# Petrol to clean chain?



## Bicycle (7 Jul 2011)

I have one of those clear plastic devices that I close over the lower run of my chain to clean it.

It's full of little whirring brushes and keeps me amused while I twiddle the pedals and watch it get to work.

It has a sump that I fill with cleaning fluid that I can watch as it splashes all over the brushes...

I've put all sorts of gubbins in it over the years, but I'm looking for a cheap and readily available alternative.

For mower, chainsaw and strimmer I keep a jerry and some plastic cans of unleaded petrol.

*Question 1: Can I use petrol as a chain cleaner in my whirring-brush plasctic box before drying and lubing?

*I may be mad to ask, but it's a serious question. In my youth one used petrol to clean all sorts of components... engine parts before reassembly and even air filters in the desert.

*Question 2: If not petrol, what?

*I am essentially tighter than a tight thing and don't like to use those posh brands that cost more per gramme than saffron.


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## Tim Bennet. (7 Jul 2011)

I use petrol for cleaning my chain, but it's both irresponsible and no longer cheap! I don't use one of those whirring brush cleaners, but have a quick release link and then put the whole chain in a plastic tub. It does a fantastic job and dries quickly, even in winter.

I'll let everyone else tell you why it's not a good idea.
Not that they'll convince me.


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## tyred (7 Jul 2011)

Petrol will work great, but there is a danger attached to it. If you must, use it outside and don't smoke while doing so.


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## tyred (7 Jul 2011)

Try white spirits. Cheaper than petrol, less volatile and you can strain the dirt out and re-use it.


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## JohnHenry (7 Jul 2011)

tyred said:


> Try white spirits. Cheaper than petrol, less volatile and you can strain the dirt out and re-use it.



I love re-using dirt


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## potsy (7 Jul 2011)

JohnHenry said:


> I love re-using dirt



Re-use it? You could probably sell it on E-bay






Rag and bit of WD is all you need to clean a chain, then chuck any oil you have lying about on it and away you go


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## jim55 (7 Jul 2011)

paraffin is very good and cheap ,,heater oil by any other name ,,u can even get it in bnq ,,much cheaper than petrol


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## jim55 (7 Jul 2011)

and btw petrol will dissolve o rings if u have a fancy chain (i know cos i had a motorbike and its well known ,,do they do o ring chains for cycles?)


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## Bokonon (7 Jul 2011)

tyred said:


> Try white spirits. Cheaper than petrol,



Are you sure?

Average petrol price £1.34/l (price quoted for 6 July 2011)
White spirit £1.99/l
Mineral water £1.63/l

Petrol looks quite cheap in comparison and is probably the better solvent!


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## abo (7 Jul 2011)

Mineral water HFM??? What is it, angel's tears?


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## 400bhp (7 Jul 2011)

I use white spirit.

I find the gunk degreaser is inferior.


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## Black Sheep (7 Jul 2011)

A friend of mine cleans his in an old soup can using petrol

and a match to finish the job off as he can't think of any other way to get rid of the petrol.


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## tyred (7 Jul 2011)

Bokonon said:


> Are you sure?
> 
> Average petrol price £1.34/l (price quoted for 6 July 2011)
> White spirit £1.99/l
> ...



Buy 5 litre jars of white spirit from the local discount DIY shop. It's only about £3/5 Litre iirc.


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## asterix (7 Jul 2011)

tyred said:


> Try white spirits. Cheaper than petrol, less volatile and you can strain the dirt out and re-use it.



+1
Why use petrol? Bomkers!!


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## Tim Bennet. (7 Jul 2011)

reiver said:


> I ruined a perfectly good chain by cleaning it in petrol. I guess there is waxes etc within the chain that the petrol dissolved, after that, no matter how much oil I put on the chain it chain would feel and sound dry after about 50 miles.


You didn't ruin that chain - whatever you used for a lubricant (or however you used it) just wasn't very good. The 'wax' on chains when you buy them is principally there to stop them rusting before you get them. Any 'cleaner' will clean the wax off (inside and out) and any decent chain lube will replace the lubrication.



> and btw petrol will dissolve o rings if u have a fancy chain


I've never seen or heard of a bike chain with O rings in it.

