My skip tooth chain needs to be cleaned up any suggestions?
how do I clean up rusty skip tooth chain?
- Thread starter Vintage-Iron
- Start date
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PB blaster soak it real good for a bit then into gasoline massage each link then wash an clean in regular soap n water.
I put a chain that was RUSTY from a 1969 Rollfast in a coffee can of diesel fuel to soak for like 2 weeks. Came out pretty good and I'm using the chain right now on another bike and it works good.
soaking in ATF is the old guy method..
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I fill a can with Kroil, Liquid Wrench, and Kerosene. I leave it in there for a week or so, then come back with a stiff bristle tooth brush and go to work on it. Repeat as needed.
Once done, wipe down so that there is no oil on the surface of the chain. You want oil in the chain link joints, but excess oil on the surface will attract sand when you ride the bike.
Once done, wipe down so that there is no oil on the surface of the chain. You want oil in the chain link joints, but excess oil on the surface will attract sand when you ride the bike.
I like ATF best. I usually use pb blaster, then run the chain through some sos pad to knock the heavy rust off. Then I soak it in ATF for a few days and clean again. Then I use liquid wrench spray lightly and place in a ziploc bag to store.
White Vinegar soak for about 4-6 hours. Then put it in a bath of 30w oil or whatever you have around for a day or so. Some brushing required, and hang the chain to drain for awhile. I know - no oil on chains, collects dirt. We are talking rescuing a rusted chain here, not a $5000 road bike multi-speed chain....
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50% acetone and 50% vegetable cooking oil soak until you can scrub away the rust. Then brake clean followed by 100% acetone soak. Then I use a quality but expensive chain lube, just a little and wipe it down. The cain lube and wipe is done weekly on off road bikes, otherwise the chain is ruined in 2 months of trail riding. I have had a skip tooth chain that I couldn't salvage as it was too rust welded. Experiments where the rust variable is equally controlled have shown that the best method to free up rusted nuts and bolts is with acetone and vegetable oil as this took the least amount of torque to free the nut. ATF was also good, better than various penetrating oils. The results of this experiment are somewhere on the net. I can't find the original article again but I found this on the net.
The break out torque required for:
Nothing = 516 ft. lbs.
WD-40 = 238 ft. lbs.
PB Blaster = 214 ft. lbs.
Liquid Wrench = 127 ft. lbs.
Kano Kroil = 106 ft. lbs.
50/50 blend of ATF and Acetone = 50 ft. lbs.
I think that the acetone and vegetable was as good or better, it defiantly came out better than pure ATF.
The break out torque required for:
Nothing = 516 ft. lbs.
WD-40 = 238 ft. lbs.
PB Blaster = 214 ft. lbs.
Liquid Wrench = 127 ft. lbs.
Kano Kroil = 106 ft. lbs.
50/50 blend of ATF and Acetone = 50 ft. lbs.
I think that the acetone and vegetable was as good or better, it defiantly came out better than pure ATF.
Re: veggie oil - I have a newer Italian chain saw that requires veggie oil chain lube - ran dino lube and ruined first pump. Veggie based chain oil is expensive, so I run reg cooking oil. Gotta bring saw and oil in basement in the winter tho as veggie oil turns solid in cool temps! Good lube tho and much nicer to be around.
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Yeah, the acetone and veggie oil separated this winter in my garage when it got down to about 5F. I put it in my furnace room but this made me nervous so after I got my Bendix manual two speed to where it loosened up for rebuilding I put the concoction back in the garage. It's now a mixture again with the warmer weather.
thanks for this info!
