Can I use kerosene to..
 

Hello!

I'd like to know if I can use kerosene to degrease my bike frame which has been sanded all the way down to the high tension steel. I want to make sure the primer will adhere to the frame well. I've heard in the forums that kerosene is a good degreaser but leaves an 'oily' film even after being wiped down with a clean cloth. Is it possible to remove this film with a wet/damp rag and then dry it immediately so that no rust begins to form? I will be priming the frame immediately following this step anyway.

Thanks a million for the feedback,

Alex

I used to paint a few cars back in the day. Go to an auto parts store and get some kind of metal prep. It's an acid/cleaner type potion.

I've always heard naptha, which is easy to get.

Thanks!

That settles it - Just wanted comfirmation that kerosene is not a good idea. Acetone, Xylol, Napthal and Denatured Alcohol have been some other suggestions for metal prep.

Gratefully,

Alex

Denatured alcohol first. Wear protective gloves as the mentonal (sp) in it is absorbed through the skin and the liver turns it into embalming fluid. I would then use must for rust. It neutralizes rust forming a protective coat the acts as a primer. The protective coat is good for around 6-8 months unpainted. Be careful of threads and headset if you have not removed it is and acid. Its around $11 dollars and can be found a paint stores or hardware stores.

Getting a frame sand blasted and powder coated can run $75 to 250 dollars depending on who you go to. So call around and add up the costs before you get carried away.

Read up on painting a frame. Make sure not go get paint down seattube, headtube, definitely not on the threads of the bottom bracket or any other threads for the mater. This applies to having it professionally done and do it your self. Good luck

Thanks - good advice regarding threads avoidance.. didn't even think of seat tube, that would be a sticky situation. Thank you for the good/helpful advice.

Use the reducer that you get to thin your paint. bk

Acetone should be your best bet as it is fast drying.

NO. no. Do not use kerosene.

The frame has to be immaculate. Any spec of grease will cause halo and all kinds of maddening problems.

I strip, then wash with mineral spirits. Then wash with detergent and water, then wipe down with alchohol. Be sure to give it one last wipe down with alchohol just before painting (let the alchohol evaporate first, of course).

detergent and water? is this OK on bare high ten steel?

Mike knows what he's talking about.

It's not a good idea to let the water solution sit, or get it inside the frame.

Depending on the composition of the steel, you may have more to worry about from your own hands. Freshly sanded steel is highly active and some alloys will redden in about five minutes from a sweaty fingerprint.

Some people might think it would be a cool idea to dry that frame off with some compressed air to be safe. Those people might be wrong.
Air compresses use a light oil in the compression piston, and some will spray a fine mist of oil out the air chock when used.

The liver converts alcohols into aldehydes. Ethanol that we drink is converted to acetaldehyde, which the body uses as a fuel - along with sugars, fats, and..

Unfortunately, the liver converts Methanol into formaldehyde - which is commonly used in embalming fluid because it destroys tissue disintegration by killing it and preventing decomposition/smelling (like nerves, muscles, etc).

In the medical world when someone drinks methanol by mistake the treatment (including blood transfusions to dilute the methanol) is to give an IV of bicarbonate to treat the acidosis, AND ethanol because the liver will metabolize ethanol (into acetaldehdye) in preference to metabolizing methanol (into formaldehyde).

By the way, methanol fumes are also readily absorbed through breathing. THUS, it is better to avoid it as much as possible. Maybe it will be better in the long run to have the frame done professionally because the pros have the protective stuff that you probably don't..

Just FYI....

I had messed with a lot of chemicals, and methanol is something I will not mess with in a casual way (hell I even feel uneasy messing with it in a professional way). A few drops of it kills you, inhaling it kills your, looking at it kills you (not really, but I wouldnt be surprise if it did). IMO I would just get it professionally done if you dont have access to equipment to do it yourself.

Of course, some stuff like, Chlorine Trifluoride, gives me nightmares.

Yep. What is even scarier is that a lot of backpackers these days are using alcohol stoves. The most common fuel is denatured alcohol (10 percent methanol). Your not only handling it, but breathing the fumes and cooking your food in them. Some people are also using red heat which has even more methanol in it.

We had a nice, spirited discussion about alcohol for cooking in the touring forum a couple of weeks back. I'd say that denatured alcohol, if used with care (good ventilation and a nice, thick pair of gloves), shouldn't be too worrisome.