Colnago Master rust on frame - HELP!
 

Hi guys,

I have recently purchased a beautiful Colnago Master X Light. The color of the frame along with the chrome is in perfect condition. However, yesterday I've spotted only two dots of rust below the seat tube :((( The color and the graphics of the Master are piece of art so I'm not planning to repaint the entire frame or something like that. I was wondering is there a way so I can cover only these rusted spots and prevent from 'OH GOD NO' further corrosion? Is is it possible to use a similar color to cover these dots or I will ruin the paint? Why do you guys think? PLEASE HELP ME! :(:(:(

Thank you so much!!!

:lol:

Yeah that looks more like a stain than rust to me. Use some cleaner, if that doesn't work, some WD 40 and post some after pics.

If it truly is rust, glue some sand paper to a pencil eraser and spin the pencil in your fingers to sand the spot until you reach bare metal. Then find some touch up paint or nail polish the correct color and touch up the spots.


There are several good tips for touch up painting process on this forum.

You'll also want to remove your seat post and take a peek down into the seat tube. I'd expect no surprises, but just to be sure...

Nice bike! The only distraction are the DA parts (says the guy with the Pinarello decked out in DA 7400)! Is it an 8 speed?

Looks to me like a stain, too. Is there any bubbling in the area? Is the surface 'compromised' in any way (a chip, small crack in paint)? That's a weird place for it to just pop up like that.

Maybe a closer-up photo?

EDIT: The color looks like it's a yellow with a white pearl shot over it. Could be tricky to get a touch up to look good.

You got me there :))) Yes, its an 8 speed!

[MENTION=426857]rr99[/MENTION] - great group even though I have an unreasonable bias towards Campagnolo on Italian bikes. Have over 3600 miles on mine and not disappointed at all. I have DT's and not Brifters. Planning on trying out some Campy 8 speed drifters in the near future though.

Hi Duane041,

Thank you for your response. I have uploaded few additional photos of the 'mysterious rust/stain' issue. I have just removed the seat post in order to inspect the inner side of the seat tube and except for the grease,
there are no signs of rust inside the seat tube. Also, there are no bubbles as well :/ I've tried to remove it with a simple soap and water and it wont come off. What do you think?

I think you should try Scratch It. It has just a tad of abrasive in it that might work. Or, try a wax that has a cleaner it in.

Cigarette burns, I think.

To my eyes (and I do cosmetic repairs on bicycles for a living), it's rust. How and why? Hmmm, that's a tough one. If polishing doesn't do anything to change it (try a light polishing compound for automobiles and work it lightly into the finish), then you've got moisture trapped under the clear coat, which is causing the rust (or had caused, it might be done by now). I've worked on a few Masters, and I will say that sometimes the prep on these Colnagos isn't all that great, and they would go a little thin on the primer. That means that your paint will be susceptible to rust faster than normal. I'd bet that there is a pinhole in the clear and some moisture got in at some point. That area could easily have suffered a tiny chip from a stone or pebble being thrown by the tire.

You could try to find some color that matches, but I would highly doubt you'd find anything close. Plus, a lemon yellow like that wouldn't have the best cover strength, forcing you to do coat after coat of touch up until you've got a big blob on there :(

Ohh man, the rust couldn't not have appeared in a better place! I totally agree with you though that prep work on Masters is a total disaster! On the other hand, the color and graphics used on Masters are too complicated for maintaince don't you think? Have you ever restored a Colnago Master with the same graphics and details? I believe its a daunting process. However, do you have any further suggestions on what should I use (what kind of liquid or wax) to protect the entire frame from further rust and corrosion?

Thank you

Carnauba wax, FTW

Anyone ever try an airbrush guy ? They could even touch up what little of the graphic that is affected

Any car wax that has a mild abrasive (like turtle wax) should be enough to take off the rust if it's on the surface. If it's under the clear coat, there won't be any way to remove the stain without removing the clear coat, and that's a whole new ball of wax to deal with. At the very least, if the wax doesn't remove the stain, it will seal whatever hole is in the clear coat and keep any moisture from getting in again.

I haven't attempted a complete repaint of a Master, but I have had to do quite a few chain stay chips, top tube chips, and even a scratch fix that went through the little "guy on a bike" design on the top tube. That was fun!

Repairing this is possible, but not all that easy. The fact that the design element is in the repair area just adds to the fun :) It's doable, but not very easy.

Duane041,

Thank you for you in depth elaboration. I've bought today Turtle Wax and I'm planning to wax the entire frame. Considering the complicated graphics on the Master, do you think that if I wax it I won't do any damage on the color or the graphics? I apologize for my rookie question, but I haven't wax a Master before.
When I finish with waxing the frame, should I wash the entire bike with a soap and water or should I just rub the wax with a soft towel and that's it?

I'll appreciate your response!
Thank you so much!

I haven't tried it on my bike, but Bar Keepers Friend powdered cleaner works really well to take surface rust off stuff around the house. (Probably because of the oxalic acid in it.) Put some on a damp sponge, wet it down to a paste, rub it on the rust spot gently for a few seconds, and voila. Wipe down the spot with a wet paper towel or rinse to clean off the BKF, then dry.

Target and a number of other stores carry the stuff:
https://www.target.com/p/bar-keepers...z/-/A-13304297

Wax won't affect the graphics at all. It has a very sight abrasive, and will only remove light staining (and even then you have to work it pretty good). When done, let the wax dry to a haze and then wipe off. That's all that is required.