Hi there,

I've found an old Schwinn in the basement. It rides pretty well, but the body and the chrome parts are all badly covered in rust. I watched quite a few how-to videos on YouTube and then started to sand, or polish, it with fine steel wool and light oil.

Now what I am concerned about is the chrome once I get it shiny again. To get it to that point it seems like I'm taking off not only rust, but also a layer of just matte gray. It is okay for me to bring it all the way down to the super shiny chrome, right...? And if so, do I put something on the chrome to keep it safe? There are so many products out there that my head is spinning a bit.

Please help! Any advice is really appreciated. Thank you!
Below is an image of the bike.

Stephanie

Hi Stephanie.

It looks pretty rusted. I wouldn't worry too much about taking off the matte gray. Get it as shiny as possible. I seal mine with Johnson's Floor Wax. But any car wax will work also. I have rescued old Schwinn fenders that were being discarded because they were "too rusty." They used some tough chrome back then.

You can try some Navel Jelly. Available at most hardware stores. Just follow the direction on the container.

The matt grey was the chromium. What you think is chrome is the underlying nickel plating and steel. Too late now, but next time use a weak oxalic acid solution to get the rust off. Oxalic acid crystals are available on the internet. Do a search on these forums for more information.

Don't worry, it's not the end of the world. Once you've polished all the rust off, finish your bike with car wax.