advice on dealing with frame nicks and rust

[geardad]

I have a chro-moly Trek hybrid which has a few nicks here and there.

most of the nics are in the paint; some go thru to the metal.

Now, for this bike I am not concerned about cosmetics, but function, safety, and long life of the machine.

I wonder if, for the nicks that go to the metal whether spot steel-wooling them or sandpapering until I see shiny metal, then painting the area with something like Rustoleum would be an effective way to stop/prevent rust there, and to restore a protective coating to the metal.

Like I say, costmetics aren't important; I'm primarily concerned with protecting the metal and enhancing the frame's useful life.

thanks!

gd

 

[kdelong]

This is a good idea if all that you want to do is protect th material. For small nicks and scratches, I have always spot sanded to shiny metal and feathered the paint, put on a coat of gray priner, and then put model paint on it.

Right now, though, I have two bikes that have a three part paint job. A base white coat, a metal flake coat over that, and then a clear coat on top of that. I'm waiting for a cool, dry, calm weekend that is not a good weekend to ride!

 

[capwater]

Nail polish. WalMart has a plethora of colors cheap.

 

[geardad]

hmmmm...that sounds like a clever idea, but I wonder if nail polish has what it takes to stay stuck to metal and existing bike paint the way something like Rustoleum would?

although I have heard that modern nail polishes are pretty tough...

and maybe Rustoleum isn't the ideal for bike touch up, either? Anyone know if there's a product out there for touching up bike nicks with an emphasis on rust control and metal protection?

gd

 

[John M]

hmmmm...that sounds like a clever idea, but I wonder if nail polish has what it takes to stay stuck to metal and existing bike paint the way something like Rustoleum would?

although I have heard that modern nail polishes are pretty tough...

and maybe Rustoleum isn't the ideal for bike touch up, either? Anyone know if there's a product out there for touching up bike nicks with an emphasis on rust control and metal protection?

gd

auto touch-up paint that you can get at any auto parts supply store works great and dries to a glossy finish. there are lots of colors/shades available so you can get something pretty close to most bike colors. usually comes with a little applicator brush, too. I do the steel wool thing to get the rust off and to smooth things out and then touch-up with the auto paint. I don't think a primer coat is that critical for small areas.

 

[dekindy]

I had the same question and found this information on the Serotta forum.

Never having used these materials, it is amazing that the fine grit wet/dry feels more like you are polishing than sanding. But it definitely takes down the bumps in the touchup and along with the rubbing compound creates a smooth waxable surface. Knowing what I do now, I probably would not use any rougher than 1500 grit on any of these steps.

I found the rubbing compound, the fine grit wet/dry (1000, 15000, 2000), the tube of clear at my local auto parts store.

Here are the things I will watch out for next time:

1. sand chip lightly before applying any paint.
2. clean area with recommended or other solvent before applying paint.
3. mix paint as thoroughly as possible to get best match.
4. don't sand any more area than is necessary.


Use this procedure for long scratches and for large chips.
1. Use 1000 grit paper and wet-sand the scratch and the area around it. Make sure to use lots of water when sanding. This keeps scratching to a minimum.
2. Use DuPont Prepsol to clean wax off before touch-up.
3. Using microbrush and liberal amounts of paint, touch up the full-length of the scratch. As soon as the paint drys (10 minutes) do another coat. Repeat until you have done sufficient coats to have built a small mound of paint over the length of the scratch.
4. Let dry for 24 hours.
5. Now wet-sand the touched up surface with 1500 grit wet sandpaper. Sand in a front to rear motion since that's the direction the car is painted with, hence: you're going with the grain of the paint. Sand until you have eliminated the mound and any touchup paint outside of the scratch.
6. Clean area thoroughly and let dry.
7. Take a clean microbrush and begin to apply the clearcoat to the area. Don't be afraid to be liberal with it and don't try and keep the clearcoat within the scratch area. Apply approximately 3-4 coats, again until there is a small mound. Let it set and completely dry for 4-5 days.
8. Now, wet sand with 2000 grit wet sand paper. You will begin to see the clearcoated scratch blend into the rest of the paint - thus disappearing. (It produces a very gratifying feeling!

 

[WIGGUM1]

auto touch-up paint that you can get at any auto parts supply store works great and dries to a glossy finish. there are lots of colors/shades available so you can get something pretty close to most bike colors. usually comes with a little applicator brush, too. I do the steel wool thing to get the rust off and to smooth things out and then touch-up with the auto paint. I don't think a primer coat is that critical for small areas.

auto touch up paint is the way to go. you are only trying to preserve the life of the bike, dont waste your time sanding and priming. for my commuter, i went and bought foam that wraps around plumbing pipes. I wrapped it around the top tube that comes in greatest contact with bike racks, costs about $3.

 

[kdelong]

I did the same thing when I used a bike rack. After the fourth time, I got tired of wrapping the bike, so I wrapped the rack and kept it in place with tape. Now I own a pickup and an in-the-bed rack that secures the fork. Everything up front locks up and I run a locked cable through the rear wheels to keep them off of someone elses bike .