how to restore a rusty chain

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karfer67

karfer67

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this works great for old skip link chains where the orignal is rusty stuck or you don't feel like spending an arm and a leg on a NOS chain. start by dunking the whole deal in wd40 over night to loosen up the links. then use a bench grinder with a wire wheel and work it back and forth. this will get most of the rust off and leave a cool silver color. the more you work the chain the better it will look so be patient and look for missed spots.
 
Funny you brought this up Karfer.My Dad,who has been building Harleys,Triumphs,BSA's since the 60's was just talking about chains the other day....this is an old trick he said he used to do years ago,and still does.

He takes the chain and puts it in a Cast Iron Pot,fills the pot about half full of really thick grease or heavy weight oil for Industrial Machinery.
He used an old Propane BBQ,or you can get a little single burner that threads onto those disposable camping propane bottles,and he heats the oil up and lets it boil( outside the garage :lol: ) for a good half day.

Turn it off and let it cool off naturally,the next day pull it out( the oil will be thick again, and run the chain through your hands with a good lint free rag removing the excess.

I havn't tried it yet,but it apparently gets in everywhere.



I think soaking it like you said first to free up the rust is a good call Karfer...
 
that method works too i have done it in extreme cases but normally soaking it in wd works fine. you may still have to work a few links but it gets the job done 99% of the time.
 
:) I would think this would work on chains also,
but I used to use muriatic acid, 1 part to 3 parts
water in a bucket and let it soak for a couple of
hours.

This is good for rust removal on steel and
when it seems clean rinse under cold water and then
scrub with a stiff brush.

Next rinse with hot water , dry and spray with WD-40
or it will start to oxidize again(rust).

Vroom
 
that works as well but i am not a big fan of using acid to remove rust just because i always seem to burn myself lol. good idea though and i am sure for some of our more careful members would work well.
 
karfer67 said:
that works as well but i am not a big fan of using acid to remove rust just because i always seem to burn myself lol. good idea though and i am sure for some of our more careful members would work well.
Click to expand...

Good point Karfer, being deluted you won't get
much of a burn but you should always wear rubber gloves
and eye protection when handling chemicals and acids.

SAFETY FIRST!!
 
Vroom said:
karfer67 said:
that works as well but i am not a big fan of using acid to remove rust just because i always seem to burn myself lol. good idea though and i am sure for some of our more careful members would work well.
Click to expand...

Good point Karfer, being deluted you won't get
much of a burn but you should always wear rubber gloves
and eye protection when handling chemicals and acids.

SAFETY FIRST!!
Click to expand...

I have to use Muriatic acid often to etch Concrete when I am preparing a Floor System or other concrete for Paint.

I usually mix it 4 to 1....but 3 to 1 would be better for the chain.I honestly have never done a chain this way,but I will now!
as far as Safety goes ( good point VROOM ) and on Vrooms note,
always add the Acid to the Water..never add the water to the acid
this will insure the acid doesn't splash up at you when mixing.




peace,
 
Deepest appologies, but I am going to hop on a soap box for a minute...

As someone who deals with chemicals on a daily basis I'd like to suggest the use of Phosphoric acid instead of Muratic acid.

First, I'll to point out that most commercial rust removers ("Naval Jelly" and CLR for example) use Phosphoric Acid as their active ingredient. I'm guessing some chemist out there figured out that Phosphoric Acid is the best to use, so who am I to argue? :D

I'm guessing plenty of us here have used Navel Jelly, so you guys will know that it's thick and clings easily to odd shapes with just a little burshing. Great stuff, IMO.

For a bicycle chain, I would suggest checking out the heavy duty bathroom tile cleaners available at the local hardware store. Just check the ingredients to verify the content of Phosphoric Acid. Sometimes its offered in a concentrated form and this stuff is very aggressive! Good stuff, use with care like you would Muratic Acid. Side note: I moved into an apartment that needed additional cleaning so I used this stuff without diluting as directed, and I let it sit overnight. It took off the scale and rust.... as well as etching the chrome fixtures right down to the brass. doh!

