Re: [CR] FrameSaver vs. Hydrogen Embrittlement

(Example: Framebuilders:Cecil Behringer)

In-Reply-To: <122820051940.5606.43B2EA1900028F92000015E62207300033CE0D909F09@comcast.net>
References: <122820051940.5606.43B2EA1900028F92000015E62207300033CE0D909F09@comcast.ne t>
Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2005 12:13:59 -0800
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
From: "Jan Heine" <heine93@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [CR] FrameSaver vs. Hydrogen Embrittlement


To get acids out of the tubes, WD-40 is great, as it displaces the acids. On the main tubes, I'd use plain water first (with some dish soap), followed by WD-40 to displace the water. Frame Saver only after it's had a good flush and is all dry. On the fork, I'd be tempted to fill it with water, drain it, then heat it in the oven (if it fits) to evaporate all the water, then proceed as above.

And yes, those acids are nasty. Stripping a tandem frame (de-chroming, which is the same process as plating, except the polarity is reversed), acid seeped through invisible perforations in a very rusty triangulation tube. All looked fine (this one doesn't have vent holes), until a year later, when the paint started bubbling. It'll need a new tube and new paint.

And don't powdercoat it. The coating often does not stick well to the frame after a while, and I have heard you will get rust underneath, invisible, but no less destructive. To me, the perfect paint is one that chips in small pieces (if it chips at all), rather than losing its bond to the metal. I have seen custom paint jobs where the paint is harder than its bond to the surface, and when it comes off, it sort of peels.

You may need to repaint again in 35 years, but it's a small price to pay. (Plus, I favor originality, and to me, a Cinelli looks right only with very thin paint...) -- Jan Heine, Seattle Editor/Publisher Vintage Bicycle Quarterly c/o Il Vecchio Bicycles 140 Lakeside Ave, Ste. C Seattle WA 98122 http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com