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Just bought a steel framed bike, but havent had a steel framed bike since the early 90s.
I used to be into Land Rovers and it was common to apply a waxy oil substance called , er, waxoyl, to the inside of the chassis box sections to prevent any trapped moisture rusting the box chassis from the inside out, whilst wading through streams, etc.
Anyone know if the bike manufacturers coat the inside of their tubesets ?
If not, what are people using, if anything? It gets really wet in these parts and Im anticipating it being ridden constantly in rain or puddles from october onwards.
Cheers.
Weigel's frame saver was the go-to product but doesn't appear to be available in the UK now; H&S?
For a relatively recent steel frame rebuild my LBS used Pro Gold frame saver; it was the only product they used in their workshop for rust prevention on steel frames.
HTH
Tried the waxoyl spray and it made a right mess and couldn't get it in all the tubes. Good stuff for cars, wouldn't recommend it for bike frames.
Then tried this: https://www.condorcycles.com/products/progold-steel-frame-protector-spray
Easy enough to apply and seems do to the job
Not waxoyl, because iirc its a bit thick. I have used a thinner version of the same idea, might have been a bilt hamber version?. Spray into drain holes, tilt frame, when it drips out the other end, tilt the frame another 90 degrees, add more if necessary, repeat until you've rotated the frame through 360° twice.
Many manufacturers these days use ED coating techniques to deposit 'paint' on the inside of the tubes. Powder coat then goes over it on the outside, to give the finish colour and the better resistance of powder coat.
I've used this on cars...
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.bilthamber.com/dynax-s50&ved=2ahUKEwiBk5O7mp3xAhWOTcAKHSIYD7kQFnoECAUQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1v5R4CNZZlMXzMzTirrIeN
I'd imagine it would work well.
Has a 360degree spray lance
Smells a bit strong at first but soon fades
During the height of COVID madness last year Stanton were unable to offer Electrophoretic deposition so they used Waxoyl.
Just be aware that if you ever require a respray, it seeps out during the baking process, and screws up the finish.
It seems a little unnecessary to me. Bikes are kept in fairly low corrosive environments. Even my commuter doesn't suffer and that spends it's days outside.
I'd be concerned over trapped water after very wet experiences like storms, river crossings etc. But in those cases I don't think these type of products help.
Acf50 is better than Wax. waxoil only works on cars if it's heated up then injected it will also weep out holes in summer coating your legs in spray.
Yes used waxoyl on my Holdsworth Elan after three winters left a bit of a rusty residue near some of the drain holes. Ran a tap through any threaded holes and greased and made sure the drain holes were clear.
Why bother? My old steel HT was brazed together in 1990 & has seen the best of UK wet weather & still hasn’t rusted through.
I used it on my Salsa. I squirted loads in the holes then warmed up the frame with a heat gun and swilled it around loads, and made sure all the excess dripped out. It only needs to be a bit warm to go completely liquid, so paint etc is not at risk.
No idea how effective it's going to be but it's cheap.
I used a lanolin based protector, fluidfilm, from eBay. Probably used about 50ml of product in total, so a couple of quid.
I use ProGold on the advice of Joe at Starling. Just pull the seat post out every now and then and spray a load in. It's minging stuff though.
ACF50 on my Rourke
All my steel bikes have been done with a bit of waxoyl and GT85 or spray oils. All are around 30 years old, and no internal corrosion. Just rebuilt and repainted my Ribble 653, and the inside smelt of oils. Liberal application of grease for the seat post to stop any water spray getting in.
XCP Rust blocker is the stuff I use. I've tried Wiegels, good but overpriced. Waxoyl, definitely works but thick and the frame needs to be kept hot to get it to flow and the surplus to drain. ACF50 good in some scenarios but the patch tests I did with it it was outperformed by olive oil.
For ease of application something in an Aerosol like XCP gives good results. Dries eventually to a soft pliable film.
Am I the only person who uses boiled linseed oil still? Works for me.
If you want to use something a bit thinner, try ACF-50 or XCP.
Depending on your particular frame design this might be a good idea. I used to have a steel Donohue road frame (853 front triangle, no idea on material for rest of the frame). It had a small drain hole at the bottom of both seat stays about an inch above the dropouts. I had it about 6 years before the stays completely rusted through from the inside.
I think I used the CRC corrosion stuff on the advice of a sailor. I think a sailing magazine tested a bunch in salt water and that did well and was a bargain, comparatively.
Anyone know how to get the waxoyl out?
This was done 10 years ago and needs a paint refresh.
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To remove I'd try flushing it out with a bit of solvent, then following that with hot water and degreaser/detergent, then just hot water.
Ask these people
https://www.euroqualitycoatings.co.uk/
https://www.euroqualitycoatings.co.uk/paint-stripping/thermal-stripping/