vintagerando

Below are photos of the downtube of my latest project. The original owner used electrical tape to keep the clamp-on cable guide from moving. That tape was on the down tube of this beautiful PX 10 for +40 years.
Is there a way to remove the residue without (further) damaging the paint. The paint, I am aware, is not pristine, I just want to avoid doing more damage.
Any ideas? thanks.

rickrob 

I'd try some Naphtha -- it is pretty safe for paint and good at dissolving adhesive residue. Try it in a hidden spot first just to be sure.

MrK.

Goo gone

eja_ bottecchia

canklecat

Goo Gone, WD-40, naptha/lighter fluid. They all work on old tape residue. Just give it plenty of time to soak and loosen up the crud, so you won't need to scrape with anything harder or more abrasive than a plastic tool -- like a plastic picnic knife or popsicle stick. Might take a few days. Then isopropyl alcohol to clean off any residue from the solvents.

jetboy 

oddjob2

You can also buy adhesive remover or try nail polish remover (acetone).

gugie 

Another pimp for Goo Gone

randyjawa 

WD40 attacks similar adhesives. I use it frequently for removing sticky residue.

verktyg 

+1 Goo Gone.... Hint, use it outdoors because the vapors are not healthy to breathe.

California bike licenses are the hardest to remove. My 1967 PX-10 came with several of those stickers. The thick aluminum foil protects the adhesive holding it on. It took several hours. Tried everything that wouldn't damage the original paint, even a heat gun. Finally got them off but don't remember what worked best. Now for the Scotch reflective tape on the seat stays.






verktyg

The Golden Boy 

Dan Burkhart 

In the past, I've used WD40 to remove decal residue, but I just tried Goo Gone for the first time this week. Much faster and more effective than WD 40.

verktyg 

vintagerando

Love tyour PX10 @verktyg
I believe you helped me identify mine, which I believe is a 1968.
I cannot wait to get it on the road. Unfortunately, I have a long way to go.
The most troublesome issue with my PX10 is the wheels. The spokes have rusted; look horrible and likely dangerous. I tried steelwool on the spokes; not much improvement. I am thinking about having my LBS put all new spokes.
If I could get my hands on a Park TS2 truing stand, I may try to do it myself. The spokes look just plain bad.

vintagerando

I wonder why the cable guide keep moving for the original owner. I did notice the bolt on the cable guide was bent.

Grand Bois

I've seen it at Home Depot and Walmart lists it online for $15.09/quart. The brand is Klean Strip. Same name, different solvent?

Is it true that lighter fluid is nothing but Naphtha? Can it be used in a Zippo? How about Coleman fuel?

P!N20

Eucalyptus oil...do you have that over there?

verktyg 

Yes, in the millions of non-native Eucalyptus trees that have taken over much of northern California. We call it "liquid fire".... Got any spare koalas?

verktyg the roo

P!N20

I usually buy mine in a bottle.

​​​​​​​Sorry, numbers are declining.

verktyg 

I used to know a lot about various solvents etc. but environmental and safety rules keep changing and producers/marketers seem to play foot loose and fancy free with technical info and descriptions.

Here's one comparison between paint thinner and mineral spirits:

"Mineral spirits or paint thinner… which is better? For cleaning brushes, paint thinner is best since it’s half the cost of mineral spirits and basically works the same. Other than the price, the differences between the two solvents are subtle. Both are petroleum products.
Both can be used to thin oil-based paints and varnishes and to clean paintbrushes.
Paint thinner is mineral spirits, but in a less refined form. It contains other types of solvents, which makes it a lot smellier and more volatile.
Mineral spirits is not as stinky. Because it’s more refined, it’s slightly more effective in smaller quantities than paint thinner."

Kleen Strip Odorless Mineral Spirits should work fine. I don't know who is smell testing low odor/odorless solvents - too much cocaine I guess - blown out olfactory senses???

Commercial degreasing solvents like Safety-Kleen and Stoddard solvent have chemicals added to increase the "flash point", raising the temperature at which they will catch fire and also acting as fire ******ants.

