Is there a DIY water-based chain lube wax recipe?

Ausable · Oct 16, 2022

Back to topic ;-)
I genuinely believe that this is could be the cheapest sqwirt/smove equivelent,
ANCHORSEAL® Classic is a premium wax emulsion end sealer for the prevention of end checks and drying splits in hardwood and softwood logs and lumber.

but havent't tried it yet

TiJoe · Oct 17, 2022

At $29/quart and $49 per gallon, it better have a very long shelf life, and/or one must have a lot of chains to coat.
Please try it, and let us know.
I wonder how much it will take per chain, then calculate how many chains one can lube, and then how often one needs to recoat or add more to it.

speedygz · Oct 20, 2022

I've been using this of late. You only need the tiniest bit, let it wick in, then wipe off clean. The Lanolin is biodegradable, PTFE not so much. But it would have to be the tiniest miniscule amount getting spread around, as it's either on the rag I wiped the chain down with, or inside the pins/rollers. There's a lot lot bigger things to worry about I think, such as driving to the trails in the first place, or updating your bike/parts every year.

Inox MX5 PTFE Plus Lubricant 300g

www.bcf.com.au

Another goodie I've tested long term, is an industrial graphite spray. Good stuff. Never cleaned the chain, nothing, absolutely nothing sticks to it, it dries firm like an enamel paint or slightly harder, you have to scratch it off, and despite my total neglect (apart from a quick squirt every few rides) I'm at about 0.3% wear, way over 3,000kms in. Pretty happy with that for zero maintenance

speedygz · Oct 20, 2022

Notthatbryan said:
The fatality rate for consumption of dihydrogen monoxide is 100%.

Remember according to Mark Twain there are 3 types of lies.
There are lies, damn lies, and statistics.

Did you see the Penn and Teller episode where they were running a petition to ban it, because it was killing so many people every year? Was hilarious. People tripping over themselves to jump on board. Clever dudes those two 😁😁

TiJoe · Oct 20, 2022

Notthatbryan said:
The fatality rate for consumption of dihydrogen monoxide is 100%.

Depend most on what state it is in when consumed. In certain states, it should be banned from consumption.
I am sure that certain politicians would jump all over this it they found out about this.

Nick Mason-Smith · Feb 13, 2023

wiciman said:
Hi

Has anyone dabbled with making their own water-based wax lubricant?

I was thinking along the lines of Squirt. It seems like an emulsion of some sort with no chemicals right? Is there a recipe for a homemade version?

I am not interested in the chemical based wax that OZ Cycle et al has created, only water-based.

I already have the wax pellets.

A crazy thought: would it be possible to just heat up water, add the pellets and use a hand blender to create a smooth solution?

I have dabbled and was motivated to make something food grade - non-toxic and biodegradable are vague, food grade means something in law. I don't know that I succeeded but I did succeed in making a stable (over many weeks, so far) wax+water emulsion chain lube.

I used beeswax from a friend who keeps bees, tap water, and borax (a cleaning agent available at the supermarket) as an emulsifier. I heated the whole lot in a glass jar in a heated water bath (ultrasonic cleaner), shook it up by hand (it went milky), then put it in ultrasound to further atomise the liquid wax. I don't know that the ultrasound actually did anything but it can't have hurt.

Borax is toxic in high concentrations but it is in some toothpastes and to my knowledge many cosmetics. If anyone has any suggestions on food grade emulsifiers I'd love to hear them. I've only recently started testing but the results so far are promising. I think these emulsion lubes are a great complement to immersive waxing and I'll keep experimenting.

With powerful enough ultrasound you may be able to form a nanoemulsion, which would be stable enough for the wax to cool and solidify (crystallise). Seeing as the wax has cooled down and is no longer in the liquid phase, the particles (not droplets) shouldn't (?) coalesce, so it might be shelf stable with no emulsifier at all. That said borax and a cheap ultrasonic cleaner worked pretty well, and I expect that wax particles with no surfactant might agglomerate anyway.

wiciman · Jan 15, 2024

Nick Mason-Smith said:
I have dabbled and was motivated to make something food grade - non-toxic and biodegradable are vague, food grade means something in law. I don't know that I succeeded but I did succeed in making a stable (over many weeks, so far) wax+water emulsion chain lube.

I used beeswax from a friend who keeps bees, tap water, and borax (a cleaning agent available at the supermarket) as an emulsifier. I heated the whole lot in a glass jar in a heated water bath (ultrasonic cleaner), shook it up by hand (it went milky), then put it in ultrasound to further atomise the liquid wax. I don't know that the ultrasound actually did anything but it can't have hurt.

Borax is toxic in high concentrations but it is in some toothpastes and to my knowledge many cosmetics. If anyone has any suggestions on food grade emulsifiers I'd love to hear them. I've only recently started testing but the results so far are promising. I think these emulsion lubes are a great complement to immersive waxing and I'll keep experimenting.

With powerful enough ultrasound you may be able to form a nanoemulsion, which would be stable enough for the wax to cool and solidify (crystallise). Seeing as the wax has cooled down and is no longer in the liquid phase, the particles (not droplets) shouldn't (?) coalesce, so it might be shelf stable with no emulsifier at all. That said borax and a cheap ultrasonic cleaner worked pretty well, and I expect that wax particles with no surfactant might agglomerate anyway.

How has this solution worked out for you in the long run? How does it stand up to for example Squirt, Molten Wax etc?

wiciman · Jan 15, 2024

speedygz said:
I've been using this of late. You only need the tiniest bit, let it wick in, then wipe off clean. The Lanolin is biodegradable, PTFE not so much. But it would have to be the tiniest miniscule amount getting spread around, as it's either on the rag I wiped the chain down with, or inside the pins/rollers. There's a lot lot bigger things to worry about I think, such as driving to the trails in the first place, or updating your bike/parts every year.

Inox MX5 PTFE Plus Lubricant 300g

Inox MX5 PTFE Plus Lubricant 300g

www.bcf.com.au

Another goodie I've tested long term, is an industrial graphite spray. Good stuff. Never cleaned the chain, nothing, absolutely nothing sticks to it, it dries firm like an enamel paint or slightly harder, you have to scratch it off, and despite my total neglect (apart from a quick squirt every few rides) I'm at about 0.3% wear, way over 3,000kms in. Pretty happy with that for zero maintenance

Do you have a link to the industrial graphite spray?

Nick Mason-Smith · Dec 18, 2024

wiciman said:
How has this solution worked out for you in the long run? How does it stand up to for example Squirt, Molten Wax etc?

I did some testing but wasn't particularly scientific about it. It seemed 'stickier' than Squirt. The wax I used was not very pure (refined beeswax is basically clear, not yellow) but refining it is laborious and energy intensive. Refined beeswax can be purchased but it's considerably more expensive than paraffin wax.

Some time later I started using Flower Power wax which seems to tick all the boxes for me. It does somewhat 'blacken' but then I'm not going to show and shines!

Regards,
Nick

Ridinglurker · Dec 18, 2024

Water-based lubricant? Why not use salt water for even better result? You know, we need electrolytes....

Is there a DIY water-based chain lube wax recipe?

Ausable

TiJoe

speedygz

Inox MX5 PTFE Plus Lubricant 300g

speedygz

TiJoe

Nick Mason-Smith

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