Anybody got a good method for cleaning rusty bolts and keeping them rust free? I picked up a nice Trek MTB 26er for my son. One of the things letting it down are the stem bolts. I cleaned the top one a bit. It look ok with the naked eye but the rust will probably be back. They have a captive washer so finding an exact replacement won't be easy.
by Michael_of_Derry
10 Comments
A dab of grease darkens the rust and makes it less noticeable.
Let them sit in vinegar for around 24h and polish
I’d be more concerned with those bars
Take steel wool to the bolts, should be a slight improvement
Use some steel wire brush or sand paper and put it in Coca Cola for a few days. Phosphoric acid removes rust but also gives a protective coating.
Vinegar, lemon juice, or dedicated rust remover all work.
If you brush up on metric bolt sizes, you can find cheap replacements for the very rusty ones at a local hardware store.
Other than soaking in evap-o-rust or neat phosphoric acid to rid of the rust it will come back unless the bolts have been re-treated with chrome or applied over with some form of barrier oil etc.
Or you could get new bolts or close enough ones from a bike shop or bolt shop.
Remove the bolt and soak it in Evaporust for a few hours. Works great.
Are the handlebars actually crushed on the top leg of the clamp or is that just dirt?
Definitely cheaper than soaking in evaporust or similar would just be replacing the bolts. Socket cap screws like that are inexpensive and freely available. Would take a couple of minutes to replace both.
Clamp down on some steel wool in the bit holder of a drill and give it a spin