kayakboy

I have an English lugged 531 touring bike with very prevalent rust. It is more than worth salvaging. I am planning on putting the whole frame in a molasses bath. Will this be OK for the frame? I am particularly concerned about the brazing. I am open to sanding it by hand or with a wheel, but I don"t want to remove any good steel. I am open to any other ideas too. Thank you, Ty

sced

What I have done is use paint stripper to remove all of the paint and primer; use a wire brush thingy on your drill to move as much of the rust as possible (and remaining paint); dabble naval jelly (or molasses solution?) where there are remaining rust spots; paint over any remaining spots of concern with the rust-stop stuff; coats of sandable primer, sanding in between to fill any pits; then paint. The prep prior to painting will go quickly (maybe 4 hrs work with time between primer coats) and the results will be very good to excellent.

mazpr

WD-40, tons of emery cloth and patience, no you don't need a case of beer to do the job.

Mariner Fan

Do a search for Oxalic Acid.

kayakboy

I would like to but the whole frame in a bath. I have pondered reverse hydrolysis, molasses, and maby some sodium carbonate, but fear for the brazing in the lugs. Will naval jelly just stick to the frame so you can do it in phases? Thanks, Ty

Iowegian

I don't think you have to worry about the brazing material but you do need to be concerned about the raw steel of the bike frame once the bath is done. The brazing was probably done with a silver alloy or brass. Neither one will be weakened by any normal rust treatement.

Oxalic acid does a great job of removing rust and prepping the steel for paint. I haven't tried molasses but it's supposed to work well too. Whatever you use, you need to apply something to the frame immediately since it will start to rust again once it's exposed to air.