Best way to clean tubes and prevent rust
01-23-19, 04:53 PM
#1
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Best way to clean tubes and prevent rust
Hi All,
After you all cut your tubes and are ready to put them together, what do you all do to clean out your tubes? Pipe cleaners, air, water, etc?
Once you have everything together, do you just use Framesaver?
Thanks in advance.
Brandon
After you all cut your tubes and are ready to put them together, what do you all do to clean out your tubes? Pipe cleaners, air, water, etc?
Once you have everything together, do you just use Framesaver?
Thanks in advance.
Brandon
01-23-19, 05:32 PM
#2
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I try to not have the tubes sit around, ready mitered, before the brazing. Where I live a few weeks and there's no real rust that develops so what I do is just set the tubes aside and away from water. Once it's time to do the final fit up and brazing I'll clean then inside and out with a light solvent like Clean Streak. Then mechanically clean the ends in and out, 80 grit production cloth of a fine stone on a Dremel. One last chemical cleaning, again I currently use Clean Streak but have used lacquer thinner and acetone (which seems to be the fav. for a lot of builders). Paper towels serve as the wipe. I'll wad up a bit and push it through the tube ID with a long something, rotating it as I go.
I store long term tubes coated with LPS-3. It's a waxy spray that dries in a few hours. When I clean that off I'll usually just use the parts cleaner (Safety Kleen). I have had a few tubes really rust up over the years before I started this preventative coating. Since all have been clean and rust few. BTW I run my just received tubes on my butt gage and mark the transition points with a Sharpie before the LPS-3 coating. I'll also mark the brand and walls first.
Once the frame is all done AND painted (want to loose a painter? Deliver a frame with oil or WD-40 inside it
) I'll apply Frame Saver inside rather liberally. The filleted frames (which are most that I make these years) get special attention to Frame Saver at the bottoms of the DT and ST, both which have well sized vent holes. I also drill a weep hole in the BB shell's underside.
Not asked but the "do you leave the tube vents open or sealed" question overlaps this discussion. I've tried both and what I don't do any longer is to have cute and "hidden" vents. Like in the SS at the brake bridge. Or through the steerer and crown for the blades. The vents are either easily seen or completely sealed. I'll vent a tube in at least two spots to insure complete fill and drain out of flux dissolving water. My main frame tubes get big, about 1/4" vents. My stays and blades get 3/32" vent holes are later sealed with a 6d finishing nail slightly tapered down. Andy
I store long term tubes coated with LPS-3. It's a waxy spray that dries in a few hours. When I clean that off I'll usually just use the parts cleaner (Safety Kleen). I have had a few tubes really rust up over the years before I started this preventative coating. Since all have been clean and rust few. BTW I run my just received tubes on my butt gage and mark the transition points with a Sharpie before the LPS-3 coating. I'll also mark the brand and walls first.
Once the frame is all done AND painted (want to loose a painter? Deliver a frame with oil or WD-40 inside it
) I'll apply Frame Saver inside rather liberally. The filleted frames (which are most that I make these years) get special attention to Frame Saver at the bottoms of the DT and ST, both which have well sized vent holes. I also drill a weep hole in the BB shell's underside.Not asked but the "do you leave the tube vents open or sealed" question overlaps this discussion. I've tried both and what I don't do any longer is to have cute and "hidden" vents. Like in the SS at the brake bridge. Or through the steerer and crown for the blades. The vents are either easily seen or completely sealed. I'll vent a tube in at least two spots to insure complete fill and drain out of flux dissolving water. My main frame tubes get big, about 1/4" vents. My stays and blades get 3/32" vent holes are later sealed with a 6d finishing nail slightly tapered down. Andy
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AndrewRStewart
AndrewRStewart
01-23-19, 07:10 PM
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I wash the tubes with mineral spirits, inside and out. Sandpaper abrade, both outside and about 1/4" inside, just before brazing. I make big vent holes inside for easy flux washout.
To protect the inside after painting I use Fluid Film Rust and Corrosion Protection. I selected this stuff after reading a great test someone on MTBR Review did. It was cheaper and more easy to find than some of the other products that also tested well.
To protect the inside after painting I use Fluid Film Rust and Corrosion Protection. I selected this stuff after reading a great test someone on MTBR Review did. It was cheaper and more easy to find than some of the other products that also tested well.
