Stiff Chain

[rusty513]

I have a skip tooth chain that is nice & flexible but has on area that's a few inches that is really stiff & won't bend. I've sprayed it down with WD40 & also soaked it in white vinegar (works awesome for removing rust off bolts & chains). What should I do to free this up?

 

[Firewalker]

if you must use this chain then I would take the links in question apart, clean it up then place it all back together :wink:

 

[user 135]

check here for ideas viewtopic.php?t=460

 

[rusty513]

Thanks for your help. I'll get working on that chain tonight.

 

[66olds98]

Try this maybe... Grab the chain with both hands and place your thumbs on the bound up section, pull and push the chain side to side. That should help to strech and seat the rollers... This kinda thing can happen when you break a chain to take links out and push the pin back in, it just needs to be coaxed to get the pin and roller to seat together.

 

[Danimal]

I just worked on a chain of mine that came on my Western Flyer. It had a few stiff spots and was pretty nasty overall. First, I soaked in PB Blaster for a few hours. Then I cleaned it in parts washer (mineral spirits?) and a small wire brush. After that, it had two frozen links. One I was able to work free by putting 2 screwdrivers in the link ends and working it back and forth. The other I had to take the link apart and then lightly sand and reassemble. I cleaned it, sprayed a fresh coat of oil on it, and stored for later use.

Dan