# Chain cleaning



## 37fleetwood (Jun 13, 2015)

always a problem, you clean the bike and still there is that dark reddish brown chain that nags at you.
so, I've decided to document my chain cleaning technique and share it with you.

step one, save a couple old jars or other containers. I like glass jars so I can see what's happening. you'll also need a jug of vinegar, I get the cleaning vinegar from Wal-Mart, it's cheap and it comes in a gallon jug. you'll also need some sort of household degreaser. I tent toward the dollar store LA's Totally Awesome Orange. it comes in a 1 litre refill bottle for a buck.
I didn't take any photos of the cleaner, but I have posted using it in the past. same principal, put the chain in a container and pour in the degreaser until it's covered. let sit for a couple days then pull out and rinse. I also used a dollar store/Harbor Freight brass brush to knock off anything still left. there usually isn't much.

the first photo shows the newly degreased chain in the jar waiting for the vinegar.









Here's the vinegar ready to go in.





Vinegar in be sure to cover that whole chain completely or you'll set up more rust on the uncovered parts.




a couple days in it is getting really nasty looking.





but you can see it's working. don't use anything stronger than the vinegar especially if you plan on leaving it in the jar for a couple days or you'll come back to find a bunch of chain parts in a pile on the bottom, the pins are weaker than the plates and will dissolve faster than the rest and then they fall out and the chain comes apart.





after a few days (your results may vary) pull the chain out and rinse it with water. if you started with a decent chain you should be able to wash it with some soapy water and a plastic brush, or I used the brass brush again. I used dish soap. work any tight links loose at this time if you can, the rust should be softened enough to work them back and forth until they're loose. I do it during the rinse so all of the rusty crap gets rinsed out.




last step. I have a small amount of ATF (automatic Transmission Fluid) in another container and I run the chain through it. ATF has strong detergents in it and gets anything left in the cleaning. it's also very thin and gets into all of the tight places. from there you hang the chain somewhere where it won't make a mess and let the ATF run out of it. next put it in a zip-lock and store it for future use, or put it on the bike. don't forget to lube it like you usually would, ATF isn't thick enough to act as chain lube.


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## rollfaster (Jun 13, 2015)

Great results Scott. Thanks for the tip. Rob.


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