Best solution for cleaning bolts/nuts

[MTX_Josh]

restoring my mtx , have alot bolts and nuts to clean up anybody got any good ideas? they have dusty mud/slight white spots/oil etc of them

thanks,
Josh
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Bikes owned -
1st bike Peugeot V Clic. Honda XLR 125 , Honda MTX 125 RWF
Most Recent CCM RL125

[lukamon]

[lukamon]

[janner_10]

I had a clean up mine like the above then sprayed with hammerite, never quite looked right. In the end i found a guy selling a whole new set of s/s ones for £16 on ebay, which was a bloody bargain i though.
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Yamaha FZS600 (Now gone to heaven) > CBR600F4i (SOLD) > '99 YZF-R1

[Taught2BCauti...]

^This^

Many sellers offering complete stainless nut, bolt and washer sets for specific bikes - some OEM bolts are cadmium plated and will seize solid after being wire-brushed!

New stainless bolts, with a tiny smear of copper grease, is a much safer option.
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Honda Varadero XL125(V8)
www.TheFutureIsHere.eu

[Suntan Sid]

Soak the lot in paraffin or diesel for a few hours/days, get the worst of the crud of with a suede brush or tooth brush, then:-

A "Scotchbrite" kitchen scourer will get a lot of crud off, but is fiddly work if you've got loads of items to clean.

A polishing mop and cleaning paste in a, vice mounted, drill is good.
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"Everybody needs money, that's why they call it money!"

[Robby]

Don't get stainless. Stainless promote alluminium alloy corrosion, which is a bad thing - there is a reason that manufacturers use plated mild steel. Cheap stainless bolts are often crap as well, so they shear too easily, then are difficult to drill out.

There are a few ways to clean up bolts. Either let them soak in a solvent to loosen the crap then clean with an abrasive, run them though an electrolysis bath (my favourite, least effort) or get a zinc plating kit and do that (best finish and long lasting).

I recommend sticking with the original nuts and bolts where possible. Old Japanese metal often has a bit of a reputation for being crap, but this is more often down to it being seized in place where it hasn't been touched for 10 years. A smear of copper grease or vaseline on the threads during reassembly helps.

Yes, vaseline. People get concerned that it will melt out of the threads, but in my experience it tends to stay locked in for a long time - the thread is done up tight, so there isn't much space for melted grease to leak out. It takes long enough for penetrating oil to get in, and it is much thinner.

[DrDonnyBrago]

[Bezzer]

[chris-red]

All the people suggesting using abrasives are wrong IMO, if you wire wheel them, you will remove the plating and they will rust to buggery in days. Either get yourself a plating kit or send them off to be plated.

Chris
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Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
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[dansidi]

Thanks for this very interesting thread (no pun intended).

I would be interested in finding out more about zinc plating.
Some of my bike's bolts and the chain adjusters are looking manky even though they're not old. No amount of wire brushing with paraffin can shift the marks.

Can anyone tell me what I need for the occasional clean up of some bits and bolts? A quick scan on eBay shows zinc plating kits from £30 - £120 but I don't know what I'm looking for really.

Any good links or tips ?

Thanks
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current bike to first bike: SV650s K3, YBR125, Vespa GT125, Vespa ET4-125, Suzuki CS-50 (!!)
Mod 1 passed 02-11-2012
Mod 2 passed 05-12-2-12

[stinkwheel]

It's a dirt bike. Stop being so precious about it.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[janner_10]

[coltondunn]

I would definitely try this cleaning solution for cleaning my wheel nuts..Because these are always look with some type of rust & dust. I think after cleaning they would definitely look good...

angle iron caps | conduit end caps

[ruck bodgers2]

[Matt-]

Just leave it anyway, no point in playing them, they will only get trashed again with sockets & spanners.

Their really is know point is worrying, their MTX bolts their going to be drowned in mud & shit anyway.

If your that worried about the girls seeing bad bolts in your bike I would go for a bolt kit on eBay, of course from a trusted seller.

Matt
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Current Bike's - Road Legal TZR 125 Pitbike, Aprilia SR50R 2010