robertj298 

I’m wondering what this orange film is on this old bicycle I picked up. I don’t think it’s rust . How do I clean it? Thanks

streetsurfer

Start with washing it and see how much comes off. Then nevr-dul will shine up good surfaces satisfactorily.

There are likely hundreds of ways to clean it up. Use the simpler products first. Soap and water. Car wash soap should work. An orange degreaser for what that doesn't cut.

the nevr-dul is a wool wadding with petroleum distillate in it. A very light kerosene, or the sort. Cleans well, and doesn't scratch that I've ever seen.

soft brush-old toothbrush perhaps to get in tight spots. Looks like typica barn grunge or oil
film. Maybe it was sprayed with something to preserve the finish, like fluid film. You may have a real gem under it.

grumpus

Looks like it's been treated with an anti-rust product, basically a spray grease that forms a protective coating. Remove with a solvent like mineral spirits or kerosene - brush on, work in with the brush and wipe off with a soft cloth, then wash with a mild detergent.

Andrew R Stewart 

I agree that starting with a dish soap in hot water and sponges/toothbrushes. Next might be using WD40 on a rag or with that toothbrush. At some point most all the "patina" residue will be gone and you can use a more aggressive solvent and/or more scratch prone mechanical scrubbing (fine, many "0" steel wool or Scotch Brite). Be careful around the decals, testing methods in a tiny spot that's out of sight can be a good idea before going whole hog.

Some of the residue is likely the thin layer of an oil/grime mix. Oil seeps out of lubed parts by capillary action alone surfaces. Sometimes people spray a wax or lube on their bikes before putting them away. Some of the residue, on the exposed steel surfaces, might be the start of rust. If there's no real depth/pitting from this possible rust most of it will be rubbed off with the previous cleaning.

Of course much more important to the bike's being safe and reliable is the condition of the working elements of the bike. mere cleaning off them won't likely fix any actual problems with them but might make finding or dealing with those issues easier anyway.

Have you tried to turn spoke nipples? Are any chain links not freely pivoting about? Are the cables freely moving? how old and dried out are the rubber bits (tires and brake pads)? Andy

Iride01 

Some of it might be rust. After cleaning all the chromed pieces and determining it might be rust, crumple up a sheet of aluminum foil and rub on it. That loosens up the rust and makes it not so obvious that the chrome is going bad.

Might work on the stainless steel parts too. But for the RD I'd just try a brass bristle brush you can get at most auto or tool stores, big box and small. Failing to find a brass bristle brush, I'd have no problems with a regular wire brush. Though I'm sure others will.

sd5782 

Mineral spirits and a toothbrush works nicely.

cyccommute 

Exactly. This is common on old bikes because the grease from those days was different from many of the grease formulations today. Old greases (and some cheaper modern greases) are a soap mixed with oil. The oil and the soap (usually some kind of triglyceride salt) can separate over time with the oil flowing away. The “peanut butter” that is common in old bearings is the soap which has lost the oil. The stuff covering robertj298’s bike is the oil that leaked out…probably combined with some dirt and perhaps having suffered a little bit of oxidation.

Modern urethane based greases are more stable and don’t undergo separation even over a long period of time. They are often called “shear stable” which means they don’t thin out and separate under shear conditions.

Mineral spirits is the best place to start for cleaning this. A water based method that I’ve used with good results is Armor All Extreme Tire and Wheel cleaner. It works very well on old (and new) oil.

oldbobcat

Residue from brown axle grease. After cleaning, polish with Simichrome or Glass Wax.