Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
The rust convertor I use turns the rust black, ok in patches probably not what you want all over. Maybe just a good quality wax now, Mer, Auto Glym etc?
Just bought a Carlton Giro
- Thread starter Corsa of Course
- Start date
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
I had a Corsair, it was a lovely bike.
BOBU
Retro Guru
Thank you Mr G, it seems to be somewhat dissed by many but I have always found it a most compliant and steady touring bike. Given that my bike is 43 years old and has done many long distance tours they must also have been made very well. My bike is only altered in that I had issues with the Weinmann wheels which always returned from tours "tacking". They were replaced with FIR MT 232 622x18's on Mavic hubs and heavy gauge swiss SS spokes and since have been rock-solid. Anyway, to the topic - T-Cut works, see photo's.
The approach was a soft 6"x6" former bedsheet, much washed and hence soft with T-cut and elbow grease. After about ten minutes the progress visibly declined and so a I second blast of WD40 was added to the cloth and repeated elbow grease. Residual spots were also scraped with fingernail and seemed to come away well, better than when I tried a plastic tyre-lever. I then applied a alloy wheel cleaner spray which seemed to help too. With about 45 minutes effort on 1.2 forks I got the rather pleasing outcome visible in the first image. Products used pictured -
I'm now going to soak some "Coke" on the fork as that has some phosphoric / carbonic acid content which tends to eat rust and then I'll clean and polish when I'm content the job is good. I'll update if there is any negative/positive outcome on the next phase. But in short, I was deeply concerned by the appearance of the forks but this approach seems to have worked remarkably well.
The approach was a soft 6"x6" former bedsheet, much washed and hence soft with T-cut and elbow grease. After about ten minutes the progress visibly declined and so a I second blast of WD40 was added to the cloth and repeated elbow grease. Residual spots were also scraped with fingernail and seemed to come away well, better than when I tried a plastic tyre-lever. I then applied a alloy wheel cleaner spray which seemed to help too. With about 45 minutes effort on 1.2 forks I got the rather pleasing outcome visible in the first image. Products used pictured -
I'm now going to soak some "Coke" on the fork as that has some phosphoric / carbonic acid content which tends to eat rust and then I'll clean and polish when I'm content the job is good. I'll update if there is any negative/positive outcome on the next phase. But in short, I was deeply concerned by the appearance of the forks but this approach seems to have worked remarkably well.
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
I've found Autosol very good for chrome too. Here is mine, long gone sadly. Apologies to @Corsa of Course for thread hijack 
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
It didn't look like that when I got it. I dragged it out from my Uncles shed where it had been for 20+ years.
BOBU
Retro Guru
Either way, it was a credit to you. I'm just waiting for polish to bake-in. The "coke" thing didn't work very well but that happens a lot now. You may have seen the thing where people clean up coins by soaking them in Coca-Cola... that worked when "the real thing" really was the real thing. "New" stuff with it's alter-formulation just doesn't have the same potency.....
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
Thanks mate
Corsa of Course
Devout Dirtbag
So having rubbed and then used some vinegar and rubbed some more I then cleaned and gave it it a quick coat of lacquer. This highlighted the imperfections but I quite like the effect providing I have killed the rust. I also discovered that the 700 wheels will just squeeze into my Corsa frame and the brakes just had enough movement to accommodate that. If I haven't stopped the rust I can always strip it and paint the whole thing. Love your Corsairs. Both look like great.
I have a terribly soft spot for Carltons partly because of the earlier story but also because any machine that survives for 50 years and is still doing the job as well or better than when it was first made is a testament to how good the basic design was. I always seem to need to alter the freewheel to get a set of gears that suit me.
I have a terribly soft spot for Carltons partly because of the earlier story but also because any machine that survives for 50 years and is still doing the job as well or better than when it was first made is a testament to how good the basic design was. I always seem to need to alter the freewheel to get a set of gears that suit me.
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