Dear rust, I hate you

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Christie

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Maybe this is a silly question but is there a secret to getting rid of the rust or does it just come down to steel wool and elbow grease? Surely there's a magical potion that will make my life easier. Has anyone tried CLR? Be prepared for dumb questions coming from me daily.
 
Aside from elbow grease, and/or mechanical means such as wire brushing, sanding, grinding, etc.

Naval jelly is a rust neutralizer/remover idea:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4465030_remove-rust-naval-jelly.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphoric_acid

See also: http://www.theruststore.com/Rust-Converter-Gallon-P40C10.aspx


I've had good success with just wire wheels mounted in a drill....
url
 
Thanks, Feuerdog! I can't wait for the dumbfounded look I'll get at the auto parts store when I ask for naval jelly.
Thats quite the rust removal arsenal you have there. Those wire brushes don't leave scratches?
 
Christie said:
Thanks, Feuerdog! I can't wait for the dumbfounded look I'll get at the auto parts store when I ask for naval jelly.
Thats quite the rust removal arsenal you have there. Those wire brushes don't leave scratches?
Click to expand...

If you have a home depot near you they sell naval jelly too, it's in the paint department.

I also use wire wheels for most rust removal, it seems to be the quickest and most thorough method, just make sure you wear eye protection. Also, you should be able to find some wire tube brushes like the one below in your local hardware stores tools section near the welders, if you cut off the plastic handle you can snug the twisted wire part down in your screw gun and use it get in the places that are hard to reach with one of the disc shaped brushes

th1_brush_steel_tubing_1.jpg
 
Heh,...those aren't my brushes, thats just a pic I swiped from the interwebs.

I bought a little 3 wire brush set for just a few dollars at my local hardware store.

The wire brushes will deeply scratch paint, and not leave a smooth transition to bare metal, but there are other stripping wheels and sanding tools that will help in that area. For straight up rust removal though the wire wheel is good choice.

I also use emery cloth sand paper, scuff pads, and a few metal files to strip down/smooth some parts.

On a related note, I am jealous of your rust,.....once i've finished rebuilding a couple of my bikes, I fully intend to leave them outside so that they can acquire some character building rust. :)
Some of them may even take a trip to the beach for an inspirational dip.
 
feuerdog said:
Heh,...those aren't my brushes, thats just a pic I swiped from the interwebs.

I bought a little 3 wire brush set for just a few dollars at my local hardware store.

The wire brushes will deeply scratch paint, and not leave a smooth transition to bare metal, but there are other stripping wheels and sanding tools that will help in that area. For straight up rust removal though the wire wheel is good choice.

I also use emery cloth sand paper, scuff pads, and a few metal files to strip down/smooth some parts.

On a related note, I am jealous of your rust,.....once i've finished rebuilding a couple of my bikes, I fully intend to leave them outside so that they can acquire some character building rust. :)
Some of them may even take a trip to the beach for an inspirational dip.
Click to expand...

Being as lazy as I am, I'd just rock the rust if it had the original paint job but the poorly done Pee-wee Herman knockoff look just doesn't do it for me. There's even spots where it had duct tape wrapped around it for whatever reason and they just painted right over it.
 
I normally use a sandblaster with walnut shells. Gets into the tight spaces a wire wheel can't (and it's A LOT faster). Just work slow and don't rush it. 90% of a great paint job is in the prep-work. Or you can clear-coat over the rust and keep the "Aged" look... :lol:
 
outskirtscustoms said:
I normally use a sandblaster with walnut shells. Gets into the tight spaces a wire wheel can't (and it's A LOT faster). Just work slow and don't rush it. 90% of a great paint job is in the prep-work. Or you can clear-coat over the rust and keep the "Aged" look... :lol:
Click to expand...

If I had the choice a sandblaster would be the easiest and fastest way to strip,...agreed.

But it can be as messy as chemicals in some ways, and it does require a bit more in the way of equipment. Most bike frames won't fit in a typical blasting box, but for cleaning parts down to bare metal I can't think of an easier stripping rust removal method.
 
Actually I don't use a blasting box, I use the kids sand box.....lol. just sift it through a screen when I'm done.
 
If I had the choice a sandblaster would be the easiest and fastest way to strip,...agreed.
Click to expand...

It's not messy. You just pull two twentys and a ten out of your wallet.
 
I have access to a large sandblast cabinet at work... I can fit a bare frame inside it. It uses blasting media, which I assume is a glassbead material. Does nice work on a bike frame.

I've done a few, including the '47 Schwinn ladies for my wife and recently my '67 violet Collegiate. The Bicentennial Stingray that Walker has now was a bare-metal respray as well. It's truly amazing how the bike looks after this treatment- you can see the faint knurling marks Schwinn's machinery left on the chainstays and other small parts.

If anyone has a real special project that needs that treatment, get in touch with me. I'm NOT looking to go into business doing this, just an occasional project.

Note that anything powdercoated will NOT do well in sandblaster. You end up with a tattered mess, and possibly uneven or patterned etching of the frame, where decals blast away easier than the powdercoat. It's a real bear to get rid of.

--Rob


feuerdog said:
outskirtscustoms said:
I normally use a sandblaster with walnut shells. Gets into the tight spaces a wire wheel can't (and it's A LOT faster). Just work slow and don't rush it. 90% of a great paint job is in the prep-work. Or you can clear-coat over the rust and keep the "Aged" look... :lol:
Click to expand...

If I had the choice a sandblaster would be the easiest and fastest way to strip,...agreed.

But it can be as messy as chemicals in some ways, and it does require a bit more in the way of equipment. Most bike frames won't fit in a typical blasting box, but for cleaning parts down to bare metal I can't think of an easier stripping rust removal method.
Click to expand...
 
depends a lot on the blast media you use too. you can get all sorts of silica, walnut shells, glass beads, sand...... Just use the right stuff for the job
 
I read a few pages from Steve's Bmx forum link. So I looked up oxalic acid on ebay, and bought a pound for $4.99! Now I need to get some 40 mil shower liner and build a pan for dipping frames! -Adam
 

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