Silca wax system questions

Equipment
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I purchased the Silca wax system and I have some questions
I set the temp to 75 Celsius… how do I know that the temperature of the wax is reached? Does the system bip or when all the wax is melted is good?
How long do I keep the chain in the pot? Is 10 minutes enough?
How much wax do I put on the pot? The Silca secret bag is 600 g, should I put the whole bag?

Once waxing the chain will be stiff, right? So I need to break every single link and then put it back on the bike?
I did not wax the quick link, the chain is an SRAM red. Can I use it or get a new one? Do I need a new one every time I remove the chain to immerse it in wax? If so that is going to be costly.
Once the chain is installed can I just ride? I know that with drip was like super secret, I needed to wait at least 8 hours. That is not needed with immersive wax?

I apologize. I watched all Josh’s videos, and ZFC, their videos lacked clarity (Imho)

Thank you

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You might want to read thru this thread

https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/chain-waxing-tutorial/

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I did
My question relate to wax system mostly…not crockpot setup.
That thread doesnt tell me anything i dont already know

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I found their manual pretty easy to follow, generally for transliterated english.

If you don’t have one, I do believe it’s available on their website. Nope, but there is a YouTube tutorial video.

My hardest thing was knowing how much wax pellets not to put in their cooker.

Oh, you watched their videos? (I haven’t) Temperature: I do not remember it beeping when at temp, but all the pellets were melted. String the chain on the cable holder and let it soak for something like 30 minutes, agitating ever couple of minutes (I flipped the whole thing over twice too). If you use their ‘Stripper Chip’ or other chips, you have to crank it to the max temperature and follow those instructions above. It seems to have worked, but I did a couple of chains and put them away for future use.

The things that kind of irked me was they don’t specifically say how much of the wax pellets to put in the cooker (why not design it for the whole bag?), and why they didn’t make the ‘pot’ a little larger to actually hold the chain better, and also have a holder for the cable chain ‘holder’ when the chain is submerged/cooking. Also the instructions didn’t specify clearly if the lid was temperature resistant (or not) and could be used during heating/etc. (All I needed was the stench of a melting lid on top of the smell of the wax solution)

The chain will be stiff, I figured I’d deal with that when I used them, but just putting it on, and running it through a few quick revolutions in an area where the wax flakes wouldn’t get ground in.

Waxing the quick link? Not really needed? I think they recommend their secret chain liquid treatment. Reusing the quick links is up to you. I think SRAM recommends a new link, but I reuse it at least 2 to 3 times. I mean, if it clicks when it locks in, I feel good about it personally, although YMMV.

The mess: I bought a prewaxed chain from them and aside from scraping off some of the excess wax, I just rode it. I put a beach towel under the whole setup so the wax shreds didn’t get all over the place (I was actually riding it in a hotel bathroom while traveling) and there was a lot of it IMO. Not black with it, but damn glad I took the towel. (It washed out perfect when I got home. I shook as much out of it as I could before I washed it. So if it’s on a stationary trainer, be warned)

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I was underwhelmed by the Silca instructions that came with the wax system. If I recall, there were even some things that seemed to contradict each other.

They mention how high to fill the pot. I don’t recall exactly, but it says in the instructions and I want to say it’s like 20mm below the top or something?

I set mine to about 85-95 to melt the wax faster. Once it’s melted, or close to it, I turn it back down to 75 and wait a bit, then submerge the chain once it’s had enough time to cool down to 75. Swoosh the chain around a bit and when the bubbles stop, you can pull it out. It’s not that long, maybe 60-90 secs. It can take a little maneuvering to get the chain to go all the way down into the wax.

Complaints on the small pot are common, and it is frustrating. The Silca guy has addressed this many times in their videos and it sounds like it simply wasn’t cost effective to manufacture this heating element any larger.

After the chain has cooled, I usually try to work out all the links a bit to make it easier to put back on the bike. I never wax the quick link and have reused them several times with no issue. General consensus is they’re typically fine to use until they start to feel loose and Install too easily. That was one of my big concerns when switching to waxing too. Wippermann makes a Connex link that’s intended to be reused, but it’s expensive and doesn’t seem to be readily available in the US.

I typically spin my chain for a minute or two on the bike stand until it starts running decently. The first minute or so it’s pretty rough but smooths out quickly. No need to spend too much timing doing that as it will be fine within a few minutes of pedaling on your next ride.

If you’re riding your bike indoor, a towel is a must. The wax cleans up easily but it leaves a TON of residue on the floor IME.

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I think the time is actually 15 minutes, but I was doing other more interesting things when I was using it and it was probably a half hour. Agitating the chain is going to achieve more than time, but YMMV. I did time the 150 degree time (with chain), and left it to cook its way down to 75 for a while. (My CrockPot ($25 from target) made such a mess, I thought I’d pop for their system when it went on a big sale)

I did get a coupler for the CrockPot, and keeping it out of the wax and yet having the chain IN the wax was a struggle. The CrockPot is just too large/high. Need to work on a solution to that. Also the wax actually looks very yellow almost golden after using the strip chip in both the CrockPot and their cooker, so wondering if it permanently alters the consistency and usability of the wax, short and long term. If I have to toss the wax after using the strip chip, it obviously raises the price of using it significantly.

