I recently picked up this Puch, and it has a Reynolds 531 frame, but it is rusting. It's not bad, but I want to address it before it becomes a problem. Here is the rust I'm up against.





There are other spots, but these are the ones I have pics of. Is this something I can take down to bare metal and just touch up, or am I better off stripping and starting over?

i usually have frames like that professionally powder coated.

Use a wire brush to knock off the loose rust, then white vinegar or dilute oxalic acid to remove what's left. Clean and dry thoroughly and cover with e.g. Rustoleum or some such.

Getting rid of the rust is the easy part. There are a few ways to do it, but an oxalic acid bath is among the cheapest and easiest -- and it'll remove rust inside the tubes, too. Powdered oxalic acid is sold at hardware stores and paint stores as wood bleach. One of my local stores stocks 12 ounce tubs of Savogran brand wood bleach like THIS for about eight bucks. Mix the tub with a kiddie pool full of water and immerse the frame overnight (after stripping it bare, of course). Remove the next day, rinse well, and dry. Optionally, treat the inside of the frame with a rust inhibitor like J.P. Weigle's Frame Saver, Boeshield T-9, or Amsoil Heavy Duty Metal Protector.

Keeping the rust from coming back may be a little more of a challenge. That's an awful lot of bare metal for "touch up". I'm all for keeping paint original when possible, but I'd say you've got a candidate for repaint. Powder coating is another alternative.

I use white vinegar. I wrap a paper towel soaked with white vinegar around the tube, cover the paper towel with some plastic-wrap, and let it sit overnight. As soon as I unwrap it the next day I clean the vinegar off the spots and then touch up with paint.

i use a product called Fertan, rust converter, turns rust into a stable insoluble surface, and provides an ideal painting surface for touch ups.

the less sanding near decals the better. use decreaser on old painted surfaces to ensure the touch up paint will stick.

So will it look ok with a touch up after treating all the rust? I'm on the fence between touching up or repairing the entire thing.

This is the way to get rid of light surface rust. Ospho Rust Treatment - Since 1947

It depends on the look you want.

I "restored" an old Raleigh for a friend by knocking off all the rust using steel wool, then clearcoating the entire frame. It turned out absolutely beautiful. The wire steel wool may have also helped blend it all together too.

well, it depends how good you are matching the shade of paint
keeping in mind the old paint has aged and faded, new paint will stick out like dogs nuts

once i used fertan on a bike [mainly used it on cars],
this solution stops rust in its tracks & turns it into a black colour, once brushed on - left for a couple of hours then rinsed off with water [done], ideal for black bikes, but i reckon for any colour, its better than looking at the colour of rust and the comfort of knowing the rust wont spread

It will look like crap if you spot treat it only, either for rust or paint. May be ok if you only want a beater commuter, though Cincin is a bit hilly for the gearing I see on
the CW. Looks like a '70s era 45-52 combo, which suggests the FW is either 5 or 6 spd. What you do depends on how much work you want to do: for longevity the
suggestion of complete frame paint strip and an overnite dunk in an acid bath to treat both inside and outside frame rust is the best bet. I would prefer phosphoric
acid for the dip as it tends to passivate the rust and is a good paint base. You do lose the Reynolds sticker and Puch paint scheme though but some of this would be
easily replaced. Just spot treating and dab painting will take a lot of time as well. If it were mine I would use a brass wire brush on the rust, spot treat with phosphate
rust treatment and spot prime and call it good. Best you don't take the seat off and look down the seat tube, it might scare you, to say nothing of the innards of the stays,
fork and top tube. I hope the rims are aluminum, as steel are really scary when wet. IME braking is marginal enough on old brakes even without new pads. You will
need a complete cable/housing change out also, as it likely they are rusty as well. Bike needs a complete tear down and eval of bearing surfaces, hope the FW is not
glommed onto the hub, I had two such happen on wheels stored inside for 30 yrs, never did get the FW off one: ripped the tangs off two removers before giving up.

So, what have you decided? I'm interested in the results. I have a project that will require rust removal; however, I hope to avoid stripping the paint and repainting. I would like to remove the rust and clear coat the problem areas, the two spots that need treatment are out of sight. I'll post pictures when I dig into the project (might be a week or two).

You might like to check out some car restoration sites and eastwood.com
Cheers,
David in Alaska

Well, it's been too cold to paint, so I haven't done any painting yet. I did strip the bike down, grease bearings (everything looks good there) polish the aluminum, pull off some non original stickers, and used some rubbing compound on the paint.

When/if it ever warms up, I think I'm going to hit up an automotive paint store and see if they can match my paint, and I'll just touch up the rusty parts. I may have it powdercoated later, but I don't think a spray paint job is what I want to do.

Thanks for for the advice on the gearing. I mostly plan to ride on the Loveland bike trail which is relatively flat, but regearing may be an option later.

I'd like to pile on with my rust questions/project....

My plan is to use white vinegar to dissolve the rust, and use a mild abrasive to scrub clean (scotch brite), then apply a clear coat to protect the bare steel. I have no interest in stripping the entire bike since it's a couple small, hidden spots of rust.

I have some concern about the bike's overall integrity, since this bike looks great, but I know that the guy that gave me this bike stored in a pool pump shed for some time. Pool chemicals are not good for steel. Thoughts/personal experience with pool chemicals and steel frame bikes?

Question: If you have used white vinegar, is there any risk to paint or components (since I need to work around the bottom bracket)?

I got some pictures last night - The bike (and my seriously messy basement):



Rust on the bottom bracket:



Rust on the bottom of the top tube, likely damaged by the pump rattling and chipping the paint:

Rust has been discussed endlessly here, well over 1,000 times. Everyone has their favorite methods, most have the exact same questions. Google will get you more answers than you thought were possible. I treat rusty bikes and/or parts every day.

You have rust under that paint, no treatment will work unless the rust is exposed. Pool chemicals are deadly as far as attacking steel bikes. You also need to disassemble the bike and inspect the inside. My experience with rust is sometimes the inside is MUCH worse, sometimes similar, sometimes OK.