Best way to clean up the frame...........

[Lord-Spanner]

Opinions please.....

I started to clean up my rusty old frame on my S3 Li150 yesterday with an angle grinder and wire brush but as I was doing it realized I'm just never going to be able to get in all the little nooks and cranny's there are and don't want to be leaving any rust to fester and re-grow, so if I can find someone local to me to do it I will, but whats the best way for paint/rust removal without wrecking it?? It also has some quite deep pit holes from rust, what could I do with those? (fill with weld?)

Shot blast? Sand blast? shot peened? Acid dipped? Vapour blast? Or some other way to avoid damaging the body panel.

And would you have it powder coated or primed/painted?

Thanks

[Specialcase]

I took mine to Pro-Strip in Nottingham. They dipped it and It came out looking like a brand new frame - as did the panels! Brilliant job!

[Lord-Spanner]

I took mine to Pro-Strip in Nottingham. They dipped it and It came out looking like a brand new frame - as did the panels! Brilliant job!

Nottingham is a bit far from me, but hoping to find one closer to me, any idea what they dipped it in? and what did it cast you? did they prime it after for you?

[Specialcase]

Hi LS
Can’t tell you what they dip it in but they certainly know what they are doing. It cost me about £300. My frame & panels were in excellent condition so I didn’t want some cowboy with a blaster gun ripping it to bits then have to get all the media out of the nooks etc. Biggest problem was getting it to a sprayer that would put something on it immediately.

[coaster]

blasting should be ok but ask the blaster to go easy on the panels but the frame and hoop should be fine. Agood point was made about removing the media afterrwards though. They should get mosf it with compressed air but there will be sand embedded into the surface which will require a going over with emery or similar. I didnt paint mine for several weeks after blasting and they didnt rust at all, it was indooks though, i.e. not in a shed.

[Lord-Spanner]

blasting should be ok but ask the blaster to go easy on the panels but the frame and hoop should be fine. Agood point was made about removing the media afterrwards though. They should get mosf it with compressed air but there will be sand embedded into the surface which will require a going over with emery or similar. I didnt paint mine for several weeks after blasting and they didnt rust at all, it was indooks though, i.e. not in a shed.

Good point, though I would hope the blaster would know that if it's his trade, but always worth mentioning just in case, that's a good point worth remembering about a rub down and making sure all the grit is out of the nooks and crannies, could just see my wifes face when I tell her my frame is living in the lounge to keep warm

Hi LS
Can’t tell you what they dip it in but they certainly know what they are doing. It cost me about £300. My frame & panels were in excellent condition so I didn’t want some cowboy with a blaster gun ripping it to bits then have to get all the media out of the nooks etc. Biggest problem was getting it to a sprayer that would put something on it immediately.

That's my slight concern about being torn to bits, my frame is quite poor (quite pitted in places where the leg shield was)(obviously never saw a bucket of soapy water and a hose pipe ) from rust and needs extra work before painting, arrr ok so they didn't prime it after? might leave that till the summer then