I use lubes (hello MucOff), at least one broken chain per year. Since 2020 I switched to waxing and have never broke a chain.

I settled on the combination of Silca Wax immersion mix and their liquefied wax. Running my bike with 2-3 chains in rotation is the easiest way to live with immersive wax: you used 2 chains, install 3rd and immerse the used ones, repeat in 1-2 months. Liquefied wax used in cases when solid wax fall off due to road conditions, laziness or traveling. I am not super happy with it as it is very watery and it basically drip off the chain. But it does not attract dirt at all, so I consider this as a trade off.

I don't think it is worth the hassle to make home-made mix as the price of Silca's mix is negligible in its lifespan (I have the same package for 2 years and I still have enough to immerse 2 chains simultaneously).

[dolph]

I used squirt, silca hot melt and drip wax, wonder wax and these last 2 months Rex black diamond wax.

1000 km treatment longevity for dry summer months with Rex black diamons is a game changer compared to everything I used before.

[amacal1]

I realized that despite posting in this thread I never mentioned which wax I've been using.

I started out using Runaway Bike's chain wax because it seemed okay and was about 30% cheaper than Silca. They have this thing called a Hot Tub which seems to be some kind of microwaveable container to melt the wax. I didn't bother with that as it seemed a little sketchy and just got their bag of wax and a cheap $15 mini crock pot from walmart. It's been pretty good for the last couple thousand miles between all my bikes. I get at least 100-200mi between waxes without any issues. I'm not crazy about how dark it is, though. It's very dark gray, almost black. My primary bike is pristine white and the flakes are very noticeable on my chainstay and bb. If it's cool out, I can brush or puff them off by hand and it's no big deal. But if it's warm or the sun hits them, they'll just get smeared on.

My biggest issue has been corrosion, maybe because I live in an area with very high heat and humidity? It seems like when I hit the "end" of my time/range I think "I need to probably wax again soon" and then the next time I go to ride I see that all my chain rollers look corroded and I can literally feel the rollers crunching. If I swap chains and put the "used" chain up, when I go to wax them all again a few weeks later, that chain looks dang near RUSTY. My KMC "gray" chain seems to handle this the worst, compared to both my KMC "silver" chain, and my Shimano Ultegra 10sp chain. Regardless, after a quick clean with some hot water and a re-wax, everything rolls super smooth again for at least 100mi or more without any issues. My first time waiting too long with that KMC "gray" chain was so bad I had to reach out to KMC because I was worried something was wrong.

Unfortunately, that single bag of wax has lasted forever for me, ha ha. I'll probably buy a different wax next time to see if I can get something less dark and maybe see how different brands handle corrosion/humidity.

 

[good_hunter]

I used squirt, silca hot melt and drip wax, wonder wax and these last 2 months Rex black diamond wax.

1000 km treatment longevity for dry summer months with Rex black diamons is a game changer compared to everything I used before.

How long between hot waxes were needed in your climate? I use silica hot wax and reapply every 350km. Also use squirt every 120 km or so. I wished I had my big bottle of squirt finished, because it becomes gunky.

If Red gets about 3 times the mileage, it might jusitfy the premium too.

[PineappleExpress234]

I've skipped all the additives and simply melted an unscented, paraffin candle in a metal dish floating in water. The flaking is unbelievable.

I have used Squirt in the past but was never happy with it. It would turn into a black flakey mess which became a pain come vacuuming/mopping.

 I ride 90% indoors on my trainer so my lounge room is copping the brunt of the mess. Ultimately, I'm still happy with the immersion waxing.

[carbonazza]

Related... I'm now using this melter, which I find much better than the rice cooker I tried before
It's a little more expensive
A bigger capacity
It has a stable temperature(two preset 65ºC or 75ºC), and never gets too hot
It takes a little more time to melt fully

https://aliexpress.com/item/1005007724099998.html

[Tijoe]

Don't laugh.  I have been using the following for about 10 years now.   

For many years before I retired from my day job, my wife used to pack a few "BabyBell" cheese rounds in my lunch. For some reason I would save the wax covering and over time created a big wax ball.   For some other unknown reason, I never threw my big red waxed ball away.
Then one day, I was reading about home-brew wax formulations for chains.   I decided to melt some of the wax and see how it worked on a bicycle chain.  I was actually amazed at its penetration into the chain and how it formed a softer perhaps gooey film all over the chain.  I liked it. It didn't flake off, but over time, has a tendency to transfer on to the front chain ring/s and derailleur pulleys and a bit on the cassette cogs.
Unfortunately, it lasted about 500 mile on the chain before I had to take off the chain and immerse it again.

Then I read that people were dissolving their wax in Coleman gas, AKA White Gas / Naptha.
I decided to take some of my Baby Bell wax and put it in a container with the white gas. Over time, I added more and more wax, unit it became saturated in the fuel. Then I transferred my brew to empty 4oz and 8oz purchased wax lube bottles.

I tried it on one of my chains where the immersed wax was wearing off.  Fantastic!  The wax fuel blend refreshed the chain with a new layer of wax.

Over the years, I tried adding Teflon and others of the magic additives people have written about on different cycling forums.  Additives didn't appear to help much.

In the past few years as I have been riding on more bike camping trips, I carry an 8 oz bottle.  I discovered that if I squirt a bit of my brew onto fire stating materials, it really helps get a camp fire going. 

Fantastic to have a dual purpose item on a long trip.

[carbonazza]

...Then I read that people were dissolving their wax in Coleman gas, AKA White Gas / Naptha.
I decided to take some of my Baby Bell wax and put it in a container with the white gas. Over time, I added more and more wax, unit it became saturated in the fuel. Then I transferred my brew to empty 4oz and 8oz purchased wax lube bottles...

I thought Coleman gas was used to clean anything that the wax touches.
But you used it to make your drip bottle on the go? By pouring fresh paraffin in until saturation?...

[Tijoe]

I thought Coleman gas was used to clean anything that the wax touches.
But you used it to make your drip bottle on the go? By pouring fresh paraffin in until saturation?...

Make my brain hurt...

My understanding is:  Most waxes are non-polar organic compounds that are a stable compound.  Therefore you need to dissolve them with non-polar solvents.
- Naphtha: Appears to be the best solvent! Its evaporation rate appears to be about the best for letting the wax, flow into the chain links, and flow across the chain.
- Gasoline  (Too Toxic of additives added but is a good alternative and the least expensive.)
- Acetone  (Evaporates too fast and doesn't provide enough time for the dissolved wax to flow/penetrate into the chain links.
- Mineral spirits (paint thinner): Dissolves wax, but its evaporation rate as just a little bit to slow, and using mineral spirits often make the wax more sticky
- Turpentine: Evaporates too slowly.
- Acetone: Works, but evaporates too fast
- Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol):Unless you use 100% alcohol, the water added to the alcohol keeps the wax from completely dissolving.
- d-Limonene: A bio-based solvent. I haven't tried this, perhaps it could be an option
- Toluene or Xylene: These work, but I don't like how toxic they are to our nervous system.   XXX

Out of all of these more readily available solvents, White gas/Naptha has the best solvent properties to suspend the wax in a solution, and its evaporation rate is the best for melting existing wax on a chain, while adding new wax to the chain.   (You can use gasoline, but it is more toxic..)

Yes, I pour my brew into drip bottles that I have saved over the years, before I started making my own brew.