Keeping a frame rusty

Jiveman60

Dirt Disciple
I'm not sure how good an idea this is. It's a 64 Claud Butler Olympic Path. Just want to avoid that paintjob on wheels look. I'm guessing there's a recommended way of 'not making it worse'
 

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Agreed, internals of the frame come first as any external corrosion is unlikely to go much further & certainly shouldn't become structural if the bike is taken care of in any reasonable manner. Simply put, I wouldn't expect it to get worse unless you were to dump it outside in a leaky shed or long grass for a few years. Stored indoors & not used as a winter salt hack it ought to be fine.

Cosmetically, my preferred method to preserve "patina" is to give the whole thing a good wash & rub over the rust spots with WD40 and fine steel wool or tin foil to knock off the really rough spots, then wipe over the whole frame with an oily rag (My usual choice is 20w/50 as that's what I have around but I've heard a lot of good things about boiled linseed oil)
 
You want to Google ‘rat rod preserve patina rust’. The Rat Rod car culture is all about maintaining the rusty look while not allowing it to detrimentally impact the structure. They have loads of ways of maintaining the look.
 
I used the hot Roders favorite, Gibbs penetrating oil. A light coat dries and doesn’t remove decals. I did this frame five years ago. It’s stored in a wet garage and hasn’t need a reapplication yet. IMG_0003.jpeg
IMG_0097.jpeg
 
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rat rod preserve patina rust
Did someone say rat? I love boiled linseed oil for preserving old patina. It's a wipe on rub off process. The oil is oxygenated, so not only does it stop rust and protect against corrosion, the oxygen actually revitalizes old paint. Here's it is in the barn where it sat for 40 years (the one in the back) 211665-Screenshot-20220922-183458.png
Some "before" details 211443-IMG-20221001-105015146.jpg 211445-IMG-20221001-105021920.jpg 211406-IMG-20220930-150730781.jpg 211444-IMG-20221001-104953411.jpg

And after a little cleaning, and the boiled linseed oil. This is dry, the finish gives a wet look 218385-IMG-20221126-113632029.jpg 218383-IMG-20221126-113431568.jpg 218381-IMG-20221126-113351651.jpg 218384-IMG-20221126-113359046.jpg
 

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