Nothing kills the look of a bike like chrome parts that have rust on them. If the rust is straight thru the metal, it is already too late. Same thing goes if the chrome as started to flake. But it doesn't hurt to try. A very good friend gave me some fenders for my cruiser and I was half an inch from painting them flat black to match the frame. Then I thought, "Let's see if they would look good all cleaned up" before doing a no-turning-back move like that. If you look at the last pic, you'll realize, I think, that I did the right thing. Here's how I did it:
First you'll need some steel wool, I used a fine one for this job since the rust was not that bad. No need to scratch the metal too hard for nothing.
Second you'll need some metal polish to lubricate, and polish while you rub with the steel wool. Liquid polish works better for me.
Lastly, you'll need a clean rag to buff out everything after you've removed the rust. Mine is pretty dirty, but works great.
Rub the metal-polish-loaded steel wool on the part until you see the brown rust pits vanish. Don't do a circular motion, go in a back-and-forth motion instead to match the length of the part. Circular scratches will show even if they are very small.
Once you've made all the rusty spots go away, take your polishing rag, a clean cotton t-shirt can do the job, and buff the piece until you are happy with the result.
You can always finish with a regular application of metal polish without the steel wool after you're done.
Nicely polished chrome parts will always make any bike look good, even my flat-black-rattle-can painted cruiser. I can't leave this locked anywhere now! It will definitely sleep in the house starting today.
Until next time, ride safe.
Gerry
58 comments:
i like bronze or brass wool. it doesn't scratch as much. there's the grocery store variety for doing dishes and the hardware store variety for refinishing wood. brass bristled brushes are nice too.
ben
Hey there, I googled 'remove rust from chrome', and found a page that advised using aluminium foil, wetting it down and balling it up, then rubbing that across the frame. I tried it on a 1982 (25y.o) Apollo BMX that had been abused it's whole life, and it came up like new, with no scratching.
Now I'm curious, I'll have to try that aluminium foil trick. Thanks for the info and keep posted.
Gerry
I just tried the aluminum foil ( I wet it and folded it over a few times to avoid hard edges) on my rust speckled '69 handlebars and they look absolutely perfect now. Like shiny new chrome.
WOW I just tried the Alum,. Foil trick on my chrome running boards on my car,,,,they look like new.....they were in such bad shape was considering buying a new pair ,instead I'll just get some more foil :) ...thanks for the tip, really appreciate the info & the site....any tips on fixiing a few spots that are splitting & ready to flake? Thanks again!!!
Just tried the alum trick and OMG it works a treat and not expensive.
Give it a try folks and bee surprised.
And thank you for the great tip.
Or...if you can get ahold of a can of wd-40 you could just fix your whole bike!!! It lubricates, displaces moister (to prevent rust in the first place), it tackles rust to get rid of it, easy to get rid of thick friction marks or if you have a small child that likes to draw, it will get crayon and other writing tools out of your way, doesn't ruin paint either! My opinion is wd-40 could just fix the whole world. Seeing is beleiving.
Yes WD-40 can do all those things. BUT, it has no talent at being a long term lubricant. Try it on a bike chain and you will see what I mean. Great to prevent rust but not so for long term application. My 2 cents.
It's also great at removing permanent marker graffiti from smooth surfaces.
Gerry
That's right. The one thing WD-40 is not, is a lubricant. It will actually form into a varnish like coating in time.
But. This can also be useful.
There is a product called Frame Saver. You pour it into your frame to protect the inside of your steel frame from rusting. WD-40 can be used as a poor man's version of this. Just spray it into the inside of your frame tubes and in time it will form into a varnish coating that will help protect your frame from rust. Great stuff when you use it properly.
Cool aluminum trick, works incredibly well.
THANKZ!
I used alum foil on the small rust pits on my '60 Jaguar's S7 rims. They look brand new!
Aluminum foil and water works great!
toothbrush and toothpaste work fabulously
Woops --- I should have read the following comments ------ you already know about the foil --- ISN'T IT GREAT? I've been telling everyone!
WD-40
Name means
Water Displacement on the 40TH try at the formula.
I did the aluminium foil and water trick on my 1987 motorcycle chrome. OMG excellent. Thanks for the tip.
I've been using wadded up alum foil and water to clean oven and bbq grills for years. Also cleans the glass on the gas bbq too! We love it!
In the 60's my dad always used aluminum foil and coca-cola to clean the chrome on our car.
WOW! So much info! Thanks guys. I just bought an antique bike for my son. The lady had been using it as a decoration in her garden! (What the...?) I was wondering how on earth I was going to remove all that rust but now I actually have some hope. Thanks again!
Hey! I'm fixing up a '70s CCM Elite 5 speed lady's cruiser that I found in the garbage; there is a bunch of rust, but especially on the handlebars and brakes. I removed the rust, but the chrome has began to bubble and crack in some places. Is there a way to prevent rust from reappearing and spreading? May be some kind of varnish or clear finish?
Thanks!
