On 8/13/07, Christian <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I've read good things about the quality of mid'80s Japanese lugged steel > frames. How can I tell if it is rusting on the inside? Just take the > seat post out and look inside?
I'm sure it's very good quality. You take out the seatpost and rub your finger inside, below the lowest point of the post - a bit of rust on your finger is okay, but if you should be able to feel smooth, cold steel in there. If you feel bubbling and blisters, you may have a problem. If it's been garaged all these years, you're unlikely to have a problem. Around here, spraying WD 40, or some thinnish oil that "creeps" works. Spray down the seat tube, take off the headset and spray both the top and down tubes, and to be safe, while you've to the BB out, spray up the seat and down tubes. That should work. Other than checking the inside, if you tap along the tubes, you'll hear a nice "ring" if they're healthy, it will be a dull thud if they're rusting. You'll also see (in the latter stages) bubbling and blistering of the paint from the inside out. Probably too late to save the tube by then - you'll know to replace if before it severs at some inopportune time... And, if you don't spend a lot of time in the snow or rain, it's unlikely to be an issue at all... cheers, frank -- "Sharpness is a bourgeois concept." -Henri Cartier-Bresson -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
