Kona Frame - How BAD is this?
- Thread starter KonaJJ
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Doesn't look very nice, does it? Is that the seat tube, where the clamp has been? It is possible with powder coating for over-enthusiastic clamping to crack the surface, so that moisture can get between the very hard/stiff paint and the tube, with a result like that.
You need to remove all the paint that is not sound or stuck to the tube, then rub down the rust until you have a metal surface. Obviously if that exposes any holes you have got a big problem, but if there are no holes you must be the judge of how deep the surface rust was, so whether any structural strength has been lost.
It does look like serious surface rust, rather than inside to outside rust, which would be far worse, so all is not yet lost.
You need to remove all the paint that is not sound or stuck to the tube, then rub down the rust until you have a metal surface. Obviously if that exposes any holes you have got a big problem, but if there are no holes you must be the judge of how deep the surface rust was, so whether any structural strength has been lost.
It does look like serious surface rust, rather than inside to outside rust, which would be far worse, so all is not yet lost.
THWANG-666
Senior Retro Guru
emery cloth it down if its pitted its bad.
si
si
mikesnowdon
Senior Retro Guru
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Its silver and flared at the bottom of the seat tube. Could it be a 94 Kilauea?
mikesnowdon
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That one came off the top of my head 
Because I have been looking at so many pics of mid 90's Kona's lately!
If it was me I'd take a chance on that old frame if the price was cheap enough. Give it a going over with sand paper and see whats left under the rust. It might not be too bad but if it is it could be worth having a new seat tube fitted.
Because I have been looking at so many pics of mid 90's Kona's lately!
If it was me I'd take a chance on that old frame if the price was cheap enough. Give it a going over with sand paper and see whats left under the rust. It might not be too bad but if it is it could be worth having a new seat tube fitted.
I assumed that you had already bought the frame, but if you're looking for advice on whether to bid on eBay for it, I think you should be cautious.
The truth is that at the moment the jury is out on whether the frame has any value at all, but the eBay listing doesn't give bidders that impression. As a consequence, any bidder who has seen this photo is likely to be outbid by a bidder who hasn't seen it. That isn't really an acceptable way to run an auction.
It is a Kilauea, either 94 or 95, perhaps more likely 94 as the saddle is a 94 saddle. He says it has had a respray in its time, and all of the decals are bogus. The parts do have a value, e.g., the saddle would raise £20 if in ok condition.
It could be a good project, it could be a disaster, there's no way of knowing.
The truth is that at the moment the jury is out on whether the frame has any value at all, but the eBay listing doesn't give bidders that impression. As a consequence, any bidder who has seen this photo is likely to be outbid by a bidder who hasn't seen it. That isn't really an acceptable way to run an auction.
It is a Kilauea, either 94 or 95, perhaps more likely 94 as the saddle is a 94 saddle. He says it has had a respray in its time, and all of the decals are bogus. The parts do have a value, e.g., the saddle would raise £20 if in ok condition.
It could be a good project, it could be a disaster, there's no way of knowing.