P.S. Gerry, thanks for all this bike info on your blogs! The step by step visual instructions are really awesome!
Unfortunately capitan, there is no remedy to chrome pitting. You might want to dab it a little with oil to prevent rust, just don't forget to re-apply at some point.
Congrats on a nice save.
It's a pleasure for me to provide the bike information.
Gerry :)
I just tried the Aluminum Foil trick on a piece of Vintage chrome Furniture...WOW! I've been cleaning old chrome furniture for years with Old no 7, lots of exertion and lots of time. In 10 minutes the foil cleaned up a table that would have taken me 3 hours (If it ever came clean at all). Thanks so much for the tip
I thought this was some mean trick but it really worked! So glad!!
y Hi Gerry. You sound like a guy who respects an old bike and sentimental value when you see one. I was wondering, i got a 12 speed road bike for free from the side of the road. You may even very well be aware of this model. It is a 1980's Supercycle Medalist Series 2 road bike. Supercycle is a terrible name now but made great bikes back then. However, i have terrible pitting on the front rim, only about a 5 inch section of chromed rim. Do you know of anyone who has this specific bike and would be willing to part or sell one of his/her rims to me? The rim must be not pitted obviously. I'm going to say at least polishable without removing the chrome. The back rim i polished beautifully with steel wool, it has a blue tinge. Just as chromium plating should look like. If you know anyone who has this specific bike rim, please contact me at efabrizio@3web.com It is a Sun Wheels make rim. 27 by 1 1/4 inch rim. It must be the rim from a Supercycle Medalist Series 2 bike, the original bike, not the new Medalist, got it? Thanks alot man. I'm glad there are still people like you who are willing to restore old bicycles. I am 15 by the way, so my friends give me lots of flak for "trying" to restore a "shitty old" bike. They love those "heavyweight" mountain bikes.Thanks alot. Thanks, really!
Hey Matt, glad to hear that you caught the bike bug. Sad thing is, there is no cure for it. But who cares about such frivolous things, enjoy your new addiction fully. Supercycle was made by CCM by the way. So if you find an old CCM road bike with the same size wheel, it should be an exact replacement for what you have. I'll keep my eyes open and if I find anything, I'll contact you.
Gerry :)
UnREAL!!! My Harley sat in the Humid Garage in Florida for Three Years. I spend hours and hours with Mothers Chrome and Aluuminum Polish...scrubbed and scrubed with a little success but you could still see some of the rust and corrosion. Ready to buy $1,000 worth of new parts, I found your sight thru GOOGLE. The wet Aluminum Foil took of the Rust AND Corrosion with very little effort!
...And instantly...Thank you so much!!!
Mike
Tampa, FL
Hey Mike, I'm real glad we were able to bring the shine back to your HOG on a budget.
Gerry :)
who the hell is that guy adverting about WD-40. Sounded like he was actually a spokesperson for WD-40. Or a bot. Whatever one. If all he's going to do is boast and praise talk WD-40 and nothing to contribute, don't waste valuable bandwidth. You know the guy (Gerry) running this site has a limited bandwidth? He can't have it crapped out with no-good advertisements for WD-40!!
Hey actually, i think that fcuker is a bot. Why the fcuk would he voluntarily post a message about WD-40 at 1:47AM? What the fcuk is that? Stupid piece of tish! Ban his or "their" IP adress. Fcuk!
This website kicks ass dude keep it up im 17 form new zealand and i hav learnt so much about my bmx i never take it to the bike shop any more saved me some big dollarz.
CHeers
Helpimg bikers from all creed and from all over the world. That was my intent and I am glad that I'm on target.
Gerry :)
Aloha from Oahu ~
Lots of rust here on everything!
Found this site searching for something to clean chrome base/legs of leather recliner.
Will try the wet foil - (also need help with the leather seat and back of the chair) - -
THANK YOU for the wonderful tip of wet foil - will let you know :)jean
After viewing your tip and thinking it too good to be true, I nevertheless wadded up some aluminum foil, stuck it in water, rubbed on my 1980 Schwinn, and Voila! Bike is now looking beautiful. Thanks so much for that tip and your site.
Just a note on WD-40.
There is a better product out there.
It's called "PLID":
http://www.ship-2-shore.com/plid.htm
It works great for keeping cables in good shape, and for breathing new life into old parts.
I saturated an abrasive kitchen sponge with WD40 to clean a chrome toothbrush holder in my bathroom. It completely erased the rust spots and is sparkling new!
3 Cheers to bikes!!
Hurray, all you eco-friendly people!! :D
hey i used clorox wipes on my bike 2 years ago so how i get that kind of rust off.
I'll have to try that.
Thanks for sharing.
Gerry :)
thanks you all so much for the aluminum foil trick! It worked wonders for me!
My 8 year old step sister needs a new bike and the city we live in has an annual bike swap...they put you in categories depending on the condition of your bike...hers looked like someone had painted it brown! It was horrible but now I think she will be placed in a MUCH better category thus a much nicer bike :)
Took a lot of elbow grease but it was worth it. Thank you all again!
