Rust remover

Anyone have a good rust remover for chrome? My bike sat for 8yrs and the header is rusted. It was new whein I parked it but moisture got to it. I'd rather try and clean it up with some rust remover and see what kind of shape they are in.

Practically anything along the lines of el-cheapo "Naval Jelly" you can get at auto and hardware stores will do ya there.

Get yourself a bag of fine steel wool and a set of rubber gloves.

Goop it up, let it stand awhile - 10-15 mintes or so and start scrubbing with steel wool. May take several apps to get the full effect.

The active stuff in 'Navel Jelly' is phosphoric acid. Home depot has added it to the paint section in the last 12 months. Approx $18/gallon. Way cheaper than those 4 oz bottles of "it's a miracle, the rust is gone" crap.

Clean it real well. If the pits are small the phosphoic acid will form iron phosphate at the pit. It's brittle and easily knocked off, but while it's there the rust won't spread.

del

JMKZHI wrote:

I treated one of the pipes w phosphoric acid from HomeDepot - bad idea - trust me. hee. JMK.

JMK's got a point there; if saving the remaining chrome appeals to you, skip the phosphoric.

Rust works through the crystal structure of the metal at a microscopic level before it's even noticeable. The phosphoric would follow the rust trail right under remaining chrome, leaving it not a whole lot to hang on to.

Doesn't hurt anything to try JMK's way first - then go the phosphoric route if you aren't satisfied... :dry: