removing rust from rack, grab rail

Hi All,

I've posted in the "engine" forum regarding a possible restoration of a KZ400 i recently picked up, but am posting here about....

RUST

the bike came with a rack (somewhat rusted up) that i want to clean up and put on a different bike (a KZ305 -my current ride)....

i'd say that ~60-70% of the surface is rusted (the other 30% or so is still "chrome").....

what is the best way to approach this rust??

- steel wool? (to hopefully retain the chrome)?
- sand the HECK out of it, and just repaint?
- are there ways to get things "re-chromed" (though i suspect that this is a little $$)

thanks...

prime

look on fleabay though hard to find if you want chrome.

imo its a very small part and not really worth the time or money to rechrome. i would just sand it down and paint it my accent color.

as far as restoring the chrome, if theres any suface damage/pitting forget it.
once it rusts through the chrome the chrome is history.

if its light rust and kinda looks like rusty tarnish you can polish it using two step polishing(brown compound and buffing wheel then white rouge on a different buffing wheel).

Spray with WD-40 and then scrub with steel wool. If that doesn't work then you can try something else like sanding and repainting. It is worth a try at least.

can you post a picture so we can get a better idea how bad the rust actually is? that would make it easier for sugestions

hi....

thanks for the suggestions....

yeah, i'm not looking to spend a lot of $ on this, so the W-D 40 idea (with steal wool) sounds like the RIGHT first step....

i'm attaching a picture here, not sure it will load up though....

I have used SOS pads on rusty parts. Works well. If it is bad pitted rust though , you may have to do more.

ok, any suggestions on how i upload a picture???

thanks....

try resizing it in windows paint 600 x 800

then to post click the [img]button/browse/submit

Post edited by: mykznme, at: 2006/01/01 11:20

A couple tips on rust removal for items like this.

Tip 1: Works great on small items.
Buy some Tile & Grout Cleaner at Home Depot, put your rack in a plastic tub and pour the cleaner on it. Wipe it now and then and the rust will get eaten away, but not the good metal. When it's done rinse it with clean water, dry it, and apply a good wax to it. I did my grab bars this way last year and they look almost new. At this point all it needs is some chrome polish to bring it back to looking new.

Tip 2: *Disclaimer* I have not tried this, but heard about it..
Use a crumpled wad of aluminum foil and coca-cola. Rub the rack and see what happens. It should get rid of the rust.

thanks for the grout idea....

here is a pic (i think! - thanks for the "resize" suggestion)

or this???

well, i've resized it down to ~200x300 now....
[img size=150] [img size=150]