How do you guys bust rust this bad?

[49autocycledeluxe]

Dang! I'm amazed you didn't have to cut anything!

I parted out a 1951, 1953 and 1960 Chevrolet and sold most of it on ebay so I have a PHD in rusty stuff.

I have a big vice and a big prybar. I use PB Blaster.

 

[Rivnut]

For the price of shipping, I “inherited” a couple of old coffee cans filled with cups, bearings, and assorted races. Each set was wired together. I can make you a really good deal on a headset and bottom bracket set. I’d need some measurements to make sure that I get the right ones for you. Contact me via PM if you think that I can help you out.

Ed

 

[razinhellcustomz]

Wintergreen, huh? I'll have to look into it. Thanks for the tip!

Yes Oil of Wintergrenn.. Good stuff..

 

[razinhellcustomz]

Yours had moss too?! Nice! I'm letting mine live as long as it can...lol
These frames are tanks, the hole looks like it's from tire wear, as long as it's not bubbly from rust, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Have fun with it, ride it and enjoy it...until you can't!

2 crescent wrenches will help you get that fender brace tab back in shape. I recommend these smooth jaw pliers to anyone that wants to straighten drop outs, they have great clamping force and don't mar (in the right hands....but some people can break a brick with a Q-tip!). The smaller set even works well for reworking sheetmetal, think bent fender and chainguard tips. They come in handy a little bit of everywhere really.
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Hey Will, that's a good durable looking set of pliers.. Did you by chance purchase these at a Harbor Freight? Thanks.. Razin..

 

[WillWork4Parts]

Hey Will, that's a good durable looking set of pliers.. Did you by chance purchase these at a Harbor Freight? Thanks.. Razin..

Definitely not something you'll find at Harbor Freight. Great German steel! I picked up this set probably 7 years ago, about $45 cheaper. I haven't seen them in my Lowe's yet, but they carry the brand.
KNIPEX Tools 00 20 06 US2, Pliers Wrench 3-Piece Set https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EXNT2Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_2TKCV77QSTR398Y6VBG1
They work great for starting chain pins...where standard chain tools can leave you fumbling, since the jaws slide up and down almost perfectly parallel. The clamping pressure these have will make quick work of something like a bent fender tab too...

 

[razinhellcustomz]

Definitely not something you'll find at Harbor Freight. Great German steel! I picked up this set probably 7 years ago, about $45 cheaper. I haven't seen them in my Lowe's yet, but they carry the brand.
KNIPEX Tools 00 20 06 US2, Pliers Wrench 3-Piece Set https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EXNT2Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_2TKCV77QSTR398Y6VBG1
They work great for starting chain pins...where standard chain tools can leave you fumbling, since the jaws slide up and down almost perfectly parallel. The clamping pressure these have will make quick work of something like a bent fender tab too...

Cool, i'll have to check the store by me.. I do have a good pair of Snap on Gripper pliers that i use for fenders and such now.. Thanks.. Razin..

 

[agmasterjac]

I am working on a schwinn spitfire equally as bad as yours was. Kroil and heat. If the part is not to be salvaged, many time an air hammer with a 1" round hammer bit will rattle the rust loose but again it will mar the surface you hammer on.

 

[The Spokemaster]

"plop, plop, fizz, fizz, ....used this stuff on my whizzer that wuz"

 

[Flying Merkel]

