Loosen rusty chain

[Goldenrod]

Soak it in a 50/50 solution of acetone and ATF - automatic transmission fluid. Work each joint by hand and keep soaking till the rust is gone. DO NOT use a hammer on it. Even a rubber hammer can bend something. The hammer will not get rid of the rust. Also, 1:9 solution of molasses to water will work but it might take longer - smells better though. Don't use gasoline for anything but fueling your car. A spark from you hammer could have started a fire.

Wash well after handling acetone.

 

[all riders]

True, it all depends on the crystalline structure of the stainless. Ferritic, and Martensitic Stainless(these two types cover many of the stainless steels with numbers in the 400s) are all magnetic. Then there are Austenitic(I think) which are non-magnetic ---not because they have less Iron, it's just arranged "wrong". Additionally, Magnetic stainless can be too thin to have much magnetic pull(fender?) and non-magnetic can have spots that are mildly magnetic.

 

[John D. Williams]

I have a different method for bad chains that perhaps can help.
1. I take it off the bike if it has really frozen sections that do not fit to the teeth.
2. I stretch it on the floor and wire-brush heavily away from me, all sections and all four sides. Lots of rust will come off sometimes.
3. If there are any stuck links, I use two pliers, one on each side of the frozen part, and work them back and forth until the links start to move right there. This has far more power than using hands.
4. Put the chain back on, now being the time to lube it. See if it works. If not, repeat 3 while the chain is on the bike.

For less problematic chains, I follow the above idea while the chain is still on the bike. I turn the bike upside down, pedal it, and let the chain run through heavy pressure from the wire brush. It's important to lubricate it after so it does not become messy.

 

[Balloonoob]

I have a different method for bad chains that perhaps can help.
1. I take it off the bike if it has really frozen sections that do not fit to the teeth.
2. I stretch it on the floor and wire-brush heavily away from me, all sections and all four sides. Lots of rust will come off sometimes.
3. If there are any stuck links, I use two pliers, one on each side of the frozen part, and work them back and forth until the links start to move right there. This has far more power than using hands.
4. Put the chain back on, now being the time to lube it. See if it works. If not, repeat 3 while the chain is on the bike.

For less problematic chains, I follow the above idea while the chain is still on the bike. I turn the bike upside down, pedal it, and let the chain run through heavy pressure from the wire brush. It's important to lubricate it after so it does not become messy.

So I'm sorta on step 3 here. Wire brushing done. Pliers seems to be buggering up the chain edges. Maybe half the links are loosened. I don't have acetone rustoleum or kerosene. I've gone from gas to wd40 to oil to grill cleaner. This thing is jacked but I got the time - just saving my money.

 

[John D. Williams]

So I'm sorta on step 3 here. Wire brushing done. Pliers seems to be buggering up the chain edges. Maybe half the links are loosened. I don't have acetone rustoleum or kerosene. I've gone from gas to wd40 to oil to grill cleaner. This thing is jacked but I got the time - just saving my money.

Can you post a pic? I've never had a chain so bad that it was damaged by pliers

 

[Balloonoob]

It's amazing how many of the old forks get bent. I have 3 different parts forks available and all 3 are bent in some way.

 

[Balloonoob]

Can you post a pic? I've never had a chain so bad that it was damaged by pliers

Yeah here in a bit. It's bagged up now and involves getting my hands dirty.

 

[Balloonoob]

Poat 2 shows where it started at. You can see how bent it was. At that point 99 percent of the links were locked up.

 

[Rivnut]

Instead of two pair of pliers, I clamp one link at a time in the vise and use a screwdriver between the links to get things moving. BUT I've usually soaked it first. Then you buy a chain breaking tool and learn how to replace links that are locked with rust and just don't budge - they break.

 

[Balloonoob]

It's good and soaked. I was thinking of using a vice but thought that would be too risky. Perhaps I will try this if it doesn't loosen up further. Today I made more progress. There are now no two consecutive stuck links. I used the two pliers technique and it really only caused minor scratches. The boogering may have been caused by some light banging i did on some links. After wrestling with it for another 1.5 hrs or so today I switched to soaking in nail polish remover. (100% acetone). The best news is that I now have a complete master link removed. At this point I have somewhere around 4 or 5 hours in farting around with the chain. I guess it's personal to see if i can get it working. A working skiptooth chain costs what.... 60 bucks? Hahaha. I sure hope it's not stretched.