Anything sold in California "should" be relatively safe if recommendations are strictly adhered to but that's no guarantee of performance.

Lighter fluid was always naphtha AFAIK.

Coleman Camp Fuel is naphtha too. It's also known as white gas because there are no additives like lead, nickel and so on. If you shop around you can find it for $15 to $20+ a gallon (3.78L). A gallon should last for a long time. NOTE: Naphtha is highly flammable!



I like naphtha because it's great for degreasing stuff, it evaporates fast and doesn't leave much residue. It doesn't seem to affect most paint when applied to a surface for cleaning purposes.

Getting back on topic, many adhesives are susceptible to petroleum based solvents. I've found that some bar tape grunge comes off easier with 91% isopropyl alcohol. It may be polymer based stuff.

91% alcohol is great for removing hardened "latex" paint too. There's no latex rubber in latex paint which contain plastic resins made of acrylic or polyvinyl rather than rubber.

SAFETY NOTE!
Having survived Stage IV Lymphoma caused by exposure to benzene and other VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), I'm hyper cautious about any future exposure. I always wear a respirator mask with organic vapor chemical cartridges plus rubber gloves whenever I'm working with any kind of volatile chemicals. Also I work with the stuff outdoors or in a well ventilated area.


$50 bucks may seem like a lot to pay for a "dust mask" but if it can protect your health it's worth it. Laying in a hospital bed with half dozen lines running into you for 6 months is a great time to ponder the "HEY WATCH THIS" "IT CAN'T HAPPEN TO ME" attitude.

Health problems can take years to develop. Fortunately I recovered.

DON'T volunteer for the Darwin Award!

BTW, I was exposed to chemicals in drinking water, not by breathing fumes.

verktyg

verktyg 

Glad I could help on your PX-10.

You don't need a truing stand. An old fork held in a vise plus a front brake caliper will do the same thing!

Loosen all the spokes then replace them one at a time.

Your bike's fork will work too. Good luck.

verktyg

vintagerando

My PX10 came with a box of goodies; freewheels, extra cranks, tools, etc. There is a box of NOS Berg spokes. I don't know yet if they are the right size, but I wonder if I should use these spokes. Or is that being "penny-wise pound foolish"?

obrentharris 

The vicissitudes of time appear to have shortened the name of your "BERG" spokes from the original "ROBERGEL." Classic French spokes which seemed to go out of favor in the mid to late seventies. Looks like you may only have enough for 1 wheel.
Brent

verktyg 

+1

Robergel was best known for their Trois Etoiles (3 stars) stainless steel spokes. They were the hot ticket in the mid 70's and were usually used in the lightest gage which was considerably thinner than most spokes of the day ( 1.8/1.6/1.8mm).

Because of their light gage plus unknown wheel building methods, they got a bad rap for breakage. (All it took was one incidence and bicycle urban mythology would go into overdrive) By the late 70's there were more brands of stainless spokes on the market. They were usually used in the next gage size larger so were more reliable.



Robergel Trois Etoiles spoke head with the letter E.



The spokes that @vintagerando has are in a Robergel Sport spoke box. Can't tell what the markings on the spoke heads are.



Robergel Sport spokes were zinc plated. They were generally better quality than many spoke back then. They were used into the 1980's.



They had a crescent moon stamped into the spoke heads.



The spokes @vintagerando pictured may have a Berg-Union stamp on the heads??? Berg-Union spokes were made in Germany until about 1995. They were pretty good quality. Schwinn used them and in the mid 70's Raleigh SBDU Team bikes used the chrome plated ones.



Digressing to vintagerando's original issue about using the spokes that came in the box with his bike, the amount of time and work to relace a pair of wheels - "penny-wise pound foolish".

Use some modern stainless spokes like DT or Wheelsmith. I like butted spokes on the front wheel and straight gage on the rear.

verktyg

dedhed

Coleman fuel also comes in quarts.
https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-32-oz...52840922&psc=1