Preparing to use Frame Saver - Cleaning Tubes First?
 

I have a 1982 Trek 613 that I use heavily and want to preserve. There's a fair amount of rust inside - at least there is in the seat tube. I imagine cleaning inside the tubes before using the Frame Saver would be a good idea, yes? How should I clean it? I bought the tube brush that Park makes - I was thinking about using that with some WD-40 to scrub it. But what would I do after that - to flush the rust/WD-40 out of there? Should I spray water in and then flush it with water and finally blast it out with compressed air? Would letting it air dry after draining the water/WD-40 it as well as I can be adequate without posing a problem? I don't have a blower but I do have canned air, though I don't know if that would be adequate in this case. Thanks!

Interesting question. I wouldn't use water, unless you live in a very dry place. and NW Indiana ain't a very dry place. I would recommend against WD-40, which could just create a problem for the frame saver settling in.
You might use some sort of dry medium like small ball bearings or large-grain sand. Use a brush where you can. and just use compressed air to blow stuff out.
But frame saver will probably be okay on top of less-clean interior tubing, as well.

If it's more than a mere coloring of rust then I'd consider one of the rust dissolvers or converters before you use the frame saver. Careful though, one option is using muriatic acid to dissove away the ferric oxide. But it seems to get to the steel somehow and makes it much more prone to further rusting. Often right through an oil film. So don't use any options that include muriatic acid.

Following that dry. This may take some time for the stays but if you can blow air through the vent holes somehow it'll sure speed things up. Like an aquarium pump with the airline taped to one of the vent holes.

DO NOT EVER use muratic acid (aka hydrochloric acid) on any steel anything. Yes, it will dissolve the rust but it will continue to go right thorough the steel without making any distinction between the two.

If the rust is superficial, I'd just brush off the loose stuff and apply the Frame Saver right over it. Use the Frame Saver heavily and rotate the frame to distribute it all over the tube's interior. I'd apply a second coat after the first has had a couple of days to dry.

If the rust is heavy, use "Navel Jelly" or one of the other phosphate based "rust converters" but let everything dry very thoroughly before using the Frame Saver. Then again, if the rust is really heavy consider that maybe the frame is to far gone to be worth any more effort.

Get some Evapo-Rust from the hardware store. Non-toxic and enviro-friendly.

Since it's inside the frame, there's nothing to be gained by removing the rust. Use some of the framesaver on the brush or a rag and remove whatever's loose and comes off, then spray to coat and seal what's left.

Using water, with a bit of borax or baking soda to manage PH would be OK if you had a warm place to dry it. Usually I suggest a car parked in sunlight as a solar oven, but I think it's now too cold out for that to work where you live. If you want to do the water wash, dry it either with a hair drier, or put it near your home heating plant for a while.

BTW- As others have said, be very careful about using some of the commercial rust removers. many of these first reverse the rust, but then if not completely removed, or neutralized continue reacting with the steel causing new problems. Steel frame tube walls aren't that thick so there's not that much steel to give up to chemical reactions.

As others have said, Frame Saver over whatever is inside. I'm in the process of putting my bicycles back together after applying Frame Saver. I wish I had done it prior to building them up.

That looks like a nice product, thanks. But is it available in a size less than a gallon anywhere? I don't need nearly that much.

My local hardware store sells it for $8 for a quart container and $20 for a gallon.

There's a good neutral party demo or two on Youtube if you want to see Evapo-rust in action.

Thank you.