I just picked up a Super Mondia from the early 70's and I just finished stripping all the parts off to begin the cleaning. I took the frame off the stand and noticed there is debris inside the seat stays!!! As I turn the frame around in my hands you can hear it rolling around in there. The pieces sound like they are the size of medium to coarse sand.

The holes near the drops and the holes near the seat clusters seem to be clear, but I can't shake anything out.

Has anyone run across this before? I've worked on dozens of old frames, and sometimes I hear a lone piece of debris rolling around, but never this much. I want it out!!!

Thanks,
Tim

https://www.bikeforums.net/archive/in.../t-252453.html

Thank you. Looks like Frame Saver is the answer!

You might be able to get some of it out by orienting the frame so the particles are near drain hole at the dropout end - then 'twang' the seatstay, the vibration helps to coax it out. Alternately, if you have access to a compressed air supply with a small nozzle, blow in the top hole and you should get particles out the bottom one.

Super glue usually works if you can't shake it out.

squirt it in the holes?

this is actually very common. It seems likely that the pins from construction have rusted through and are rattling around. I don't know what else would last that long. I suppose it's possible that it's brass.

You got it.

I have had more than a few frames with bits of filings or crap in the tubes but I did recently get a frame that really seemed to have a lot in the seat stays.

I did the same trick as paraWK4 and I slowly got it out. It looked like fine sand but I put a magnet to it and was shocked to find out it stuck. It is fine rust flakes!! The rest of the bike is fine so I sprayed Boeshield in the breather holes and try not to think about it.