Sundance89

Vintage bike restoration faces some unique challenges that are different than just your average bike wash. When you have a 30 year old plus bike that hasn't been washed in as many years with rust, crud, etc., it takes more than just a quick wipe down.

I keep all of my modern bikes clean, but I'm curious as to how people that restore vintage bikes on a regular basis, what are (if any) short cuts or tricks you use? What products and procedures do you use to get the job done quickly? Spray CLR on rims for example? Rubbing alcohol on spokes? How do you get at the crud and rust on hard to reach hubs? What rubbing compound is strong enough to bring the paint back but gentle enough to not ruin the decals on a frame (if not under a clearcoat)?

Anything ya got in your arsenal will be appreciated. I read an old post where it said it only takes someone 2-3 hours to completely break down, lube, clean and shine vintage bikes. That's a nice turn around. I recently bought a 1983 Schwinn Voyageur SP and I am now entering the make it shine stage.

Any before and after pics would be nice too.

auchencrow

There are no shortcuts, and it is not possible to process any bike in under 3 hours unless you are doing a schlock job of it (or unless it didn't need attention to begin with).

And though tearing one down to the raw frame can be done in a flash, reassembling it takes infinitely more time because of the time it takes to meticulously clean, polish, and possibly remove rust/corrosion.

WD40 is the first weapon of choice for removing crud from the raw frame. Only then can you assess what follows, i.e., an OA soak/total restore or just a good washing and waxing. I like Meguiars for the latter. Decals as you noted are especially vulnerable so care is exercised.

Every alloy bit gets disassembled cleaned, and vigorously polished with Mother's.
All fasteners are treated individually. Gear wheels are disassembled and cleaned (preferably with a more organic cleaner like Simple Green but occasionally with Goof Off for stubborn cases. Pedals, bb, headset, and hubs are serviced/lubed. Typically the chain/cables/housings/tires and (usually) FW are replaced and the bike is assembled, tuned and test ridden.

If you survive the test ride w/o serious injury, the bike is tweaked a little more and them admired, photographed, and posted on C&V. Beer is mandatory at this point in time.

Chombi

I use lots of WD40 and mineral spirirts to melt off old hardened gease and grunge from parts on a bike and the frame. WD40 for the more general wiping down because it does not seem to readily affect stick-on decals if you don't hit them too much with it. Mineral spirits works good enough for stubborn sticky stuff left by unwanted decals too.
For regular cleaninng/polishing, Pledge...............Lemon, of course........

Just keep it away from rim braking surfaces and tire tread as it does have little bit of a sort of silicone substance in it that might affect the coefficient of friction on these surfaces.
For mud dirt and moisture after long wet rides, a full tear down to clean dry and relube alll bearing and sliding surfaces on a bike and avoid frame and component corrosion should be done. Use copius amounts of WD40 to push out all the moisture you can from everything. It does not take much moisture to start corrosion in small corners and seams around a bike.

Chombi

sciencemonster

I use it for maintenance polishing every few weeks, too. I'm too lazy to do the wax-on wax-off routine. 30 seconds with a clean rag dampened with WD40, and the bike looks new again. If the bike is really dirty after a long ride I'll gently clean it with a bowl of warm water/dish soap and a well-used green scrubber.

I polish once, when I first strip it down, then build the bike up. I figure you don't want to be sanding off the paint little by little with any kind of abrasive at all. Dish soap and WD40...pretty gentle.

Doohickie

I use Pledge furniture polish. If you think that sounds goofy, try it. It's basically like applying a light wax.

For initial cleanup of chrome, I use lemon juice and aluminum foil. It's not as hard on the chrome as steel wool.

michael k

This^
Before

After

auchencrow

^ that's the way to do it.

Doohickie

I remember that one. Nice job.

Sundance89

The WD40 bit for cleaning a frame is something I would have never put together. Flushing frozen parts, yes. Cleaning a frame, no. Very interesting, thanks. How 'bout the rims? Are you shoving a finger or two between the spokes with polish or initially is there a product that you can just spray on the rims and spokes to clear the heavy gunk. CLR maybe?

And Auchen, after having seen your collection of vintage bikes, I listen closely to you. As I said before, very impressive work.

michael k

Castrol super clean and an arsenol of brushes (Stainless steel,tooth brush,toilet scrubbers ect.)The Super clean can be harsh and leave stains on Aluminum so use caution but for the most part It's spray-n-rinse.I use it on the most heavily soiled parts.

balindamood

Micheal K- How did you remove the red spray paint? I have some orange on a bike that just came in and have been contemplating how to remove it.

michael k

The PO used Saftey Orange rattle can spray paint and luckily it didn't chemically bond with the original finish to severly,just old and dried.I used mineral spirits with a Mr.clean magic eraser then Megs polish as the magic eraser is mildly abrasive.

flim

I did two bikes now and I used a lot of dishwasing liquid (citrus), some terpentine (that's the Dutch name, you call it whitespirit I guess) and a lot of rags and scotch brite pads. Chrome with the abrasive side and some soap. Works like a charm and be sure to use hot water so that it dries quicker. Watch out thought that it doesn't stay anywhere where it can initiate rust. I polish aluminium with Commandant 4.

