Bicycle Mechanics - Rust removal

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pyze-guy
07-24-04, 08:20 AM
I picked up a garage sale bike the other day. The chain is usable, but rusty. What is a good way to remove the rust? Thanks.

Nessism
07-24-04, 11:15 AM
Depending on how rusty, you can get a phosphoric acid solution and soak the chain to remove the rust. Home Depot and Lowe's sell products that will work, Jasco Metal Etch or Prep & Primer work well and are fairly cheap. http://www.jasco-help.com/products/prod_mg.htm

Of course you could always buy a new chain. Nashbar sells basic chains for about $7 so clean-up may be more trouble than it's worth.

Good luck.

Ed
Retro Grouch
07-24-04, 01:38 PM
I picked up a garage sale bike the other day. The chain is usable, but rusty. What is a good way to remove the rust? Thanks.

Often all that you have to do is lube the chain and it's good to go.

If you think that it's going to take more than that, I'd just replace it. Chains aren't that expensive.

MichaelW
07-25-04, 08:38 AM
Spray some WD 40 onto each link and leave it for a while. The WD40 will shift the rust, but is a poor lube and washes off rapidly. Add some thicker oil when you start riding.
Rex
07-26-04, 12:19 AM
Krudkutter.com makes a product called "The Must for Rust". Its the shiznitt at one step converting the rust to an iron phosphate. Check your local hardware store.
supcom
07-26-04, 07:06 AM
Don't bother trying to remove rust from the chain. Chains are cheap. You're better off just replacing it with a new one.