The big drawback for the CrockPot method is temperature control (maybe a candy thermometer would work). It would seem to be very easy to misjudge the temperature and scorch the wax, but a plus is I could dump the whole bag in at once and not have to guestimate the right amount. (I put more of the wax from the bag in the Silca pot and it seemed to handle it and twas easier to cover the chain) Neither system is foolproof and both leave room for improvement. :person_shrugging:

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And how a waxed chain can make you slower.

Beginner chain waxing mistakes people do when waxing.

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I set the temp to 75 Celsius… how do I know that the temperature of the wax is reached? Does the system bip or when all the wax is melted is good? You can set to 125 and wait for the number to reach 75, 75 = you can put the chain in.
How long do I keep the chain in the pot? Is 10 minutes enough? Typically only about two minutes is plenty. As you agitate the chain in the wax you will see bubbles come to the surface. When these bubbles stop, this means that the wax has displaced all the water.
How much wax do I put on the pot? The Silca secret bag is 600 g, should I put the whole bag? 3/4 of the pot
Once waxing the chain will be stiff, right? So I need to break every single link and then put it back on the bike? Yes
I did not wax the quick link, the chain is an SRAM red. Can I use it or get a new one? Do I need a new one every time I remove the chain to immerse it in wax? If so that is going to be costly. Just clean the quick link, there’s no real risk in reusing it 4-5 times
Once the chain is installed can I just ride? I know that with drip was like super secret, I needed to wait at least 8 hours. That is not needed with immersive wax? You can ride, the first 20 km will be a bit noisy

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For just normal rewaxing, I was baffled that the instructions didn’t give any indication of duration or what to look for to know it’s done.

For a company that seems to obsess over the little details, what should be a simple set of instructions leaves a lot to be desired.

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The pot does not heat faster if you turn the temperature up higher. 75 degrees for wax alone, 125 degrees with a chip additive. (With a chip, once at 125, 10 minutes, then turn down to 75, and once at 75, take the chain out to drip - Silca instructions)

10 minutes in the wax, but I leave it in longer to make sure it gets in the nooks and crannies… It’s about the agitation in the wax, and pulling it out before it cools. (Pull it out and THEN turn the pot off)

Chain debris - 2
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Chain debris, fresh out of the bag after I waxed it.

Chain debris - 4
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More chain wax debris.

Floor debris
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Crumbs on the floor.

Chain side view
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Chain side view.

Pulled out hot
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Yes, I DID pull the chain out hot.

SRAM Quick Links
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Worn SRAM Quick Links. These do not have that many miles on them, yet they show what I consider a lot of wear. (The chain was not waxed prior to this)

All from a chain I waxed, with a Strip Chip, a couple weeks ago and put in a bag. A great idea I highly recommend.

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It’s all time and temperature. But when do we know when to re-wax? Hmm… Buy their Secret Chain Juice? I’m hoping it all works well, and for a long time.

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The massive amount of time saved getting the wax to temperature compared to the cheap crockpot I was using completely offsets the smaller size and larger cost of the Silca system for me. I’d recommend it to anyone thinking about waxing.

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The reason the SILCA system is that size is that it’s a rebranded cosmetic wax heater; this one: Amazon.com: Waxkiss 16.9oz Digital Electric Hot Wax Warmer Machine for Hair Removal Touch Control Display Wax Heater for Melt Hard Wax -Teal Green : Beauty & Personal Care

Seems that one is no longer available, but this one seems functionally identical (same size, same lid, slightly different temp control): Amazon.com: waxkiss Digital Hair Removal Warmer with See-Through Lid and 14oz Pot : Beauty & Personal Care

I got the first one about a year ago, and it’s worked great. You don’t get the whole hanger apparatus, but I made some chain swishers from coat hangers, all works great.

One tip: Keep the whole thing is a larger vessel, to catch inevitable drips and overflow. I keep mine in a big disposable aluminum casserole dish, works great.

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“The pot does not heat faster if you turn the temperature up higher.” he does

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Before the chain has finished cooling (still warm but the wax is starting to harden) run it over a plastic pipe with your hands a few times. This prevents it being stiff when it has finished cooling and then you really only need to break the links at the end that you held while running the chain over the pipe. Otherwise yes you have to break every link by hand.

You can put the chain back on without breaking the links but in my experience shifting is terrible as everything is stiff. Eventually things will free up on their own but it is much quicker breaking the links before installing the chain.

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I made these to hang outdoor garden hoses on.
I hang chains to cool . Once cool I run them over the pipe a few times to remove excess wax. Zip tie is to swirl in pot and so I don’t loose a roller. Then in the clean labeled bag they go.

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Figures. So they saved the whole cost of design and certification, and saying that they would have to spend more is true, soft of. They make it sound as if they designed the pot and going bigger means it has to go through more rigorous testing/certification, but it actually means they have a NEW DEVICE and it has to go through the testing that device went through. Hmm…

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Definitely do NOT pedal backward with a newly waxed chain. Just don’t… :cowboy_hat_face:

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Haha I figured that one out just clipping in.

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