Rusty chain, ok to use?

Martin Wilson <[email hidden]> wrote:
: I'm gradually restoring my old Raleigh Royal Export sports bike and
: while I have purchased a replacement chain I'd like to restore and use
: the original.

Any great reason? Chains are very cheap and unless you have a vintage
bike there's no great milage in keeping the original.

I'd just use the new chain personally. Though for light use the cleaned
chain looks ok.

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune http://www.clune.org
"Technolibertarians make a philosophy out of a personality defect"
- Paulina Borsook

in message <[email hidden]>, Martin Wilson

(') said:

I'm gradually restoring my old Raleigh Royal Export sports bike and
while I have purchased a replacement chain I'd like to restore and use
the original. Before being allowed to rust it had fairly light use.
When I recently got the bike back from my brother it looked like this;

www.btinternet.com/~martin.w6/rustyc.jpg

This is how it looks now;

www.btinternet.com/~martin.w6/cchain.jpg

As long as the chain is free of rust (which it is now externally) and
the links move freely (some still need a bit of work) is it ok to use?

With enough lube, yes; but it will wear both your chainrings and your
cogs faster than a new chain, so if you want to keep an 'original' bike
and use it in the medium term, I'd replace it now.

Quoted message said:

Does rust get inside the chain and cause damage?

Yes, of course. But probably less damage because there will have been
more lubricant residue in there.

Quoted message said:

It would be nice to a) have a spare chain and b) have the original
chain to use.

Generally how much damage does surface rust do to components?

Smooth surfaces have few places for cracks to start, and cause
relatively little wear on bearing faces because loads are evenly
spread.

Quoted message said:

Any advice on how to free up the more stubborn links that aren't
moving as freely as the others (about 12 I would guess)?

Aerosol chain lube consists of a lubricant dissolved in a volatile
spirit. The spirit gets into all the nooks and crannies of the chain by
capillary action, and then gradually evaporates leaving a lubricant
film. Alternatively (outside in the garden well away from buildings)
heat some lubricating oil - like engine oil - to just below the point
where it starts smoking, with the chain in it. Any water in the joints
will be boiled out, and the hot oil will become much less viscous
enabling it to penetrate into the chain. As the oil cools you will end
up with a lubricant film on the inside of each joint. If after doing
this there are still some stiff links, throw it.

Personally I would throw it *anyway*.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

Due to financial constraints, the light at the end of the tunnel
has been switched off.

My advice is bin it. It's not worth the risk just for the cost of a new
chain.

Ian