Cleaning up the inside of a steel seat tube?

[sastusbulbas]

Hi all,

Just wondering what some of you guys do with the insides of steel frames? Looking for any tips on cleaning out a little rust and old alloy post oxidisation, and getting it all squeeky shiny clean inside.

My Fat Chance Buckshaver had a seized seat pin, I managed to remove this by carefully cutting slots in the old post and doing the rolling thing without marking the frame, though a little bit of paint came off the edging of the seat tube :roll:

Anyway, as I thought this was due to the alloy seat post getting moved up and down too much, not getting re-greased, and oxidising.
The inside of this frame's seat tube has a little surface rust at the bottom, and a little oxidised alloy stuck where the seat tube was bonded.

Now I was wondering what you guys have used to clean up a little oxidised alloy from a steel frame?

And what about removing the little bit of rust at the bottom, and rustproofing?

I was thinking of a round headed soft wire brush (or plastic) like you get for bottles, but where can I get such with a 20" or so long handle?

And has anyone used such to polish the inside of a steel seat tube?

Thanks,
Steve

 

[fizztin]

!!!!!!!!!!

 

[pete_mcc]

FISTIN!!!!!!!!!!

Cool, we've got our own school holiday troll. How can you be bored already, you're 16 and the school hols have only started, go on, get outside on your wheelie shoes and dis' your mum to your mates and leave this site to the square oldies. Back to MBUK with you, you special gibble.

Must be careful, if I spend too long writing this message I may get in trouble for 'grooming' you because of your age

 

[pete_mcc]

Oh and to answer the question, use a broomstick with wet and dry, a can of WD40 and a bottle of this (in that order):

http://shop.18bikes.co.uk/products.php? ... FRAMESAVER)_Framesaver_WORKSHOP_Framesaver

 

[messiah]

Same as above with the broomstick and emery paper - but before that I had to use a file to remove the worst of the rust... I bought it cheap... previos owner didn't look after it.

It was worth the effort as I can get the seatpost all the way into the frame when I want to...

:!:

 

[Max P]

I use a variation on the broomstick but find a narrow stick or dowel rod works better - gaffer tape a Scotchbrite pad to the end rolled around the stick and soak the lot in WD40 or similar. Just slide it up and down and rotate - repeating with new solution.

 

[Andy R]

Same as above really, but I tend to use a piece of dowel with the end slotted to take a strip of abrasive folded double, and run it in a drill at low speed. Some WD40 or diesel makes it a lot more effective.

 

[one-eyed_jim]

The best tool for the job is a Flex Hone:

http://www.pacehigh.co.uk/pages/default ... ageID=626&

http://www.billys.co.uk/english/group.p ... m-flexhone

but a bit of dowel and some wet and dry generally works too.

 

[sastusbulbas]

Hi all,

Thanks for all teh advice, those de-burring brushes look quie usefull.

Didn't need any of that as it was not as bad as it looked.

I used a fine D file to remove the oxidised alloy, which came away quite easily (there was not that much).

I used a long plastic bottle brush on an 18" extension and a drill, and with a little liquid metal polish I used this to clean inside the seat pin, it worked quite well.

It had to be something very flexible due to the sealed bosses within the Fats seat tube, now all I need is to rust proof the tube, as there is a very minimal bit of rust at the bottom.

Steve

 

[fizztin]

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