white spirit from cleaning my chain is stripping frame paint

thefonz78

I have cleaned my chain with white spirit twice now since having the bike. The gunk that's coming of the chain is dripping on the chain. However after cleaning the bike the frame with soap there seems to be greyish streaks through my white frame. Could this be the primer? am i stripping the paint of my bike?

Will.C

Most likely, can you not just clean the chain with a good bike degreaser then re-oil?

I'm sure I read somewhere white spirit isn't that great as it strips too much off (in your case paint).

desweller

You don't need anything as aggressive as white spirit to clean your chain. A rag frequently dipped in very hot water will do the job. If it's very hot then it will evaporate off the chain more readily. I usually give it a quick blast of WD40 after cleaning to clear the water and wait for that to run off the chain before applying the chain lube of choice.

thefonz78

so i,ve wrecked my brand new bike frame for the sake of a £15 chain. I am truly gutted!

Herbie The Dog

You are using white sprit with the chain still attached?

Monty Dog

By all means use white spirit to clean the chain, but take it off the bike first!

Generally, I find spraying WD40/GT85 onto a rag and wiping down the chain is good for regular cleaning followed by a relube.

Zaim

Hot water on a rag and another rag to dry the excess off. Good choice on the WD40 to clear the water....pointless fact WD = Water Dispersant. :roll:

CXXC

i don't see a problem if you're cleaning the chain on the bike using a chain cleaning tool filled with white spirit, you shouldn't be getting any on the frame that way?!?

keef66

I'd be surprised if the white spirit affected your paint; it's not that aggressive a solvent. the grey streaks won't be primer, just traces of oil you haven't washed off. Try squirting a little WD40 on them and giving them a rub with a clean rag.

I just wipe my chain down with a rag with a bit of white spirit or WD40 on it every week or two, and relube carefully / sparingly.

Every 3 or 4 months I take my chain off to clean it in white spirit (shake it in a bottle of the stuff) then wash in hot soapy water, rinse in hot water, and dry inside before relubing. Take the opportunity to clean the chainrings and sprockets while the chain's off.

KMC quick link makes this relatively simple.

thefonz78

I have managed to get the streaks off thank god. I was worried as I tried wiping it with a try cloth that didnt work then i dried flash clean that didn't either. Finally i used doktor power jml cleaner which cleaned it straight away. I will use a less aggressive degreaser from now on. Thank you everyone.

markos1963

I use a rag soaked with spirit or wd40 on a weekly basis to clean then once a month take the chain off and bath it in white spirit. Never had a problem with paint and I suspect its the residue from the chain.

chriskempton

+1 I've used white spirit + rag on many bikes over many years with no problems.

dilemna

Don't use white spirit, which will remove paint, but a degreaser instead. But in any event remove your chain from your bike and use any potentially potent chemical agents well AWAY from the frame. Common sense really :roll:.

A degreaser such as an engine degreaser is formulated to be rinsed off when it has disrupted oil and grease, white spirit is not. Washing white spirit down the drain is a big no no. The chain can then be re-lubed when genuinely clean and DRY. It will be pointless appying lube to a chain with residual white spirit on it. White spirit is for removing oil based paints. You might as well use paint stripper.

dennisn

I'm casting my vote with the people who think maybe your being a bit too aggresive
with your choice of cleaning supplies. To be honest I haven't cleaned a chain with any more than a clean rag for quite some time and don't have problems. Then again I'm old and a fair weather rider, so take that into account.
FWIW I have noticed that some cleaners(even ones made specifically for bikes) will leave a light white film on your paint job if you don't get it rinsed off before it dries.

Robert456

Parafins does the job, is a very light lubricant anyway and is cheap

keef66

Some people seem to be confusing white spirit with paint stripper!

White spirit will get paint off brushes before it dries. It has no effect at all on paint once it's dry. I have many ruined paintbrushes which will testify to this.

I use white spirit, diesel or paraffin to clean up black, oily / greasy components. Very satisfying turning something that looks like a lump of coal into a shiny piece of engineering again.
Usually just wipe off with a rag and relube straight away. A particularly gritty chain might get a wash in hot soapy water, but that's to remove the last of the grit rather than the solvent.

father_jack

I must have got splashes of white spirit on my frames a few times, never had a problem. Although I wipe it off then wipe it with wet sponge to remove any residue. Use it many a time with a chain cleaner bath with the chain on the bike. Probably wouldn't use it for a bike with carbon frame though.

Smokin Joe

keef66 wrote:

Some people seem to be confusing white spirit with paint stripper!

White spirit will get paint off brushes before it dries. It has no effect at all on paint once it's dry. I have many ruined paintbrushes which will testify to this.

I use white spirit, diesel or paraffin to clean up black, oily / greasy components. Very satisfying turning something that looks like a lump of coal into a shiny piece of engineering again.
Usually just wipe off with a rag and relube straight away. A particularly gritty chain might get a wash in hot soapy water, but that's to remove the last of the grit rather than the solvent.

+1.

I've read some rubbish about white spirit on cycling forums, including one post that claimed it corroded steel! It does no more or less than any other degreaser.

father_jack

Just used white spirit on my frame to remove glue residue and grease prior to paint touch up (steel frame) along the right chainstay, and a new chainstay protector. No problems with damaging finish, looks really nice...maybe use wax on the bike ;-)