The silca ultimate chain stripper and wax prep minimises the complexity, cost and time investment of stripping factory lubricant from a chain prior to waxing. It lets you prepare your chain, ready for drip or hot melt wax application, in under 10 minutes.
Silca designed this biodegradable, eco-friendly, one-step solution for chain preparation by looking at the desired results of the process, then working backwards; thus, they first identified chemicals that drive out greases and oils while promoting wax adhesion to metal, then looked to create a viable product.
The finished chain stripper is a highly concentrated degreaser combined with a primer. Traditionally, in a process taking an hour or more, two or three harsh solvents and multiple rinse steps would be used to move the chain from non-polar solvents that thin greases and oils to polar solvents that evaporate quickly to eliminate residues.
Instead, this solution acts to lift and encapsulate factory lubricant in two quick and easy applications, while also priming the metal surface to improve wax adhesion. By doing so, it will improve your chain life by up to 30%.
There are two different methods for preparing your chain for hot melt and drip-applied waxing. For the latter, you'll start with your new chain in situ on your bike. First, backpedal and add one drop of the chain stripper to each roller, allowing it to permeate the chain for five minutes. Next, backpedal 10 further revolutions to agitate the stripper, then once more apply one drop per roller. Let it sit for another five minutes, then rinse the chain with clean water while backpedalling 10 revolutions.
For hot melt waxing, take the chain off the bike and immerse it in the ultimate chain stripper and wax prep. Agitate it for 30 seconds, before letting it sit for five to 10 minutes, then agitate again for 30 seconds. Remove the chain and rinse it with water to remove the encapsulated grease and oils.
That's it! In both instances, your chain will be clean, prepped and ready for waxing, with its surface primed to promote wax adhesion and a long life.