clean my bike without hurting the patina?
- Thread starter sk8 or die
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mild dish-washing soap, water and an old tee shirt.
if you can/want to take it apart: soak it in the bath tub in a soapy solution. just avoid abrasive cleaners and pads and high pressure water.
true patina won't come off... just dirt.
something i've been doing lately with pretty great success is using goop, or fast orange... you know the hand cleaners that you use when you get all good and greasy.
DO NOT SCRUB WITH THESE!!!!! as they have ground up pumas in them. just take the bike apart, and soak the parts in a tub or sink with some water and hand cleaner mixed up in it. this will do a good job of breaking up oily patches that trap dirt. my guess is that it is the orange oil or folic acid in the hand cleaners that is doing the work.
if you can/want to take it apart: soak it in the bath tub in a soapy solution. just avoid abrasive cleaners and pads and high pressure water.
true patina won't come off... just dirt.
something i've been doing lately with pretty great success is using goop, or fast orange... you know the hand cleaners that you use when you get all good and greasy.
DO NOT SCRUB WITH THESE!!!!! as they have ground up pumas in them. just take the bike apart, and soak the parts in a tub or sink with some water and hand cleaner mixed up in it. this will do a good job of breaking up oily patches that trap dirt. my guess is that it is the orange oil or folic acid in the hand cleaners that is doing the work.
does it have water transfer decals? if so the dishsoap/water may not be the best route(ive heard of them coming off easily)....
ive always just hit them with wax&grease remover and then wax(unless i want them to shine then its compound,glaze,and wax).....the wax will bring some shine but wont take the rust off(or patina if you prefer)
ive always just hit them with wax&grease remover and then wax(unless i want them to shine then its compound,glaze,and wax).....the wax will bring some shine but wont take the rust off(or patina if you prefer)
cman said:
From my experience, WD-40 eats old Schwinn decals. :shock:
i would do polishing compound(turtle's brand is what i prefer) on very fine steel wool and give it a good rub. not too hard, but not too light. itll shine the paint and knock off the loose stuff and maybe even get rid of the rust stain on the white paint. 