The added benifit is that Phosphoric acid is better for the environment. It's used as a component of fertilizers and (gasp!) is an ingredient in Coca Cola and other soft drinks!

Muratic Acid (aka Hydrochloric Acid) is a fairly nasty acid that is typically used in industrial applications and swimming pools. I've responded to several fires that resulted from the accidental mixing of Muratic Acid and oils (an apartment complex and a grociery store were the largest) and I have never responded to a fire from Phosphoric acid and anything.

Now I'll climb off my soap box and get a beer....

Edit: for your additional entertainment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphoric_acid
 
i will stick to the old wire wheel deal thanks. acids and me just don't mix i always end up making a mess hehe.
 
I'd suggest using electrolytic rust removal. I use this method quite abit and it really does work. I like it because you can get to all the rust, (even the stuff a wire brush or steel wool can't reach.) As well you can do it with regular baking soda (as opposed to lye like some tutorials tell you to use.) The best part is the fact that it turns the rust back into iron so you do not loose material. (That's why museums use it.) I've been able to free up and bring back to life many chains that were so rusted tight that they had to be cut off the bike.

I personally do not like messing with acids and chemicals so I use this method when possible. Just be careful as 12 volts can shock the heck out of you if you mess up.
 
Electrolytic Rust Removal

Material List:

1. Battery charger or other 6-12 volt DC source
2. Baking Soda, Lye, or Washing Soda
3. Big Fat Tub
4. Sacrifical piece of steel or iron
5. Water

Procedure:

Fill your tub with enough water to cover the part. Add in at least one tablespoon of Baking Soda, Lye, or Washing Soda for each gallon of water. (More is better!) Attach your sacrifical piece of iron to the inside of the tub in such a way that a bit sticks up out of the water. The Red Positive + cable from your battery charger is clamped to this, (out of the water!) Suspend the part to be cleaned in such a way that it can be submerged in the water near the sacrifical iron. Get it as close as possible (a couple of inches) without touching. Clamp the part to be cleaned to the Black Negative - cable on your battery charger. (Getting this clamp wet will not hurt it at all.)

When the battery charger is turned on you will see bubbles of oxygen and hydrogen start to rise from the part. When these bubbles stop the part is done. The electricity flows in a straight line between the part and the electrode so the rust on that side of the part will get the most attention. If you have a large part or alot of rust all over it add extra pieces of iron around the tub. These are then wired together in a series.

What happens basically is the iron from the safrifical piece is dislodged and will reform on the part being cleaned. The rust (iron oxide) looses it's oxygen and thus is converted back to iron. The sacrifical piece will eventually over time be eaten away. Make sure you don't get the conections reversed or you'll be using your part to derust the safrifical piece of iron.

If the current draw is too high seperate the pieces a bit or dilute the solution. You can also switch from 12 volts down to 6 volts if your charger is built to do this.

For small parts you can even use a sponge soaked in the solution. Stick the part in the sponge connected to the Negative by a wire. The positive is attached to the top of the sponge. Place the sponge in a dinner plate or something in a puddle of solution so the sponge will not dry out.

Once the part is finished you will notice that it has a dark patina where the rust used to be. This can be brushed lightly to remove the coloration. Be sure to wax, oil, or paint the piece as soon at it dries or it will rust again very quickly.


That's pretty much it. For more on this just google electrolytic rust removal and you'll find a huge amount of good information.
 
'72 Eliminator said:
I'd suggest using electrolytic rust removal. I use this method quite abit and it really does work. I like it because you can get to all the rust, (even the stuff a wire brush or steel wool can't reach.) As well you can do it with regular baking soda (as opposed to lye like some tutorials tell you to use.) The best part is the fact that it turns the rust back into iron so you do not loose material. (That's why museums use it.) I've been able to free up and bring back to life many chains that were so rusted tight that they had to be cut off the bike.

