khatfull

I love this stuff. Old REG bottle cage found in a bin, acquired cheap, passed on to another member for a favor....before and after. This stuff amazes me. Sprayed with two misting coats of Krylon clear acrylic in the after pics. The only "scrubbing" required...light brushing with a toothbrush while in the OA. Nothing else at all.

-holiday76

how long did it soak?

PDXaero

and you can always reverse the process with Uric acid!
Looks great khatfull. A shame you didnt get to spend all day polishing it by hand

FuzzyDunlop

Where can I buy this magic? Hardware stores? What name is it sold under?

ScottRyder 

and I am the lucky beneficiary of the this lovely cage .. Thanks Keith, I can't wait to see it.

Scott

khatfull

About 60 minutes, one teaspoon of the Savogran stuff in about 2 quarts of water, lightly brushed with a toothbrush about every 15 minutes.

This was Savogran wood bleach, sold in tubs at Sherwin Williams paint stores. There are equivalents that you can get in bigger amounts though, although if all you're using it for is small parts and not full frames one of the little Savogran tubs goes a long way.

You're very welcome.

This stuff does work wonders. Guy at the shop where I got it said he'd use 0000 steel wool and WD-40 on it if it were him. Couldn't possibly have come close to this....for essentially no work.

unterhausen

that's nice. I've had a box of the wood bleach in my finishing supplies for a long time. I have a frame that needs it badly.

SteveSGP

You can also use Phosphoric acid, my hardware store didn't have Oxalic but they had a rust stain spray that contains Phosphoric and I dilute it with water before use.

The nice part is you can just toss the chrome bits in and virtually forget about them even for days at a time, Naval jelly also works but is much more "hands on" as it were.

Drumnagorrach

Rhubarb right

ColonelJLloyd 

Lyotard rat traps. 24 hour soak in a pretty stout solution (6-7 tablespoons of wood bleach crystals and about a gallon and a half of water).

brockd15 

Wow. My results have been good, but not as impressive. What about the chalky looking appearance after the OA bath? Parts I've pulled out have had to be scrubbed to get rid of that cloudiness (with a baking soda bath/rinse following the OA bath).

ColonelJLloyd 

If you're referring to the chalky residue on chromed steel parts, I use a steel or brass brush and fine steel wool. Then I wash in Simple Green and water. The chalky residue on paint is a different story. It's a PITA.

dashuaigeh

Agreed. I've done the OA bath thrice, gotten the chalky stuff each time. WD-40 and some light scrubbing gets some off, but it also dulls the paint. I'm going to try an even more diluted bath next time - I've typically done a little over 2 tbsp per gal.

Old Fat Guy

OA has it's place, but I would never use it on something with a painted surface or something with alloy components attached.

An old Schwinn wheel, sure, a rusty bottle cage, why not? Pedals, well you are going to have to disassemble them afterward to regrease if you soak in OA, so WD40 may be a better choice.

I see OA being touted as the panacea for every rust problem associated with old steel bikes, and it really isn't. After using various methods to clean parts, OA is usually the last weapon in my arsenal.

It's great for getting black rings out of oak tabletops without lightening the wood, and getting rust stains off porcelain sinks and toilets. According to the can I have, it will also remove sweat stains from straw hats, should that need arise.

3speed

Wow. I never knew...

Anthropy

"Bar Keepers Friend" contains Oxalic Acid. I see ACE hardware carries a liquid version, but I do not know what is in it.




Tom

Old Fat Guy

Zud cleanser also contains OA, and they make a paste as well. I am pretty sure that Zud has a higher concentration of OA than BKF.

If I'm going to scrub, I use Zud.

dashuaigeh

+1 on OFG's comment. OA has proved phenomenal for me for metal and chrome bits, unrusting old springs, screws, metal plates, etc etc. For frame surface rust, I can use either WD-40, vinegar, aluminum foil, naval jelly (on very specific concentrated bits), or rust converter. Full OA baths can be annoying too (toxic, takes a lot of wood bleach crystals, leaves residue, can fade decals, takes a lot of space if you live in a small apt).

I think I'm probably only going to use OA only if there's heavy rust inside the tubes from now on, and only a very dilute mixture.

Old Fat Guy

dashuaigeh, Believe it or not, if I have rust inside a frame tube, I'll use high pressure water, until it runs clear, dry thoroughly (in AZ that's not usually a problem, except this weekend), and then use a petroleum based product to spray the insides, or Wiegles Frame Saver if it's a good frame that's a keeper. Boeshield T-9 also works, and may be slightly less than Frame Saver, cost wise.

kenji666

Don't you still have to re-chrome the parts after removing the rust with OA? After all, there is a reason that the parts rusted in the first place.

Anthropy

The ultimate use to be Cosmoline use to be the standard for ultimate rust protection. Impervious to almost anything and would be great for the inside of steel tubes. Came in a thick pasty grease like. Brownells carries something similar now that cosmoline is selling a spray varietey.

Tom

Old Fat Guy

Chrome is usually microns thick. If it's rusted, it's toast. One caveat being old Schwinn steel rims that were chrome plated. That's thick plating like a bumper in a 37 Chrysler. Schwinn rims pit, but you can usually make them acceptable, appearance-wise.

If you have chrome fork that's rusted, the only thing to do is remove the chrome and hope that there is chromium steel under it, or have it rechromed, at a cost that is usually more than the fork is worth. If it's chromium steel, you can polish it to acceptable (but not chrome plating) appearances.

Old Fat Guy

I think Weigles Frame Saver is a derivative of cosmoline. It sure is messy enough. Don't do it inside.

khatfull

Small fasteners, brake springs, chromed parts, and two forks are all I've done in OA. I've been fortunate in that all the frames I've dealt with haven't needed much is any rust abatement.

I'm sure it's not a panacea for every problem but for every problem I've asked it's help with it's been a good partner.

Something like that REG cage is a prime example.

seypat

So help us newbies out with some advise.

You give the parts and frame a bath and get all of the surface rust off. After that you decide not to repaint the frame. What do you put on the bare spots, decals, etc. and the rest of the frame to protect/seal them?

Thanks in advance.