If you are going to repaint, just sand the frame to bare metal and be careful near the chrome. The rust inside the tubes doesn't make any difference, just put some frame saver inside to keep it from rusting more. Rust protects the underlying metal to some extent. The time you spend on building an acid bath, purchasing and disposing of the acid and waiting for it to work would be more than just hitting it with sandpaper and won't give you as smooth a finish when you are done.

You are Canadian?
I have heard the same complaints from Canadians regarding the mess created by warfare.
Don't be a ninny.

The only problem is they painted over the chrome parts. I want to uncover a lot of the chrome and let it be shiny again. I've heard even 0000 steel wool or 400 grit wet sand paper can damage chrome finish, so I wanted to stay away from the sanding.

That's a great point about the interior rust. It's minor, so maybe a new layer of Frame Saver is all it needs. Thank for the input.

did anybody recommend a kiddie pool yet?

Not on page 2.

Yeah, that's where this whole thing started. Problem is no one sells them in the winter.

The obvious solution is to take a road trip to below the equator!

And we're right in both instances.

Well, I have to hand it to you - Canada is one of the tidiest places I have ever visited.

Steel wool won't scratch chrome. Neither will a wire brush.

B. effin' S.

This is exactly how you scratch/ruin chrome. Please don't even attempt this. I wouldn't even think of using steel wool or wire brush on the chrome on any of my antique bikes or motorcycles.

I should state that #0000 wool wet, with polish can be used with almost no pressure. But at that point, why not use a cloth rag and polish.

STOP STOP STOP!

Stop...
Here's what you do, trust me on this.
I'm gonna make this really easy and detailed
Materials:
Garden Hose
Cardboard
Plastic Bags
Packing Tape
Rubber Gloves
Paper Towels
Paint Brush
BONDO RUST REMOVER

Steps:
1. Use Paper towel and packing tape to fill bottom bracket shell and seal the ends of the tubes that connect at this junction. Use a plastic bag to seal the bottom of the head tube.
2. With the gloves on pour some Bondo Rust Remover down the top tube from the head tube (or seat tube depending on where the opening is. Seal off the end.
3. Pour some Bondo Rust Remover down the seat tube and seal the top.
4. Pour some Bondo Rust Remover down the head tube and seal the top.
5. Shake, flip around, and keep the frame moving for 5-15 minutes depending on the amount of rust. Unseal all the tubes and run a garden hose through all of the tubes. If the inside of any of the tubes feel slimey keep running the water in it until it feels clean. Warm water might help if it feels really slimey.
6. Use the paint brush to apply the rust remover to the outside and let sit as long as the bottle tells you to and hose it off.
7. Finally, use polish of your choice to shine the bike and don't forget to use a frame saver.

There's an even easier way to do this. Just get some Naval Jelly. It's in a gel form, disolves rust and will help act as a rust proofer.

The Bondo rust remover is a gel and might be easier to find than Naval Jelly...just saying.

That's brilliant and efficient. Gotta remember that.

I would think that it's the exact opposite, but whatever. They're both gelled phosphoric acid, and I'm sure they do the same thing.

If you're still looking for a pool type deal, you could get a black pond shell from home depot/lowes. Or go for a pickle barrel as used in the video or a trashcan.

https://www.thriftyfun.com/tf551528.tip.html
Seems silly, but worth a shot.

It would take a crap-ton of oxalic acid to get a solution of decent molarity that would remove rust to fill a kiddie pool. +1 on the naval jelly/other commercial rust remover. Make a visit to the auto parts store and ask what would best remove rust from chrome.

I was actually thinking that Coca Cola could be used for rust removal, but it would leave behind a really sticky mess.

I would think that if you want to remove rust from chrome the best option would just be some metal polish and some 0000 steel wool and some elbow grease.

I have used electrolysis on motorcycle parts. It is the ****. Cool thing is it converts some of the iron oxide back into iron. The rest of the rust just basically falls off. You will however lose the chrome and it will remove the paint.

Thanks for all the ideas everyone!

I wish I had a couple more rusty frames around. I'd try each of these solutions and this could be a really useful thread. I'm going to do this on my vacation between Christmas and New Years. I'll report back with how it turned out.

I picked up an empty bike box from my local bike shop and a painter's tarp from home depot. The painter's tarp is a heavier plastic, cheap, and I can cut it into several large sheets so i can layer them into the box. When I'm all done it'll cost me about $4 and 10 minutes of my time. My brother has oxalic acid he can give me for free, so this is the cheapest solution. If I didn't already have all this stuff, I think the Bondo/Naval Jelly solution would have worked really well and been cheap/easy.

I might try the tin foil and coke thing on a small spot just to see if it really works.