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Rust removal from back rim and shield
Hi,
I have a 1976 Schwinn Sting Ray 5 Speed bicycle. I got it like around 1979 used from a local traders post newspaper in prestine condition and was a 1 owner until I bought it. While I have not reddened it it has been stored in my garage but its gotten surface rust on it. Before I decide to sell it I want to clean the surface rust off of the chrome. So, I did research online to remove surface rust from chrome rims. I have been using a lot of elbow grease, spraying on apple cider vinegar and aluminum foil. I got the front rim surface rust off of the chromed rim. I have done some on the back rim but I am having trouble figuring out how to get to what I call a shield on the middle of the rim that is behind the back gears. Inorder to apply enough pressure from the aluminum foil to get the surface rust off, will I need to take the back rim off and take the spokes out to get to the back side of that shield on the middle of the rim that is behind the back gears? After I get this task done, I will have the rest of the chrome to tackle. Thank you for your assistance. Regards, rknarr2 |
Immerse in a bath of Oxalic acid solution. Mix at 1 teaspoon per gallon of water. Removes the rust but leaves chrome (and other good metal). Rinse and polish. Search the forum for other posts on oxalic acid.
Also - welcome to the forum |
Originally Posted by Hoopdriver
(Post 20611466)
Immerse in a bath of Oxalic acid solution. Mix at 1 teaspoon per gallon of water. Removes the rust but leaves chrome (and other good metal). Rinse and polish. Search the forum for other posts on oxalic acid.
Also - welcome to the forum Thank you. rknarr2 |
I don't think you want to be soaking your entire rear wheel in anything. The shield you mention is called a spoke protector. The gears in back is called a freewheel. You would need to remove the freewheel then the spoke protector behind it will come right off. If you aren't doing a complete teardown and detail cleaning I suggest just getting what you can get to with foil and just using a toothbrush to get what you can't reach. Pictures would be most welcome when you can post them.
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Oxalic acid is a powder that is often sold as bleach for wood. Savogran is one brand that you can find in some home center stores. This looks like a good deal on Amazon. Mix up enough solution @ 1 teaspoon per gallon of water to submerge your rim. Ideally it would be the rim only so you could submerge the whole thing. If the wheel is built up, you will have to soak then rotate, soak then rotate, etc. I don't think the relatively weak solution would harm your spokes or nipples, but you may want to do a test first. Nipples are chrome-plated brass. Chrome does not react but exposed brass might in the way that it gets cleaner. Stainless spokes would be safe but zinc-plated spokes would probably react. It sounds like you want to take the wheel apart anyway. The disk you are referring to is called a spoke protector. It can only be removed by removing the freewheel, which just screws onto the hub. You will need a special removal tool that fits into notches on the freewheel. Best bet is to take it to a bike shop as it's a 5 minute job (if they have the tool).
You may need to soak your parts for a few hours or more. The solution I use is on the weak side so it takes longer. It also depends on how much rust you have. I check the part every hour or so and pull and rinse when I am satisfied. I have never had to soak for more than 4 hours. |
ok, thank you for the information and the advice.
Regards, rknarr2 |
Thank you for your information and advice.
rknarr2 |
I found this oxalic acid on a popular online auction, too. I discovered other uses, too, like for my drum and cymbal stands, too.
rknarr2 |
Originally Posted by FBOATSB
(Post 20611734)
The shield you mention is called a spoke protector. The gears in back is called a freewheel. You would need to remove the freewheel then the spoke protector behind it will come right off.
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I grew up with Schwinn bikes during that time period. The chrome was always low quality and rusted easily. The kids in the neighborhood removed the rust with a Brillo pad until we stopped caring. It wasn't all that much work. I don't know if it left the chrome looking like-new, so I'd test it on a small spot before doing the entire bike.
If it's a bike that you want to keep in "vintage" condition, I'd consider clear lacquer on the chrome. |
Fe + O2 = Rust
And realize the rust is coming from the base metal, oxidized,
getting through the chrome plating.. you are abating not removing it, you must maintain it or it will rust again.. .... |
Good point. Thank you for the advice.
rknarr2 |
Thank you for the advice. I had the same situation happen to me with a three wheel bike and I lacquered the rim before selling it.
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I thought you might want to see the rust that I am referring to on my 1976 Schwinn Sting Ray 5 speed bike.https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...84f2ddfc37.jpg
My 1976 Schwinn Sting Ray 5 Speed https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...becfeaaac2.jpg Back wheel with rust and the protector shield I want to remove rust from |
Evaporust is your friend. Buy a gallon, remove both wheels from bike, remove the tires tubes rim tape, pour Evaporust into small plastic storage bin big enough to stand both rims side by side in the liquid. Rotate the rims once each day until the rims are rust-free. Evaporust is magic. .