There's lots of reasons NOT to use petrol, but these are amongst them!


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## subaqua (7 Jul 2011)

washing up liquid solution with vinegar works great as a degreaser.


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## chillyuk (7 Jul 2011)

jim55 said:


> paraffin is very good and cheap ,,heater oil by any other name ,,u can even get it in bnq ,,much cheaper than petrol



I bought 4 litres of paraffin a few weeks ago for my Tilley fishing lamps. £7:50 for 4 litres. It would be cheaper to run a Coleman petrol lamp.


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## slowmotion (7 Jul 2011)

I could be wrong but I think I read that diesel is a good chain cleaner and also leaves a bit of lube on the chain as a residue. Did I imagine that?


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## tyred (7 Jul 2011)

slowmotion said:


> I could be wrong but I think I read that diesel is a good chain cleaner and also leaves a bit of lube on the chain as a residue. Did I imagine that?



I would consider that correct.


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## Angelfishsolo (7 Jul 2011)

Look up the Mickle method. All you will even need to do to keep your chain in tiptop condition


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## Bodhbh (7 Jul 2011)

reiver said:


> Generally I think petrol is an excellent cleaner, much better than white spirit, and as it is so volatile, it dries very quickly. Try cleaning paint brushes (oil based) 50x better than white spirits or brush cleaner, and certainly a fraction of the cost of brush cleaner. After use strain it through a face mask and put it in the lawn mower!



As I kid one of my practical jokes was to spike the lawnmower petrol with oil and various other solvents and witness the effect. I remember lots of filthy black smoke and engine knocking. Do you need to use a facemask when mowing the lawn also?


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## twowheelsgood (7 Jul 2011)

Buy an ultrasonic cleaner. Mine was £16 from Lidl 4 years ago.

Use enough vinegar to cover the chain. Repeat with water and detergent, then just plain water.

Dry in the oven after your dinner is out, switched off and cooling.

Relube in a clean glass jar, shaking to work the links. If you do it while the chain is still a little warm then the lube thins and penetrates the links much better.

Wipe off excess.

Barely any effort involved. 

Ultrasonic cleaners are brilliant for glasses and jewellery too.


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## Globalti (7 Jul 2011)

I use all kinds of stuff for cleaning but I really wouldn't use petrol. It stinks, it's expensive, it's very flammable and it's carcinogenic:


_Acute - Swallowed_
_Harmful. May cause lung damage if swallowed._
_Acute - Eye_
_Mildly irritating to the eyes._
_Acute - Skin_
_Irritating to skin. Will cause redness and inflammation._
_Acute - Inhaled_
_Inhalation may cause irritation to the respiratory system. Prolonged exposure to vapours_
_may cause somnelence and narcosis._
_Chronic_
_Prolonged and repeated skin contact may cause dermatitis due to defatting effect._
_Prolonged or repeated exposure may cause cancer._

Some people swear by a mixture of paraffin and diesel, I have always used white spirit / turps subs / paraffin / kerosine / barbecue fluid. The last is the best because it's deodorised kerosine so smells OK and if you're not using it for cleaning you can fire breathe with it and the taste isn't too bad. Don't inhale it though - you've seen how light oils will spread out on a puddle? They will do the same in your lungs.

Use a shallow metal try, wash the chain through several times with small amounts of white spirit and an old paintbrush and pour the dirty into a jam jar. After a week all the dirt will have settled to the bottom and you can reuse it.


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## zacklaws (7 Jul 2011)

I use petrol, Parrafin, White Spirits, shop bought degreasers and some stuff I get from work which is used in steam cleaners, used neat, it degreases chains fast, diluted, it cleans all grime and oil off with just one wipe.


But from experience, I would not use petrol in your chain cleaner, I did, and after a short while it warped the plastic badly, the cleaning brushes fell out, and in the end it all fell apart. Petrol and certain plastics do not go together. Even the white spirits may have effected it too, but not too sure.

I once had a high viz yellow waistcoat in my car, my petrol can leaked, and one day when I took my waistcoat out of the car, my socket set in a plastic case had welded itself to the jacket and I could only remove it by cutting it free. The petrol had melted the plastic, and then when it dried out, it went solid again but made my jacket a permanent fixture to the socket set.

