Removing rust from the chain....

South Tyne Rider

Anyone got any bright ideas?!

I'm meant to be selling my bike next week but I've allowed a bit of rust to get on to the chain and a few hard-to-reach areas. I've got lime and lemon juice so far. Any advance on this?

Bobbinogs

3in1, available from Wilko.

South Tyne Rider

Bobbinogs wrote:

3in1, available from Wilko.

I've heard of that.... is it any good for rust though?

gethinceri

Buy a cheap chain from Halfords.

okgo

Just lube the chain with anything and ride it round the block a bit, will sort it.

wishitwasallflat

South Tyne Rider wrote:

Anyone got any bright ideas?!

I'm meant to be selling my bike next week but I've allowed a bit of rust to get on to the chain and a few hard-to-reach areas. I've got lime and lemon juice so far. Any advance on this?

Did it occur to you to just be honest and tell the buyer what happened and how the rust got there - or are you really D Trump and this is post truth marketing?

smoggysteve

South Tyne Rider wrote:

Anyone got any bright ideas?!

I'm meant to be selling my bike next week but I've allowed a bit of rust to get on to the chain and a few hard-to-reach areas. I've got lime and lemon juice so far. Any advance on this?

You have a rusty chain and your solution is to cover it in an acidic liquid?

Did you do chemistry at school at all?

DeVlaeminck

As above just lube it and ride it a bit unless it's actually seized solid beyond repair in which case new chain.

compuwiz_uk

when i got a few rusty links on my commuter after a foggy ride home & a weekend in house storage after with no use ( or drying before storage )

i just added handy oil/3in1 type stuff to a scrap cloth & ran the chain through the cloth gripped tight round the chain ( pedaled backwards etc )

run through a second time with the cloth changed out to a dry old microfibre cloth to soak up excess & have another crack at more debris in the chain

then added the regular lube as normal a drop at a time on the rollers, wiped off excess with a cloth & back pedal & it looked back to how it was before the foggy ride & lack of care took place.

hambini

a wire brush usually takes it off. It's only surface corrosion. Once you've got it off, you need to put lube on it otherwise it will corrode again.

fudgey

Just oil it, ride it - and thats it.

meanredspider

SmoggySteve wrote:

South Tyne Rider wrote:

Anyone got any bright ideas?!

I'm meant to be selling my bike next week but I've allowed a bit of rust to get on to the chain and a few hard-to-reach areas. I've got lime and lemon juice so far. Any advance on this?

You have a rusty chain and your solution is to cover it in an acidic liquid?

Did you do chemistry at school at all?

Gotta wonder if you did. Most commercial rust "removal" products are phosphoric acid and certainly we "pickled" steel to clean in an acid.

It's the same chemistry that sees coins cleaned in Coke.

Clearly, once you've removed the rust, you need to clean the acid off it and protect it from further corrosion.

Personally I'd take the advice to buy a new chain. It'll even look like you cared about the bike

smoggysteve

I have used coke to clean carbon from gas parts on a rifle for many years at work. But its solid gunmetal. Leave said bits in an acid solution for too long and it eats it away. If it can do that to a weapon it will bugger up a chain in no time. Just use oil. Thats what its designed for.

mamba80

SmoggySteve wrote:

I have used coke to clean carbon from gas parts on a rifle for many years at work. But its solid gunmetal. Leave said bits in an acid solution for too long and it eats it away. If it can do that to a weapon it will bugger up a chain in no time. Just use oil. Thats what its designed for.

Aside and a Genuine question, what part of a modern weapon is made from gunmetal (basically bronze) ?

smoggysteve

mamba80 wrote:

SmoggySteve wrote:

I have used coke to clean carbon from gas parts on a rifle for many years at work. But its solid gunmetal. Leave said bits in an acid solution for too long and it eats it away. If it can do that to a weapon it will bugger up a chain in no time. Just use oil. Thats what its designed for.

Aside and a Genuine question, what part of a modern weapon is made from gunmetal (basically bronze) ?

I meant more the alloy weapons are made of ( not steel) and not gunmetal. Ill give you that. Should gave explained more but still it rusts like hell in a splash of rain water.

mamba80

SmoggySteve wrote:

mamba80 wrote:

SmoggySteve wrote:

I have used coke to clean carbon from gas parts on a rifle for many years at work. But its solid gunmetal. Leave said bits in an acid solution for too long and it eats it away. If it can do that to a weapon it will bugger up a chain in no time. Just use oil. Thats what its designed for.

Aside and a Genuine question, what part of a modern weapon is made from gunmetal (basically bronze) ?

I meant more the alloy weapons are made of ( not steel) and not gunmetal. Ill give you that. Should gave explained more but still it rusts like hell in a splash of rain water.

i dont wish to pick you up here but non steel alloys dont rust, a poorly maintained weapon will rust in the rain, very true but not one i have ever used.

smoggysteve

mamba80 wrote:

SmoggySteve wrote:

mamba80 wrote:

SmoggySteve wrote:

I have used coke to clean carbon from gas parts on a rifle for many years at work. But its solid gunmetal. Leave said bits in an acid solution for too long and it eats it away. If it can do that to a weapon it will bugger up a chain in no time. Just use oil. Thats what its designed for.