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How much are you asking for it
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Originally Posted by DynoD500_SR20-d
(Post 20622927)
How much are you asking for it
rknarr2 |
I'm a huge fan of Evaporust & Oxalic Acid... but let me save you some time/$$$/heartache... I'm sorry, but IMHO your rusty wheel is too far gone for any chemical magic to repair. They work best when rust is just starting to bloom thru pinholes over good chrome (the rust looks "orange")... but once rust has progressed too far the chrome has been consumed (it looks brown). Even if you remove the brown rust you'll be left with only bare dull steel, it won't be shiny chrome anymore. Only way to fix that is to strip down & rechrome... which ain't cheap nor easy to get done in envirogreenie countries anymore. Second best is to find an identical part in better condition... preferably of same age if these things have datestamps... afaik these things were made in huge numbers BiTD, that wheel rim is likely shared with many other bike models. I'm not a close follower of market prices for Schwinns (I'm more into British)... but I dare say their numerous retro repops they've endlessly churned out in recent years can't be helping resale value of used/crusty examples of the originals. Pushbike restoration economics isn't too unlike classic car projects... if you're thinking of fixing up just to sell, you're usually better off just selling as-is... except in very rare examples - you're unlikely to recoup fixingup costs in your eventual sale price. Don't know what Schwinn Stingrays sell for, vaguely remember seeing some asking $300-500 in freshly restored or mint survivor condition...? Might be wrong. The Brit arrow frames I lust after of similar era seem to be selling around the $1k mark... but to do a proper paintjob & rechrome would probably cost about that. Plus about same again to replace any rare minor bits that usually get broken or wornout. Or for a totally whacked out scenario... go check out auction results of Merc 300SL gullwings... at one such sale in recent years, an unrestored unmolested Barn Find car was bought for nearly twice what a fully restored one was sold for. And the latter barely fetched enough to pay for a proper professional restoration job, assuming the old car came to you free. Heck, we call it a "hobby" because it sure ain't no "good investment" :) |
Originally Posted by Tamiya
(Post 20625130)
I'm a huge fan of Evaporust & Oxalic Acid... but let me save you some time/$$$/heartache... I'm sorry, but IMHO your rusty wheel is too far gone for any chemical magic to repair. They work best when rust is just starting to bloom thru pinholes over good chrome (the rust looks "orange")... but once rust has progressed too far the chrome has been consumed (it looks brown). Even if you remove the brown rust you'll be left with only bare dull steel, it won't be shiny chrome anymore. Only way to fix that is to strip down & rechrome... which ain't cheap nor easy to get done in envirogreenie countries anymore. Second best is to find an identical part in better condition... preferably of same age if these things have datestamps... afaik these things were made in huge numbers BiTD, that wheel rim is likely shared with many other bike models. I'm not a close follower of market prices for Schwinns (I'm more into British)... but I dare say their numerous retro repops they've endlessly churned out in recent years can't be helping resale value of used/crusty examples of the originals. Pushbike restoration economics isn't too unlike classic car projects... if you're thinking of fixing up just to sell, you're usually better off just selling as-is... except in very rare examples - you're unlikely to recoup fixingup costs in your eventual sale price. Don't know what Schwinn Stingrays sell for, vaguely remember seeing some asking $300-500 in freshly restored or mint survivor condition...? Might be wrong. The Brit arrow frames I lust after of similar era seem to be selling around the $1k mark... but to do a proper paintjob & rechrome would probably cost about that. Plus about same again to replace any rare minor bits that usually get broken or wornout. Or for a totally whacked out scenario... go check out auction results of Merc 300SL gullwings... at one such sale in recent years, an unrestored unmolested Barn Find car was bought for nearly twice what a fully restored one was sold for. And the latter barely fetched enough to pay for a proper professional restoration job, assuming the old car came to you free. Heck, we call it a "hobby" because it sure ain't no "good investment" :) |
Thank you for your advice and experience.
rknarr2 |
Thank you for vowchings for his advice and experience
rknarr2 |
Originally Posted by rknarr2
(Post 20619338)
I thought you might want to see the rust that I am referring to on my 1976 Schwinn Sting Ray 5 speed bike.
My 1976 Schwinn Sting Ray 5 Speed. Back wheel with rust and the protector shield I want to remove rust from |
Once the chrome is gone, its gone. Oxalic acid, Brillo pad, Evaporust won't cure that problem. Oxalic can do a fine job on the fender, stem, and probably the handlebar. Its been discussed before, at least 2500 times before. Google will get you all the information you need. The BMX crowd has been using oxalic for a long, long, time. Its where I first learned about it.
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Thank you for your comments, suggestions, warnings and experiences.
rknarr2 |
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