Fixing Rusty Spots

Reader Mail!

Adam,

   Enough with the weird bike b*ll sh*t, get to some building or wrenching posts.

Sincerely, 

    Fredo, Delaware

Always great to hear from my fans. Fredo, you are in luck because I just picked up a steel 29er SS frame with a couple rust spots. Here's what you do to remove unsightly rust and keep your bike smooth and clean:

1. Examine Rust - Yep, it's rust. This bike has a lot of paint chips and dings. I'm addressing four of the largest areas that are rusting badly so it won't get any worse. 

Inside the fork

Inside the chainstay

2. Sand the rust away -  It's important to make sure all rust is gone, even at the cost of some paint. Any rust you miss will eventually peel off the new paint.

Inside the fork

Chainstay

3. Primer - This is important because the pain will stick better if it's properly primed. These are some hard to get to areas, especially without getting paint all over the rest of the bike. Paint carefully!

Primer and paint selection

Primed inside fork

4. Paint - After the primer is dry, hit it with a few layers of paint. I like to put on the early layers more thin, and then increase thickness as I go. The last layers should be the thickest to get a good sheen.

Inside fork

Chainstay

  The paint came out of the can a little... splattery for some reason, so this doesn't have an ideal finish. For the purpose of protecting the frame from further rust, it will work great.

5. Admire - I'm pleased with how this came out. I predict that this paint will last many rides!

Keep an eye out for more updates as this frame build shapes up.