Scotchbrite, dishwashing liquid, white spirit, rags and some elbow grease!

From this:

To this:


Aaaaaaand, from this:

To this:

depleted

I try, but can't replace WD-40 with a citrus cleaner for the grime. I'll use some Simple Green, or the like, after the Goo Gone or WD-40, to remove residues before shining painted surfaces with Nu Finish. But for components I dismantle every part, spray em with WD-40, clean with a rag, rub-down with 0000, and hit it with Brasso or Simichrome. Takes its time, but it's honest work with good results.

https://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c1...ipershines.jpg

cheers,
-michael

big chainring 

For fast clean-up of grease and grime I use Challenger degreaser cleaner. It is so much quicker acting than Simple Green.
Removes all kinds of gunk with little effort on parts and the frame.

I like paste wax for polishing the frame. Misplaced my tin of it and its driving me crazy.

SteveSGP

I've found kerosene works wonders on aluminum for a primary cleaning and if I want polish then I hit it with Simichrome aluminum polish.

Naval jelly or a moderatley stong acid/water bath to clean chrome and then after drying a quick coating of Wd40 or Kerosene again keeps it from getting surface rust on the freshly clean surface.

Carb cleaner can be used on unpainted parts as well but it can badly damage paint so keep it way from the frame.

Before,



After, just Naval jelly and Kerosene

cinco

It takes me around 15-20 hours to do a bike, depending on whether or not the wheels have to come apart (they usually do). I did, however, manage to build one in 11 for a friend of a friend on Saturday, but I cut a few unimportantly obsessive corners.

I use plain old dish soap, lighter fluid, or automotive brake cleaner for grease, depending on how difficult it is. Bare aluminum usually gets lightly sanded and always gets buffed on my wheel. Frames get polished lightly and waxed and I use a toothbrush to get the remaining wax out of the corners. Chrome with surface rust is taken care of with bronze wool and a brass or stainless brush. Rusty or tarnished-grey bare steel gets polished on my buffing wheel. And of course, every part comes off the frame before I begin. I'm not sure there's such a thing as a shortcut to a good job - in fact, Leno once said that if a restoration guy is making money than he's cutting corners somewhere.

BlankCrows

L.A.'s Totally Awesome found in dollar stores is a good grime remover.

Sundance89

Excellent info on this thread, thanks. I will definitely apply it to my current project and future ones as well. I have a couple of questions and a couple of good vids I came across too.

When using WD40 to clean a frame, you can't just follow that up with wax can you? You do have to wipe off every bit of residue from the WD40 right? It would seem even a slight film left of WD40 mixed with wax would be a mess.

Anyone hear of a new organic product called Rust Off? This is spray on-rinse off in a matter of minutes. Check out this video. Pretty impressive.


This other product is called, Metal Rescue. It takes much longer but is still hands free and gentle. Seems like a good way to soak brake calibers as well. Thoughts?

auchencrow

Right- always wash before waxing.

I'm a little suspicious of the 1st vid. (I think it was the music that did it)
The second one looks legit but I don't see what advantage it holds over OA, which can give equally remarkable results .

rootboy 

RUST OFF. Ingredients? Organic acids. Translation? probably oxalic acid. Did you notice the edit cut at 1:26 ? That makes me suspicious. The music? That just makes me want to run away.

Sundance89

Lol Agreed on the annoying music and noticed the cut away with Rust Off.

The lady and product, Metal Rescue, seemed much more legit. I like how she poured it all over her hands too. Nothing like visuals to prove a point.

seypat

I just acquired a vintage ride myself and will be posting about it shortly. Anyone tried brake cleaner? I'm just asking because it drys really quick with no residue. I use it for cleaning pneumatic air tools.

photostudent

Just a few thoughts; Best to first clear coat water based decals after a very light washing. I then start with the mildest cleaner first, usually carwash liquid, (without the wax), then escalate as needed. Do no harm is my motto. I never put WD40 on painted surfaces. A good cleaner/polish can restore paint safer than caustic detergents or solvents. Use detail brushes for hard to reach areas. Brillo pads or brass wool are ok for most rusty chrome but both are too coarse for alloy/aluminum. Use Mothers there. If alloy is really pitted you can start with some very fine sandpaper. Never throw any good parts away, it can be a lot easier to replace a rusty part than restore it! It takes me closer to 30 hrs than to 3 hrs on most bikes.

auchencrow

Hi Photostudent- Just a clarification on that - WD-40 removes grease, tar, adhesive, even labels and tape without damaging the existing paint. It is also an excellent water displacing agent ( hence the name "WD") so it serves to inhibit rust as well.