Man this post keeps helping people every day! Glad it helped.
Gerry :)
2 years ago, I purchased an Iverson 3-wheel bicycle at a yard sale and my wife wanted to restore it. Well, nothing has been done, so I decided to make it a project this summer. Of course there's a lot of rust and I'm going to try the aluminum foil on chrome trick. Thanks for the info.
I'm posting to say "Thank You" for the aluminum foil and water/coke trick. I was totally blown away at it's effectiveness. My bike is the 2year weathered Iverson. Thanks to all.
I am another "thanks for the foil and water trick"
WOW.
I had brass foil and a wirebrush.
the wet foil won hands down.
I wonder if it has to do with the fact that they are dissimilar metals. cause the aluminium foil crumbles pretty quickly.
I begged and begged till my dad gave me the old 1956 Schwinn that was doing nothing but furiously rusting on his back patio. It is complete with the two old brrrrringgg brrrringggg bells, the wire basket on front and the flat thing that snaps your stuff in place on the back. The whole bike is rusted, but I love it. My bike-riding husband shook his head when I pulled it out of the back of my car. I'll probably have to order white-wall tire replacements online... Anyhoo, yours was the first sight on Google for removing rust... My wadded up foil and I are heading out to the garage to work some magic! Thanks, whoever you are!
Hey everyone: I had recently purchased a 1985 Puch Cavalier 10 speed road bike. It rides really great, especially when going uphills. It just had some rust on the handlebars. First I used sandpaper to get off the rough spots. I then used CLR to clean off the rust and it really works. It really cleaned my handlebars and wheels and it looks like brand new. Next, to polish it , I used Brasso metal polish to give it a cleaning and polishing touch. Finally, I used Rustoleom to give a final touch. Now my bike has no rust at all, and I feel so happy to look at it and ride it as well. Trust me, if you really want that rust off your bike, use CLR, before using the Brasso metal polish. It really works.
Hey everyone: I had recently purchased a 1985 Puch Cavalier 10 speed road bike. It rides really great, especially when going uphills. It just had some rust on the handlebars. First I used sandpaper to get off the rough spots. I then used CLR to clean off the rust and it really works. It really cleaned my handlebars and wheels and it looks like brand new. Next, to polish it , I used Brasso metal polish to give it a cleaning and polishing touch. Finally, I used Rustoleom to give a final touch. Now my bike has no rust at all, and I feel so happy to look at it and ride it as well. Trust me, if you really want that rust off your bike, use CLR, before using the Brasso metal polish. It really works.
i just used aluminium foil on my 1984 mongoose expert wich was very rusty and WOW!!!!!!
$150.00 On polishing and cleaning equipment...Minimum result
$1.49 On Alum foil...WOW
Look on face after use - Priceless...
Thanks heaps!!!
aluminum foil works amazingly!
Well I'll be.. Tried the foil as suggested and needless to say i am gobsmacked.
Well done and thanks for helping bring my bike back to life.
Joe
I have a Triumph Bonnie and many of the chrome parts were badly rusted. Spent long hours polishing to try and fix it - hopeless. Was all set to have them rechromed and/or replaced.
Blundered onto this site and read about alufoil and water and thought its ridiculous but what the hell lets give it go.
Did it work?
Was it quick? (seconds not hours).
Was it easy?
HELL YEAH!!!!!!!
That is truly seriously amazing. I am so grateful for the advice.
GOOD ON YOU!!!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!!
Hello,
Yes the aluminum foil trick works well,
however I am trying to remove a load of rust
from an 80s roadbike frame. I used to foil and water
trick which removed a lot of the normal red brown
rust, but now there is a lot black marks left behind,
almost looks worse than the red rust... I'm not
totally sure, but it seems like the more I scrub it
with foil, the more little black marks appear..?!
Also, its hard to tell if they are sitting above or below the surface of the chrome itself. Any tips how to counteract these black bits all over the frame?
Many thanks
I don't know if you can get it in the USA, but in NZ we have a product called Fisholene, which is made out of, gosh, I don't know, but it sure smells like FISH! This is the ultimate long-term rust protector for non-touch areas like the interior of bike frames. Non-touch because it remains permanently sticky to the touch.
Obviously, it's just fish oil and pretty much any fish oil would do the same. Of course, it can be embarrassing cycling down the road pursued by a couple of dozen hungry cats but you get used to it.
I read somewhere that WD40 contains fish oil.
Gerry :)
I tried the steel wool trick and it worked great. when I was done with the steel wool I went back and tried the aluminum foil trick on the minor stuff that I could not get with the steel wool and found it is better to use with cola than it is with water. By the way I am redoing the chrome on a 1981 Kawasaki CSR 350 motorcycle that sat in my grandpas barn for about 21 years
ALUMINUM FOIL - absolutely a great tip!!! Tried it on my son's bike which I got used and now it looks like new!
O M G!!! I cannot believe how incredible the aluminum foil with water worked! I just made my 10+ year old bike look like new! I cannot thank you enough!!!
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