Aside and a Genuine question, what part of a modern weapon is made from gunmetal (basically bronze) ?

I meant more the alloy weapons are made of ( not steel) and not gunmetal. Ill give you that. Should gave explained more but still it rusts like hell in a splash of rain water.

i dont wish to pick you up here but non steel alloys dont rust, a poorly maintained weapon will rust in the rain, very true but not one i have ever used.

British army rifles (SA80 A2) are pretty crap when it comes to keeping it rust free. You need to oil it but too much just attracts dirt so in wet conditions they just go orange very quickly. Btw. Lots of metals rust or oxidise in contact with water or oxygen just to varying degrees so technically you are wrong.

Thick Mike

SmoggySteve wrote:

mamba80 wrote:

SmoggySteve wrote:

mamba80 wrote:

SmoggySteve wrote:

I have used coke to clean carbon from gas parts on a rifle for many years at work. But its solid gunmetal. Leave said bits in an acid solution for too long and it eats it away. If it can do that to a weapon it will bugger up a chain in no time. Just use oil. Thats what its designed for.

Aside and a Genuine question, what part of a modern weapon is made from gunmetal (basically bronze) ?

I meant more the alloy weapons are made of ( not steel) and not gunmetal. Ill give you that. Should gave explained more but still it rusts like hell in a splash of rain water.

i dont wish to pick you up here but non steel alloys dont rust, a poorly maintained weapon will rust in the rain, very true but not one i have ever used.

British army rifles (SA80 A2) are pretty crap when it comes to keeping it rust free. You need to oil it but too much just attracts dirt so in wet conditions they just go orange very quickly. Btw. Lots of metals rust or oxidise in contact with water or oxygen just to varying degrees so technically you are wrong.

Only iron rusts (rust is hydrated iron III oxide), other metals corrode.

smoggysteve

Thick Mike wrote:

SmoggySteve wrote:

mamba80 wrote:

SmoggySteve wrote:

mamba80 wrote:

SmoggySteve wrote:

I have used coke to clean carbon from gas parts on a rifle for many years at work. But its solid gunmetal. Leave said bits in an acid solution for too long and it eats it away. If it can do that to a weapon it will bugger up a chain in no time. Just use oil. Thats what its designed for.

Aside and a Genuine question, what part of a modern weapon is made from gunmetal (basically bronze) ?

I meant more the alloy weapons are made of ( not steel) and not gunmetal. Ill give you that. Should gave explained more but still it rusts like hell in a splash of rain water.

i dont wish to pick you up here but non steel alloys dont rust, a poorly maintained weapon will rust in the rain, very true but not one i have ever used.

British army rifles (SA80 A2) are pretty crap when it comes to keeping it rust free. You need to oil it but too much just attracts dirt so in wet conditions they just go orange very quickly. Btw. Lots of metals rust or oxidise in contact with water or oxygen just to varying degrees so technically you are wrong.

Only iron rusts (rust is hydrated iron III oxide), other metals corrode.

So you're saying rust isnt corrosion?

Thick Mike

SmoggySteve wrote:

Thick Mike wrote:

SmoggySteve wrote:

mamba80 wrote:

SmoggySteve wrote:

mamba80 wrote:

SmoggySteve wrote:

I have used coke to clean carbon from gas parts on a rifle for many years at work. But its solid gunmetal. Leave said bits in an acid solution for too long and it eats it away. If it can do that to a weapon it will bugger up a chain in no time. Just use oil. Thats what its designed for.

Aside and a Genuine question, what part of a modern weapon is made from gunmetal (basically bronze) ?

I meant more the alloy weapons are made of ( not steel) and not gunmetal. Ill give you that. Should gave explained more but still it rusts like hell in a splash of rain water.

i dont wish to pick you up here but non steel alloys dont rust, a poorly maintained weapon will rust in the rain, very true but not one i have ever used.

British army rifles (SA80 A2) are pretty crap when it comes to keeping it rust free. You need to oil it but too much just attracts dirt so in wet conditions they just go orange very quickly. Btw. Lots of metals rust or oxidise in contact with water or oxygen just to varying degrees so technically you are wrong.

Only iron rusts (rust is hydrated iron III oxide), other metals corrode.

So you're saying rust isnt corrosion?

No, rust is a form of corrosion that happens in metals that contain iron. Corrosion is the general term that applies to all metals.

All poodles are dogs, but not all dogs are poodles.

Thick Mike

SmoggySteve wrote:

Thick Mike wrote:

SmoggySteve wrote:

Thick Mike wrote:

SmoggySteve wrote:

mamba80 wrote:

SmoggySteve wrote:

mamba80 wrote:

SmoggySteve wrote:

I have used coke to clean carbon from gas parts on a rifle for many years at work. But its solid gunmetal. Leave said bits in an acid solution for too long and it eats it away. If it can do that to a weapon it will bugger up a chain in no time. Just use oil. Thats what its designed for.

