Springhill Cycle Collection - Cleaning rust from plated parts

As I get older, I often wonder about whether there is a smarter way of doing things.  I look back on the way I have done things in the past and cringe.  The old saying that 'a man who never made mistakes, never made a thing' is certainly true.  We all make mistakes and the on the workbench is no different. There is nothing that beats learning by experience.

What is the best method for cleaning rust from plated bicycle parts? Anyone who has tried to restore an old steel bicycle will have come across this problem. I have to say from the out set, or get go, (US English), I am not a fan, or advocate, of the wire wheel in the bench grinder as a first resort. I cringe at the 'experts' on Youtube who confidently reach for the bench grinder first.

My approach to dealing with rusty parts has changed over time. Years ago I used a knife blade to scrape across the rust to remove the surface crust before treating the part with aluminium foil and Autosol or something similar. The problem is that the rust was never completely removed and always came back, so the option always seemed to be the most permanent was the expensive one of re-plating. Is there any method of tackling the rust which will not damage the plated finish or painted finish of the part?

Well I have to say, I have found a method that works. The problem of any restoration is balance. Do you destroy the original finish or do you have to refinish the part to preserve it? Is it financially viable to re-plate?

I have found a product that will clean rust from parts. It is bio-degradeable and non toxic. It was developed for NASA and is called Evaporust.  I had a problem trying to get my hands on some, because the UK supplier didn't supply the whole of the UK. My order was cancelled on ebay. So I had to get my initial order from Ireland. Slightly more expensive but delivery was not a problem and Kevin couldn't have been more helpful and friendly. The chemical is not cheap, but it is very effective.

I have used it to clean various parts, in various states of decay, to see how it coped. It works very well on plated parts and japanned parts. I can see how it can be used to restore a complete bicycle preserving the original finish. It does not prevent the part starting to rust again. Evaporust does have a product which will prevent rust again for up to 12 months, but I haven't seen this for sale outside the US. I have just wiped the parts over with WD40 after washing in soapy water, once they came out of the chemical. The cleaned parts are stored in airtight containers.

The one caveat that I would say is, I tried it to clean parts off an old Claud Butler bike which had been stored in damp and less than ideal conditions prior to purchase. There was a heavily corroded lamp bracket on the front fork. I put that in Evapo-rust and it cleaned a lot of the rust off, however there were several areas of pitting in the surface which still had rust. I attacked this with a brass brush and then put the part back into the solution. 24 hours is usually sufficient to clean parts, but the lamp bracket took a week and repeated use of the brass brush to dissolve the rust. I treated it with several coats of Kurust once clean. It should prevent further deterioration. I would not use Evaporust for heavily rusted parts again. It is no criticism of the product, I just find it is expecting too much of it. I would use another method to clean heavily rusted parts which I will detail in another blog post. The photos show some before and after shots and other parts that have been cleaned.

I have no connection to the manufacturers of Evaporust or their agents, other than as a satisfied customer. Any of the product I have used, I have purchased myself.