Petrol though when it dries, leaves a slight oily film, its ideal for cleaning very dirty chains, but then it needs a quick clean with something else to just remove this film, otherwise, you soon get a good build up of dust on your chain

I think you may even find BBQ fluid carcinogenic, virtually everything, made from Benzine, and some forms of naptha, which BBQ fluid (not sure if all are) is made from are carcinogenic


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## apollo179 (7 Jul 2011)

potsy said:


> Re-use it? You could probably sell it on E-bay
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Dont they say dont lubricate your chain with oil cos it attracts abrasive dirt.
I clean my chain by immersing in a vat of boiling engine oil - dry and lube. Same for motorbike.


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## Bicycle (7 Jul 2011)

apollo179 said:


> Dont they say dont lubricate your chain with oil cos it attracts abrasive dirt.
> I clean my chain by immersing in a vat of boiling engine oil - dry and lube. Same for motorbike.



Flippin' 'Eck Tucker!

How big does the vat have to be to immerse a motorcycle in it?

PS. I rode a Guzzi for years. Electrics were awful, but I never had any problems with the chain. Credit where it's due; Guzzi chains must be excellent!


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## apollo179 (7 Jul 2011)

Bicycle said:


> Flippin' 'Eck Tucker!
> 
> How big does the vat have to be to immerse a motorcycle in it?
> 
> PS. I rode a Guzzi for years. Electrics were awful, but I never had any problems with the chain. Credit wjere it's due; Guzzi chains must be excellent!


Never had a chain brake in 10 years couriering on a gt550 - dya get it ?


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## Bicycle (7 Jul 2011)

GT550.... Here comes nostalgia....

My firm used them as pool bikes you could rent by the day when yours was off the road...

I did like those bikes, but I remember at the time thinking that self-cancelling indicators were a bit too hi-tech....

(It was the late 80s and I was used to Italian bikes).

They also had that dumb cut-out switch on the side-stand... but apart from that, you could ride them for 36 hours flat and not even feel a little bit tired.

Nostalgia trip over.

Back to bicycles now,,, and thanks everyone for the tips.

Much appreciated.


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## apollo179 (7 Jul 2011)

Plus gts were shaft drive = no chain .
Brave man going out on a guzzi in the wet.


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## Bicycle (7 Jul 2011)

apollo179 said:


> Plus gts were shaft drive = no chain .
> Brave man going out on a guzzi in the wet.




 I know.... Lovely. Very Japanese and slick... not like (wonderful) Guzzis with their clutch action from a 1964 Scammell truck and their gearchange from an ancient trebuchet.

But honestly, the best wet-weather road bike I ever rode was a V50 III on extremely sticky Metzelers.

The combined brakes meant that it slowed and stopped in the wet with nothing but grace, poise and perfection.

GT550s and 750s were fine as courier bikes, but Guzzis are another level.

I appreciate that this sort of comment summons the men in the white coats.... but I truly believe that.

And... I always wore a helmet when I was a courier. It saved my life!! (sorry).


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## Davidc (7 Jul 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> Look up the Mickle method. All you will even need to do to keep your chain in tiptop condition



+1


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## Paulus (7 Jul 2011)

I always use white spirit and a chain cleaner thingy. brings the chain up lovely, and you can strain the muck out and re-use the spirit.


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## Ace Demon (8 Jul 2011)

Bicycle said:


> *Question 1: Can I use petrol as a chain cleaner in my whirring-brush plasctic box before drying and lubing?*



It might dissolve the box. 
*
*


> *Question 2: If not petrol, what?*



Why does it need cleaning? By cleaning the grit off the visible, outer parts of the chain, very fine particles become suspended and get drawn into the pins, which wears them, accelerating "stretch". Surely it's best to leave the dirt where it is? At most, wipe the outer sides of the plates with a rag.

Just lightly touching each roller with oil from a small brush, the oil will get where it needs to by capillary action, without disturbing and drawing in existing dirt and leaves minimal residue for more dirt to stick.


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## Bicycle (8 Jul 2011)

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I found an ancient and enormous can of Gunk in the end, so I used that.

I think I'll go the way of the petrol or the thinners after that.

Very many thanks for all the advice.

I'm glad I asked.


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