Aside and a Genuine question, what part of a modern weapon is made from gunmetal (basically bronze) ?

I meant more the alloy weapons are made of ( not steel) and not gunmetal. Ill give you that. Should gave explained more but still it rusts like hell in a splash of rain water.

i dont wish to pick you up here but non steel alloys dont rust, a poorly maintained weapon will rust in the rain, very true but not one i have ever used.

British army rifles (SA80 A2) are pretty crap when it comes to keeping it rust free. You need to oil it but too much just attracts dirt so in wet conditions they just go orange very quickly. Btw. Lots of metals rust or oxidise in contact with water or oxygen just to varying degrees so technically you are wrong.

Only iron rusts (rust is hydrated iron III oxide), other metals corrode.

So you're saying rust isnt corrosion?

No, rust is a form of corrosion that happens in metals that contain iron. Corrosion is the general term that applies to all metals.

All poodles are dogs, but not all dogs are poodles.

So your saying all metals corrode?

No, not all metals corrode under normal circumstances, gold is very resistant to corrosion for example. But when metals react and form compounds, the general term is corrosion. Rusting applies specifically to iron when it reacts with oxygen.

Matthewfalle

Bead blast, ultra sonic clean or Wonder Wheels acid wheel cleaner will all do what you want.

Or good scrubbing with nail brush and Jizer.

Matthewfalle

May I also hazard a statement that working with weapons in the field may ever so slightly differ from a using them on the ranges and therefore I'd take Smoggy's comments more seriously than some geezer who worked in the laundry or had a summer job ...... just sayin' like.

keef66

How did that go so quickly from rusty chains to acid to firearms to metallurgy to dogs to personal abuse?? :shock:

Back on topic: when I've occasionally dumped the bike after a wet ride without wiping and lubing the chain, sometimes it goes a bit orange in places. Oiling the chain liberally with 3-in-1 oil or similar then running it through a cloth to remove the excess and most of the dirt and some of the rust will get it looking acceptable again most of the time. The rusty patches will at least look black anyway.

If it's jaffa orange end to end and squealing like piglets then a new chain will be the best way to tart it up for sale and at least make it look like you cared for it...

photonic69

...well that escalated quickly!!! :shock: :shock:

fudgey

Matthewfalle wrote:

Bead blast, ultra sonic clean or Wonder Wheels acid wheel cleaner will all do what you want.

Or good scrubbing with nail brush and Jizer.

Bead blast - really?

how are you going to get all the media out of the rollers etc?

seriously, all it needs is a bit of oil, and to be used.

Matthewfalle

Fudgey wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

Bead blast, ultra sonic clean or Wonder Wheels acid wheel cleaner will all do what you want.

Or good scrubbing with nail brush and Jizer.

Bead blast - really?

how are you going to get all the media out of the rollers etc?

seriously, all it needs is a bit of oil, and to be used.

Yup. And I'd get all the media (ie the big beads) out with a good scrub of Jizer and a compressor blast to dry it all off like you should do every time you clean your chain prior to re-lubing.

You do do that don't you? .

They are (relatively) big beads of glass - they are not going to get stuck anywhere.

fudgey

Matthewfalle wrote:

Fudgey wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

Bead blast, ultra sonic clean or Wonder Wheels acid wheel cleaner will all do what you want.

Or good scrubbing with nail brush and Jizer.

Bead blast - really?

how are you going to get all the media out of the rollers etc?

seriously, all it needs is a bit of oil, and to be used.

Yup. And I'd get all the media (ie the big beads) out with a good scrub of Jizer and a compressor blast to dry it all off like you should do every time you clean your chain prior to re-lubing.

You do do that don't you? .

They are (relatively) big beads of glass - they are not going to get stuck anywhere.

Well, obviously that all depends on what size media you use, what make your dog is and how big your gun is...
And no, i dont clean a chain like that.
I use Morgan Blue chain cleaner, wash it off, dry it and re oil it.
Funnily enough, i have never had any chain problems.

Matthewfalle

My dog is an average sized Saluki - sort of waist high. He's nice but daft. I wouldn't let him near any guns: he's probably try and lick them or something.

£9 a litre? Blimey dude, you must be rolling in it.

fudgey

Matthewfalle wrote:

My dog is an average sized Saluki - sort of waist high. He's nice but daft. I wouldn't let him near any guns: he's probably try and lick them or something.

£9 a litre? Blimey dude, you must be rolling in it.

I bought a 5l bottle of it last year for not much more than that.

mamba80

Matthewfalle wrote:

May I also hazard a statement that working with weapons in the field may ever so slightly differ from a using them on the ranges and therefore I'd take Smoggy's comments more seriously than some geezer who worked in the laundry or had a summer job ...... just sayin' like.

yeah you d be correct normally but the guy banded about the term Gunmetal in his argument, an alloy that hasnt been used in gun manufacture for well over a 100 years, then i d say no.

as for cleaning a chain with nail brush and jizz..... the mind boggles :shock: