Ultrasonic cleaner and solution for bike chains?

[BrooklynBravest]

I’m looking to buy an ultrasonic cleaner to remove grease from bike chains.

Is it worth buying a cleaning concentrate for $35 a gallon or is there equally effective, cheaper alternatives?

 

[kppolich]

Simple Green works fine.
Pro tip, put it in its own container and then put that in the ultrasonic to keep the water clean.

 

[danielbuck]

yeah, hot water and whatever degreaser you like, ultrasonic should clean them fine. and plus1 to the smaller container suggestion.

 

[isb cornbinder]

yeah, hot water and whatever degreaser you like, ultrasonic should clean them fine. and plus1 to the smaller container suggestion.

I like everything about my ultrasonic cleaner. I have done all of the mentioned ways in the preceding posts. They all worked really well. ZIP-LOC bags are another idea to separate the dirty parts from the clean fluid. I have used solvent in the ZipLoc.

 

[BrooklynBravest]

Thanks guys

Debating if i go 6L now or 10L

I don’t need anything huge but 6L sounds pretty tiny

 

[Nessism]

Go buy a gallon of mineral spirits, and find a large Gatorade bottle (or similar). Fill the bottle 2/3 full with the spirits, drop the chain in, and shake like hell. Let it sit, then come back and shake again. Repeat a few times, over an hour or so, then pull the chain out and hang to dry. The spirits will turn black, but with time, the black chain sludge will settle to the bottom of the bottle, and the fluid on top will turn clear. At the next cleaning cycle, pour off the clear fluid over the sludge, into a second bottle, and use it again, and again.

This technique will be drastically more effective than a cheap china ultrasonic.

 

[bonneyman]

if it's a relatively new chain, just wire brush the outside crud off of it and stop there. The inner races and bearings have a special lube that solvent cleaning will remove while letting fine grit enter. Not good.

If it's an older chain soak away, dry it, then let it soak in 90W gear oil for a day. Phil Wood's Tenacious Oil is good, too.

Not cheap but good.

Phil Tenacious Oil

Our Tenacious Oil is used for ultimate protection and durability for components that have movement with metal-to-metal contact. Our base oil has been produced for us by the same independent California refinery since 1971. Final blending of rust inhibitors and extreme wear additives happen at our...

phil-wood-co.myshopify.com

 

[txvwnut]

Go with the ten liter as you’ll find more uses for it that will be bigger than a bike chain.

 

[danielbuck]

Go with the ten liter as you’ll find more uses for it that will be bigger than a bike chain.

I went for 30 liters, and still wish it was larger

 

[RichWolfson]

I labored over that too. My 6L came today. Knobs instead of solid state and I am happy. It's large enough for what I need it for, tools and PinBall parts, and the things I put in it came out nice. I used Super Clean 1:3 BTW.

But that is just me. ///Me

 

[Death Row Dave]

I use ATF in a jug . Shake it two or three days in a row . Hang the chain so it drains back into the jug . Use it over and over . I have an older Harley converted to rear belt best mod I ever did , I think .

 

[Melancholia]

I've had the best results cleaning bike chains using an ultrasonic cleaner paired with a proper solution that's safe on metal and removes grease effectively. If you're considering upgrading your setup, industrial-grade cleaners like https://www.kaijo-shibuya.com/industrial-ultrasonic-cleaners/ are worth looking into. They’re built for heavy-duty cleaning and can handle tough jobs like degreasing chains with ease.

 

[seber]

Denatured alcohol, kerosene, stoddard solvent, mineral spirits and a lot of other cheap solvents all work well for grease and oil. I haven't tried engine degreaser, but I'd bet it would work fine.

 

[jobo1004]

I imagine the OP has already made a purchase by now, but I'll state for the future that I've been using the 2.5L ultrasonic cleaner from Harbor Freight along with simple green to clean bike parts. The largest cogs on my cassette stick out of the top of the cleaning solution, so I have to rotate it once during cleaning. I definitely wouldn't mind having a larger cleaner, but I'd imagine the 6L unit they were pondering would've been of sufficient size for bike stuff.

 

[engineer2]

I'm sure you all know not to use flammable solvents in an ultrasonic cleaner.

 

[GeoBruin]

I imagine the OP has already made a purchase by now, but I'll state for the future that I've been using the 2.5L ultrasonic cleaner from Harbor Freight along with simple green to clean bike parts. The largest cogs on my cassette stick out of the top of the cleaning solution, so I have to rotate it once during cleaning. I definitely wouldn't mind having a larger cleaner, but I'd imagine the 6L unit they were pondering would've been of sufficient size for bike stuff.

Simple green in the HF ultrasonic cleaner is my go-to combo as well. I keep 2 containers of simple green. One that I use for general cleaning, and another that I pour back into the container after using in the ultrasonic cleaner (through a coffee filter).

 

[VR6ix]

Debating if i go 6L now or 10L

I don’t need anything huge but 6L sounds pretty tiny

6L is tiny, go bigger so you can fit cassettes and chainrings in one cycle, instead of having to rotate them and run them twice. I kinda regret not going bigger right away.

Any non-caustic de-greaser should be good. Use glass jars or Ziplock bags as suggested. Fill the unit with hot water from the tap instead of waiting for the on-board heater to get it up to temp.

 

[Shiftless]

I’ve heard of using the ultrasonic cleaner to clean your bike chain and also the black grease from under your fingernails and in your finger prints. I suppose that is not safe, right?

 

[todd_fuller]

A few good resources:

https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/waxing-how-to-zen-master-guide-v2.pdf

How to Clean and Wax a Bike Chain

Step by step instructions on how to clean and prepare your bicycle chain and how to use multiple methods to wax your chain. Keep your drivetrain running longer, cleaner, and quieter with SILCA wax.

silca.cc

Clean it then wax it then you won't need to get the ultrasonic out very often.

 

[The Cobbler]

I would not use an ultrasonic cleaner to clean grease off bike chains.
mineral spirits, diesel fuel . something along those lines will be far more effective both cost & effectiveness than an ultrasonic cleaner