removing 10 year old chainring crud?

[fierte_poser]

Fixing up my old mountain bike for general schlepping about and commuting and I've come to the next challenge...removing 'hardened' crud from the chainrings.

What's the best option for loosening this stuff up? Soak the chainrings in kerosene overnight? :confused:

Thanks,
Kent

[zmudshark]

Ultrasonic cleaner is the easiest method. Mineral spirits and a brass brush also work, but require actual labor, which I try to avoid ;-)

[avalonracing]

Wire brush and a metal pick (after soaking but when wet). Wear glasses when you are using the brush, the splatter is not good for the eyes.

[cadence231]

I was tuning up my buddie's bike that had been sitting for about 4 years and I thought it's chainrings were bad! 10 years? Wowie!
I used Orange Peelz cleaner and a tooth brush. I had to do three passes on it.
Looked like a completly different bike afterward.
Good luck!


Hey. Post before and after pix! :banana:

[staggerwing]

Sharpened wood sticks, like a tongue blades or popsicle sticks, for the thick layers, then an old tooth brush and some mineral spirits for the rest. Simple Green works well too, if you get the concentrate and mix it strong. Really hot water helps too.

[gdw]

Take the rings off the arm, wet an old rag with one of the flammable toxic substances listed above, and wipe them down. If that doesn't work, pour some of the liquid in a pan and let them soak for 10-15 minutes and then wipe them off. If any crud remains, soak them for a couple more minutes and scrub the gunk off with an old toothbrush.

[CaptStash]

HEre is a safer and more pleasant alternative. Purchase a gallon of WD40 at your local Home depot or similar place. Soak the any parts your looking to clean in the WD40. Overnight works great. The WD is far less flammable and dangerous than lighter spirits, and does an amazing job of cutting grease. I prefer to scrub with a small brass wire brush that looks like a toothbrush. These are usually available at Home Depot as well, or try most hardware stores.

WD40 isn't really a lubricant. It was invented for use in removing water from electronics (a little trivia for you). It is a great solvent though. After cleaning with the WD40 I usually follow with a final rinse in soapy water (use dishwashing detergent). Detergents are designed to mix with oil and do a good job if removing the WD40.

CaptStash....

[WadePatton]

If you have kerosene/diesel then use it. Save a trip to the store. Do the soak.

If you're going to have several jobs of this nature--use a good sized tupperware type container (cheap at yard sales) to control evaporation and keep critters out.

Pour off and save the "clean" solvent when the crud builds up on the bottom. Clean up crud and reuse the solvent.

[fierte_poser]

Thanks for the tips. Not sure which suggestion I'll follow, but I'll let you know how it turns out. The bike in question is a 1994 Raleigh MT200 that I bought in Boulder when I moved there for grad school. Its possible that some of the crud is 14 years old!

Last night I pulled the drive side crankarm off and took off the chainrings. Needed a big helper pipe to extract the crankarm, but it finally came loose. I felt like Tim Allen and I started grunting. :p

So, the chainrings aren't too bad all things considered, but the crud that is on there seems to be cemented in place.

Don't worry, I take *much* better care of my Serotta!

[fierte_poser]

Update: I decided to just use what I had laying around and ended up soaking the chainrings in a tin foil pan with some diluted Pedros Orange Peelz. A few paper towels later they are shiny and clean. Oh, and I took out the old BB on a whim and it is a bit, shall we say, "gritty". Time to get a new one of those. This little bike rebuild project is utterly time consuming and yet strangely enjoyable. I probably would have been better off buying a new Bianchi San Jose or similar, but I would have missed out on all this fun wrenching.

[cadence231]

Update: I decided to just use what I had laying around and ended up soaking the chainrings in a tin foil pan with some diluted Pedros Orange Peelz. A few paper towels later they are shiny and clean. Oh, and I took out the old BB on a whim and it is a bit, shall we say, "gritty". Time to get a new one of those. This little bike rebuild project is utterly time consuming and yet strangely enjoyable. I probably would have been better off buying a new Bianchi San Jose or similar, but I would have missed out on all this fun wrenching.

It is time consuming and strangely enjoyable!
I was looking at my old Basso and Super Record compenents yesterday afternoon and before I knew it I was doing what you were doing. I have been wanting to get this frame built up to it's former glory and now I'm getting closer to realizing it prolly thanx to your thread! :banana:

[Pete Serotta]

Soak in Bilmore red :beer:



Fixing up my old mountain bike for general schlepping about and commuting and I've come to the next challenge...removing 'hardened' crud from the chainrings.

What's the best option for loosening this stuff up? Soak the chainrings in kerosene overnight? :confused:

Thanks,
Kent