Classic & Vintage - Beautiful Peugeot! (Need a little help with the rust)

I don't have pictures yet, I promise I'll get them up later!

I was searching on craigslist for a beater bike to use during the school year to get around. I found a guy who picked up a Peugeot road bike from THE TRASH! And was willing to give it to me for free since I had a use for it. It's a chromoly bike, I'll post pictures later like I said.

The bike has some rust on the FD and fork, but it's only on the surface. I dropped it off at a local shop I found that does all work for the cost of parts and charges nothing for labor. Since I pay more for parts than a shop would have to, I just let them do it. 70 bucks for a nice working bike sounds so great.

Now, the FD and Fork have some surface rust, and the FD's is pretty bad. I was told to take a brillo pad to it, but only after soaking the FD in wd40.

What do you guys do to get rust off older bikes?

Thanks a lot!
I can't wait to get this working and cleaned up :)

Use brass wool, not brillo or steel wool. The latter leave bits of themselves behind and can accelerate the rusting. Then wax chome w/paste wax. Just the forks, not the derailleur.

edited for atrocious spelling.

What about oxalic acid (deck bleach)? How would I get the rust of the FD?

Wax chrome? I'll look for that at home depot!

I waxed a frame and did the chrome on the fork just because it was there. I was surprised how much nicer the chrome on the fork looked. Surface rust I use wd40 and a green kitchen scruber or just dremel it off with a brass brush. I here good things about oxalic acid.

So I need wax chrome and brass wool. Is there any specific brand of wax chrome I should look for?
I'll get a small amount of deck bleach for the FD.
Thanks again.

ah... i think it's PASTE WAX you need... not 'wax chrome'.

and forget wd40, it leaves a sticky film.

polish the metal bits with 'flitz' metal polish (sorry about the price) and use DIESEL FUEL and brushes to clean the mechanics. the acid might work on the FD, i wish you luck there.

I went to pick the bike up from the shop today, and it came to 80 bucks for new tires, tubes, chain, brake and derailleur cables, all installed.

The owner was really impressed/excited at my interest in the old bike and was adamant that I should get rid of my motobecane and just make this my sole bike. Then he came out with an SOS steel wool pad and rags and told me to start cleaning it up to see how the rust would come off. It all started to come off. The only thing I did was remove the sticker from the front fork so I could clean everthing up.

The brillo pad worked well. The guy at the shop told me to pick up turtle wax or something along those lines.

Now the only problem I have since I've gotten it back is that one of the spokes on the rear wheel is broken :( I didn't notice it there and neither did he. Hopefully he'll fix it up.

I'm leaving tomorrow night and I don't think I'll have a chance to go back to the store before that.
Boo!!!

pogue is right don't use steel wool!!

pogue is right don't use steel wool!!

That's what the guy at the store gave me. I'll buy the brass wool and everything else in two months when I get back from my internship abroad.