what is the best way to

[buzzy]

get this as clean as i can,dont want to destroy the paint or stripping .
do i use WD-40 and steal wool?

thx for everyones time

 

[Anonymous]

I'd start off with Car Wash Soap then maybe move on to "Plan B"

Keep the steel wool away from the paint.

 

[buzzy]

thx whats plan"B"?

 

[sensor]

dont use wd40 and steel wool...that will destroy the paint

heres what i use to bring things back from the dead....
(not shown ppgs wax and grease remover first)3ms rubbing compound/glaze/meguiars cleaner wax(all with a flannel polishing rag). they work wonders even on rust

took these from this...

to this....

(just for the record thats only once with just compound...i never got around to finishing them )
good luck!

 

[sensor]

one thing i forgot to mention was make sure that the pins and graphics are painted on if not then water or any other liquids could possibly destroy them

 

[Anonymous]

thx whats plan"B"?

Sorry,I did'nt think of a "Plan B" (yet)...I was hoping "Plan A" would be good enough.

 

[B607]

If you plan on painting any bike part, keep that WD-40 FAR AWAY! That stuff will mess up a paint job faster than a chicken on a June bug. B607

 

[Unchained]

I spray the bike selectively with formula 409 to see how things will look after cleaning. If some particular part or area is filthy, I'll clean it up with 409 and a clean rag. Usually I just give the disassembled bikea good rub down with Turtle rubbing compound. Once all the compound is cleaned off (be careful to avoid lightly painted pinstripes and graphics- they'll come right off if they've seen too much sun or weather) I finish it off with Kit scratch out wax. I clean all the remnanats of that off with water or 409, and the bicycle usually comes out looking rather nice. This probably isn't the ideal system, but it works.

 

[Markm]

I used a Mr. Clean magic eraser once then cleaned and waxed and it turned out pretty nice.
from this:

to this:

Edit!!! Dont use on the striping!!!

 

[elvis51]

so the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works good on deoxidized paint?

Easy E

 

[Markm]

if its thick paint... :mrgreen:

 

[GodHatesCleveland]

This subject just came up in slacker's post, although he was a little more focused on the rust rather than the paint:

http://ratrodbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9301&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=brass+wool

Steel wool or any other type of metallic "wool" pad will damage the paint if thats what you want to keep as the original finish. Rubbing compound will take off the oxidized layer and leave the paint below it in close to it's original condition.

A while back I watched a car show and they recommended cleaning really dirty windshields with a product called "Bar Keeper's Friend". It was abrasive enough to remove the things regular scrubbing wouldn't take off, but was soft enough to not damage the glass. I don't know if anyone has tried it on a bike, but it might be a good finishing product after the rubbing compound or if you feel the paint is getting too thin. Since it's a little more gentle, it might even work on the stripes, but I don't know if anyone has tried it for that.

 

[buzzy]

thx to all!