- Now rust is a terrible thing.
Once it appears, you know you're in trouble.
It's not just gonna disappear or fall off magically,
nope none of that.
It's not that common these days on modern bikes,
modern pieces of equipment,
but it can still happen.
Well, maybe in fact, you've got an old part
that you're trying to restore to its formal glory.
Let's see if we can combat it.
So, how can we actually get rid of rust?
Well, you can try keeping your bike
clean and dry at all times.
Not that practical though for those of us
who like to ride a bike, is it?
Especially if you ride it a lot.
However, today we're gonna see
if we've got two products that are available worldwide,
well practically anyway,
there's a couple of countries that don't sell
one of the products.
And they're also available at a very low cost.
So, today we're gonna see if this white vinegar
or this sparkling soft drink with vegetable extracts
combusts the rust.
Or just clean it off.
So, what are you gonna need for this?
Some of this,
a very well known soft drink.
If you can't get that, which is quite surprising,
I think there's only two countries in the world
that don't sell it,
some of this, white vinegar.
Available in grocery stores and supermarkets worldwide.
Not a problem with that.
A little container to put the fluid into,
some aluminium foil, or aluminium.
And an old toothbrush always comes in handy.
So first up, I'm gonna try the soft drink
and the method, very simple,
you simply pour into a little container.
Pretty cheap so you can put in a fair bit.
Rip off some of your foil,
fold up a little bit,
you want the shiniest side facing outwards,
dip it into the soft drink,
and then simply a case of rubbing it onto the part
where the rust is.
Now the level of rust will determine
how much elbow grease, or how much effort,
you're gonna have to put into it.
But you'll see straight away that that rust
comes off very easily.
So, just keep going and soon it'll come off nicely.
Right.
So, I've got this soft drink,
I've got the aluminium foil,
I've got a rusty bike,
let's see if we can get rid of that rust.
As you can see I've found another rusty old relic.
I'm gonna see if the soft drink
can get rid of the rust of Mr. Tom Last's bike.
(downtempo music)
Now if you've got some small parts
that are heavily corroded with rust,
may well be worthwhile actually just putting them in,
submerging them for a few hours,
and then removing them,
and then with a toothbrush,
and your foil, actually working that
around and trying to get that rust off.
Helps actually get into all those
nooks and crannies of the parts.
So once you're finished
make sure that you give whatever it is
you've been busting the rust from
a good clean with water and dry it thoroughly.
I have actually heard of things being dissolved
if it's left in this for too long.
It's quite scary really.
Okay, so next up is the white vinegar.
It's exactly the same process as the soft drink.
Simply a case of pouring it into a container
and then I recommend actually for this
wearing a glove 'cause the vinegar
does kick off a fair bit
and you don't want your hand smelling like that.
It's not pleasant.
And then, get yourself that tin foil, or aluminium foil,
aluminium foil, whatever you want to call it,
dip it in the vinegar, and then simply
rub it onto the rust effected area.
And it will come off with ease.
I'm here with Dan Lloyd's very own Schwinn Stingray.
You may all recognise it from one of the GCN videos.
He's got a bit of rust here
on his rear fender.
So, I'm gonna see how the white vinegar tackles it.
Watch to find out.
(downtempo music)
Now for reference,
for something like this,
stainless steel bolt I wouldn't bother
I would just go out and buy some new ones.
It's much quicker, it's much easier,
and you're not gonna get the same results
as going out and buying some new ones.
However, where I can recommend it
is if you've got some bigger parts,
some vintage parts,
maybe an uncommon thread size,
it's worth giving it a go.
However, just be very cautious.
The vinegar as well as the soft drink
has a very high content of acid.
So, that can actually tarnish, or damage, the products
and as previously said,
if submerged for too long can actually dissolve it.
So, you don't want that happening.
If you've got a vintage part, an old part,
something that's valuable,
basically if you can't afford to lose that,
then don't submerge it for too long.
A short while, maybe an hour, hour, or two,
something like that, you'll be fine.
But any longer than that,
don't hold me responsible.
So, I want to hear how you combat rust
with or without household products
down in the comments below.
Remember to like and share this video.
In fact, share it with a friend
who's got a rusty bike
or anything rusty for that matter.
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and for two more great videos how about clicking down here,
for retro tech with Matt and I.
And down here to revitalise your paintwork.