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Sanding down the Luxus folding bike

I could tell when I was tearing down the Luxus it was going to take a full respray. What I wasn't really prepared for was how much work just cleaning it would be.

I'm not sure if it had been inside a smoker's home, or if it was just age and neglect, or whatever else the cause may be, but the frame was covered in a smelly, irritating funk. And of course I had to use some of the most noxious chemicals in the house to cut through the gunk, making it a doubly unpleasant job.

And it's way, way too cold and snowy to take it outside. So I've just been gutting it out, wearing a mask and nitrile gloves, and taking it in small doses.

The grime is gone. The first round of sanding is complete. I've treated the frame with a
phosphoric acid based rust converter, which takes ferric oxide and chemically converts it to something paintable. The rust just turns black, and it's gone. This is great stuff for stopping rust in its tracks and prepping for paint. Just wear gloves, and a mask.

It's slow going and there's probably a fair bit of sanding left, but I'm starting to get it under control.

Next up: primer and polishing some shiny bits.

The rear half, right after the teardown, showing a lot of scrapes, rust and grime.
The rear half, right after the teardown, showing a lot of scrapes, rust and grime.
The rear half, after the first round of cleaning and light sanding. I still have to remove stickers and it needs a lot more sanding.
The rear half, after the first round of cleaning and light sanding. I still have to remove stickers and it needs a lot more sanding.
The fork was similar: a mix of broken-down decals, scraped paint and dirt.
The fork was similar: a mix of broken-down decals, scraped paint and dirt.
With the decals removed, plus a lot of scrubbing and the initial sanding done, I brushed the entire frame with phosphoric-acid-based rust converter.
With the decals removed, plus a lot of scrubbing and the initial sanding done, I brushed the entire frame with phosphoric-acid-based rust converter.

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See all the Luxus Sportbike posts.

Tags: luxus folding-bike