I have a beach cruiser that I am trying to sell but it has a lot of rust on the metal. The metal is not top quality so it gets a little rusty.
Anyone have any recommendations on the best way to remove rust off cheap metal??
I would say sandpaper, but wasn't sure if there are better methods out there.
Thanks, G
I just use sandpaper. A quick google search found this --
From http://www.instructables.com/id/E8OZU0HSV8ET2JXM9U/
- To strip bike frames completely I use brush–on (not aerosol) Aircraft Stripper. With the brush on variety you can load it on, let it dry and get almost all the paint off in an hour or so. Be careful though, this stuff is EXTREMELY TOXIC!
- If you only want to sand down the current paint, my favorite method is to use 180grit wet/dry sandpaper. I keep a bucket next to me and rinse off the paper when its starts to clog with old paint. The wet sanding cuts through the paint pretty quick but it still takes awhile.
I think I'd stick with the sandpaper over something that toxic. Awesome. Thanks for the tips!
You should be able to find a local place that does sandblasting: it's the same thing as sandpaper, but instead of using paper to apply the sand, they use high-pressure air. This will clean all the rust off, leaving it ready to be painted and be good as new, and it works much better than sandpaper, especially on complex/intricate shapes. Ask any machine/welding shop for a reference to somebody who can do this.
As soon as possible after being sandblasted, use a good primer spray paint, then a couple expertly applied coats of glossy spray paint, and you'll get a whole lot more money for that bike.
If your looking to do it cheaply though, just leave it outside on a hot day, sand the rust back to bare metal and spray it with a glossy spray paint. It may not exactly be the proper or professional way to do it, but if its rusted already, the original paint cant have been very good in the first place.
I would not sand the rust off unless I planned to immediately paint it. If you just sand it off, in a week you'll have an even bigger mess on your hands. You would need to seal it with paint, wax or something.
Talk to an auto detailing shop and ask what they would use to clean off the rust and preserve as much of the original finish as possible , or google auto detailing products. Then get a small bottle of it at an auto or motorcycle shop. They make some great cleaning products these days. Motorcycle shops are a great source for metal polishing supplies. I use this stuff called Metpol. It's a resealable can of metal polish impregnated cotton. You pinch out a wad of the cotton and work the surface in a small swirling pattern. Works great, takes rust off chrome and leaves the chrome or aluminum shiney.
| jwellsy wrote: |
| clean off the rust and preserve as much of the original finish as possible |
Impossible, unless the rust is only in very localized patches, and even then you'll have a very hard time matching new paint to the old.
Much better and easier to just re-do the whole paint job.The OP states the rust is on the metal parts, which to me implies the non painted parts. I also got the impression that that he wanted the quick and cheapest thing to do. A total teardown, paint job and rebuild is not very cost effective just to get rid of the bike. Clean the rust off the chrome and bare metal parts, wax the paint and it will be good to go. To give the chrome and bare metal parts a coat of krylon will look terrible.
