What's the best way to restore a rusty chain, if possible? I want to reuse the skip-tooth driveline on the '37 Rollfast when I get new rims for it.
Rusty chain restoration
- Thread starter Chips_Mahoy
- Start date
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I seen everything from white vinegar to kerosene to loosen them up.
Okay. I would have never thought of those two things. I was going to soak it in a container of PB/WD for awhile and see where that gets me. Then I was going to soak it in some good oil for awhile. I want to clean off as much rust as I can.
Vinegar will definitely attack the rust
I'll give it a try. Thanks Dr. Tank!
white vinegar, & 100% lemon juice ..
50 \ 50 mix.
Don't soak long.no more than 12 hr.
At a time. Over soaking,will eat
through, the chain.
Then soak in the pb, 48 hrs.
Wire brush,continue oil,, until
All links ,move freely.
50 \ 50 mix.
Don't soak long.no more than 12 hr.
At a time. Over soaking,will eat
through, the chain.
Then soak in the pb, 48 hrs.
Wire brush,continue oil,, until
All links ,move freely.
I was at work one day and was bead blasting a head light. I had a rusty chain sitting there in a box I was going to work on later with a wire wheel. I left for a minute and a girl I worked with saw the chain and put it in the bead blaster to "help me out". Chain was beautiful but I could never get the grit out of it. So, don't bead blast chains. Gary
Is that something I can get at the big home stores it do I need to order it online?
EDIT: I see it's sold about everywhere
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just get some evaporust......it works great, 24 hr soak will have that chain in prefectly clean metal....rinse with fresh water then apply a corrosion inhibitor immediately after rinsing/drying to prevent it from flash rusting.
I second that...If you get all the paint, grime, and grease off the chain the Evaporust has a lot easier time removing rust. And it keeps it cleaner for reuse. I used a citrus cleaner on some chains I did a couple of years ago and it worked well for the job. Rinse well, then Evaporust next. You might be surprised just what cleaning the grime off an old chain will do for it.
My Grandad (who spent his entire life farming) used to soak all his rusty chains-both industrial and bicycle- in WD-40. This left the surface clean and the chain flexible but tended to evaporate the internal lubricants, so his next step involved a three-day soak in a 50/50 mix of kerosene and motor oil. The finished, towel-dried chain didn't retain the original finish though-the light corrosion mixed with the solvents and lubricants to form what Grandad called a 'plum coat'-a hard, slick light-brown coating that protected the surface from further rust for years to come...not sure if you would want that look on your chain but it was very durable.
I'm coming down the home stretch on finally getting my '39 Rollfast that I purchased from a member here 3 years ago up and running....I'm using PB Blaster on the chain which hasn't spun in decades....its working like a charm.
evapo rust is available at auto parts stores,parts you put in it come out as new with NO metal damage,its friendly,can go in your sink when its used up,100 percent satisfaction,i been resroering stuf for 60 years,no more muriatic acid 4 me thanks
JaxRhapsody
Rhapsodic Laviathan
All I do is let the chain sit in transmission fluid over night, rust free, and lubed, wipe off the excess, and done.
Do skiptooth chains come apart like a "regular" chain? Can I use a regular chain tool on it?
I picked up a gallon of Evapo-Rust. I've always or PB and/or WD on hand.
I picked up a gallon of Evapo-Rust. I've always or PB and/or WD on hand.
