I am trying to save an old French carbon steel Mixte frame from the early 70's. I did a search on rust inhibitors on this forum, but didn't find anything too specific, except linseed oil. What are some techniques for stopping progression of rust inside hard to reach areas. I will be taking the outside finish off down to bare metal.

Thanks

Have a look at ACF-50, this sounds to be what you are after for internal protection

Frame Saver, which can be a little hard to find. Or Boeshield. T-9.

I`m guessing mobile 1 synthertic oil

I use danish oil (furniture stuff), it works just fine and is similar to the boiled linseed oil. I am routinely reminded by the spouse that it leaves nice permanent stains on the front walk. BLO would work just fine too.

Use a turkey baster, and put a good amount in the tubes, plug the ends with old plastic bags or something that keeps the stuff in, then tip the frame around in your hands until it seeps into all the areas. The seat stays are sometimes hard to get anything into, so I sometimes resort to odd ways to get the preservative into the weep holes of the stays. Before the stuff fully hardens, chase the bottom bracket threads.

Brownell's did a comparison of rust inhibitors and WD-40 did very well, about as well as Boeshield. I also have a comparison test conducted in my pile of woodworking magazines and WD-40 also was one of the top preventatives tested. I have seen a lot of negative comments about WD-40 on the Internet, all of it anecdotal. In actual comparison testing as a rust inhibitor it seems to fare quite well.

Boiled linseed oil is a poor rust preventative, in my experience. The film produced is porous and lets moisture penetrate. I have seen several fine, collectible handsaws ruined by previous owners use of BLO as a rust preventative. It is also somewhat dangerous to use since it is a drying oil that generates heat during the drying reaction. This is not a problem for the surfaces that BLO is used on, it is a problem when disposing of the rags afterwards. You should take the rags and spread them out in a single layer on a non combustible surface while the oil cures, never wad them up. WD-40, mineral oil, Boeshield and the like are non-curing preparations that are safer to use.

WD40 is a great thing to have around!

Maybe some motorcycle chain wax; sprays on thin, thickens with time.

Waxoyl works too.

Mobil 1 synthetic doesnt work

Here's a thread I started awhile back. Corrosion Block and Boeshield T-9 work well.

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ght=%27rust%27

I wouldn't choose lubricating oil as a long term preservative. I can go into technical details about different types of fluids if you like, but in a nutshell oils are like water, they will drain to the lowest point they can reach, under the force of gravity (leaving everything above unprotected, over time). I would choose a product that is designed to harden, and hence stay where it is applied.

+1 on placing BLO rags in a very safe and non combustible place when you're done using them (I should have mentioned that and thanks for covering that PM1973). I'm sure better stuff is out there. BLO is something of an old method, and has been used for years to coat the innards of steel airframes (not that they get submerged all that much I suppose). In some situations, you want the stuff to cure. In a bike frame it probably does not matter if it cures. I just happen to have several containers of BLO and similar stuff from back when I was trying to find a magic elixir to keep my skin on frame kayak frames preserved.

That looks like the perfect product. It will stay where you put it and it keeps MGs and stuff from falling apart after driving across a bog. Unfortunately, I don't think I can find it in the states. I did check there website. Looks like really good stuff!

I will check this out as I was going to order some CoMo and SS tubing from Aircraft Spruce anyway. I see they carry it. Thanks

Thanks Miami Jim,

WD-40 doesn't work either in my experience. I have tried to protect bare 531 tubes with it in my shop and it didn't stand the test of time.

Thanks for directing me to the old thread, I knew this must have been covered multiple times on this site. I will check our your suggestions.

A product available in many hardware stores is LPS3. It's an industrial strength rust inhibitor which is wax based. It comes in a spray can and is less expensive than most others. The lighter version LPS1 performs pretty well as a light lube for chains, derailers etc.

Marc

Thanks for reminding me about that product. It is a very effective product! It will pretty much stay where you put it unlike LPS-1 or WD-40. LPS-1 in my opinion, is far superior to WD.