I bought this rusty Schwinn back in January for $20, and while it was not the slightly-less-rusty Schwinn straight bar I had driven an hour away from home to buy, I could tell from the remaining paint on this frame that this bike was special. While I'm no expert, it must've been a Black Phantom at one point in its life; now, only the frame, the pedal blocks and a little paint is all that's left to tell the tale. It It was completely frozen solid from rust when I bought it, but I figured it was worth a gamble at $20.
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A couple weeks ago, I started chipping away at disassembling this bike. First I mixed and applied a solution @Oldbikeguy1960 recommended of 1 part acetone and 3 parts used automatic transmission fluid to all the parts I wanted to break loose. It seemed to help on a couple parts after soaking for a few days, but I found that using a propane torch worked better on other parts. First, I took the rear wheel off, then I tried removing the bottom bracket assembly. I had never seen a pedal rusted this badly before, but I was able to get it off the crank at least.
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Getting the crank off the frame, on the other hand, proved to be more challenging. I found that hitting the crank arms with a hammer seemed to free everything up, but instead, I found that I was merely threading the crank through the bearing nut, which no amount of hitting with a hammer and screwdriver would break free.
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Here's what that first round of progress looked like.
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While I was able to free up a few parts thanks to that home-brewed solution and a torch, I would have to sacrifice a few parts if I wanted to get this bike torn down to the bare frame. I had no problem cutting the handlebar stem to remove the fork, but I would've preferred sparing the crank arm if I could. Still, I could replace it later, so I cut off one arm near the threads so I could remove it from the frame.
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If there's a way for me to save this bearing cup, I'd like to use it again, but it appears the bearing is stuck to it. No telling whether it's salvageable at this time. But that's not even the craziest part...
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I have never encountered rust this bad before. The bottom bracket bearings are fused to the bearing cups! And I wouldn't be surprised if the bearing cups are fairly stuck to the frame as well.
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It might be possible to get the headset bearing cups out, but they're pretty stuck as well. Also, one more hint that this might've been a Black Phantom is the bottom bearing cup seems to be designed for a locking springer fork. I've not seen a bearing cup like this before, so I'd like to salvage it if I can.
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I was able to cut off the seat clamp bolt, but the seat post is pretty stuck in there, even after soaking the solution around it for over a week.
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Here's where I stand and what I need help with: As rough as it looks, this frame does appear salvageable. There are no major dents, the rear triangle is straight, there are no rust holes, and I even loosened up the kickstand. I really want to try and build this bike back up, either with equally-rusty stock Black Phantom parts, or as a custom rat bike. Either way, I want to preserve what's left of the original paint, as it's the whole reason I even bought this bike. The problem is that I don't know how I'll remove the last few remaining parts without damaging the frame or the paint. Last time I tried to remove a really-stuck seat post, it did not end well, mostly because I took it to someone who didn't know what they were doing. I also don't know how I'll remove the rusty bearing cups, as hitting them with a hammer and screwdriver doesn't seem to be enough. And my ATF/acetone solution seems to be capable of only so much. If anyone here can help me figure out how to save this frame, I'd really appreciate it!

The best penetrating oil I've ever seen is this stuff called Justice Brothers JB-80. About $20 a can but it really works. Another great penetrant available through aircraft supply stores is called Mouse Milk. Comes in a plastic squeeze bottle. We use it to dissolve coking deposits in aircraft turbochargers and wastegates.
You might also need more heat than a propane torch will deliver so very careful use of an oxy-acetylene torch with a rosebud tip might be in order. A cutting torch can also work but just use it to heat the metal. Don't hit the cutting lever! Oxy-acetylene can very easily heat the metal glowing red hot quickly and then warp or melt it so be very careful.

 

[Two Wheeler]

Thanks. I use PB Blaster usually, but this time I tried using a 1/4 acetone and 3/4 used ATF solution @Oldbikeguy1960 suggested. Is there another penetrating fluid you'd recommend for this? I'm open to ideas.

As for the bearings and bearing cups, I have no problem replacing them; it's removing them that's the problem. They're stuck in there pretty good. I think I could loosen up the headset cups with PB Blaster or the other solution if I let them soak long enough, but is there a specific way to get that one out? I normally just use a hammer and a flathead screwdriver to bust the usual kind out, but this one's deep inside the frame.

As long as the frame isn't part of the "rusty, brittle stuff," I'm okay with that!

Use Kroil penetrating oil.