I personally do not like messing with acids and chemicals so I use this method when possible. Just be careful as 12 volts can shock the heck out of you if you mess up.
Click to expand...

I've done this for Scuba Diving artifacts, but never thought to use it for a bike chain!
 
Hi! Of course I have another "Cheap Trick" that removes rust but you have to keep your eyes on it - White Vinegar. I soak all my rusted parts in this but the length of time depends on the amount and depth of rust. It works great on chains - I get bored with the wire wheel after awhile. After derusting a chain the metal is completely bare and dull looking. If you're not fond of this look you can use any kind of wire brush tool to polish the metal. Then I spray it down with WD-40 and close it up in a zip lock bag. Others soak it in transmission fluid, oil or whatever suits your fancy and you happen to have lying around.

This does not restore metal like the electrolytic method above but it will eat all the rust out of anything. Chrome parts with surface rust you have to keep a close eye on because you only want to leave it in long enough to loosen the rust - try steel wool to remove. If you forget about the chrome part being soaked (say 4 days) it will literally eat all the chrome right off the part and the black residue left in the vinegar is nasty to handle.

Also, if you have rusty rims that you would rather rejuvenate than trash get a free tire from a dealership the size that will best fit your rim, cut the tread in half and you have two tubs to soak your rims in (one for a friend?) and the vinegar does not deteriorate the rubber. This one is courtesy "rico" from Puerto Rico. This vinegar method is for us retired people who have all the time in the world to continually check on the parts while we take our barrage of medications at different times of the day.

But vinegar is cheap and can be acquired practically anywhere including the "Dollar" stores. This also is a method that as soon as you are done cleaning the part dry it completely (I use an air compressor) and get it coated with something - paint, lubricant, whatever because it too will start rusting immediately. As an added bonus I handle this stuff with my bare hands and it doesn't eat me alive. I worked construction all my life so my hands are "weathered" already and I don't notice the vinegar at all. But of course I do recommend PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) when using this.

Oh yeah - this may be important - your wife/girlfriend may not like the smell of your new cologne.
 
I did this last night, I have done it before but hadn't thought of using it for a chain so did it. Then I'm going to put some grease and oil in a pan and bake it. Should get that grease back into ever part of the chain, got to make this skip tooth last.
IMG_20110630_070111.jpg
 
I have never used acid on a chain, but I do usually soak it for a few days in transmission fluid, then run it through steel wool a few times. It doesn't make the chain look brand new, but it sure makes it run like a new one. Transmission fluid will also eat holes in asphalt over time, so I figure it does okay to remove a little grime.
 
Depends on how rusty the chain is of course.

I saved an old diamondback bike a few weeks ago that had a locked up chain.
I simply sprayed the chain a couple of times with WD and lighttly hit it with a wire brush to get any big stuff off.....on the bike.
this was a 21 speed bike so as you can imagine it was locking up at each quarter turn of the crank.

With needle nosed plyers and some channel lockes I worked sections of the chain to loosen the links. At some point I was able to get the chain to go through a whole cycle but the rear sproket area was going crazy from running into frozen links.
I worked the chain slowly through the cycle and little by little found all the remaining frozen links.....of course spraying the chain repeatedly for cleaning as I went.........Oiling the ground...lol.
Finally the bike began to act pretty normal.
I gave it a final spray of WD and a wipe and gave the bike to my son to ride for a couple of days. He said it acted funny a couple of times but it now seems to be working well.

I'm gonna give it another light cleaning next and then wipe all the wd off and use proper chain oil next. But that way worked well without having to break a link in the chain to get it free from 21 speed bike.

So far I see no abnormal wear in the sprocket and the chain is not jumping. I'm happy with how that worked.

I suppose a severely rusted chain would require some of those other methods these fellows have mentioned.
But really ....Chain is cheap by comparrison.
new chain is about a buck a foot here...and well worth the money.
 

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