Carlton Cobra .Rat bike or refurb?

[bagpuss]

Well do I keep the frame as is ? or powder coat it .

Run it as a rat bike or in my youth a beater .

Powder coat it and run it as an example of my 1st sports bike . This was a Sun Snipe plus,this involves a head badge change , Which I have .

I have all the parts required .

Your thoughts please .

 

[Oldhippy]

Rat bike.

 

[DCLane]

My son's fixie conversion of one. Definitely not a 'rat bike' but a moustache-barred tango'd Carlton:

 

[Fredo76]

Preserve the rust for posterity! Kids these days just don't know what rust was like! A rusty old POS always warms my heart. Decay is even better when that's all there is! It's ready for the patina museum!

 

[Paulus]

Get it powder coated and relive your youth.

 

[bagpuss]

Hmm .I have asked the audience ,still not sure ,do I phone a friend?

So far I am leaning to a beater ,rat bike . Rustins ordered ,slight clean and then clear lacquer is what I have in mind .

 

[AndyRM]

Clean and lacquer would be my shout too. It looks cool!

 

[bagpuss]

I thought it looked rusty

 

[Illaveago]

Lovely plumage!
It's a shame ! A ten speed .
You could do as said above and treat the rust . Oxalic acid , lemon juice or whatever acid to dissolve the rust and then lacquer it .
There are some platers who will strip the old chrome off and replate it .
They are nice looking bikes. I have a 5 speed one .

 

[bagpuss]

Talking to my brother the other day about chrome plating .Due to new regulations {EPA} the cost of plating as gone though the roof . £500 ++++ to replate a frame & forks .
The missus would go into melt down .

 

[bagpuss]

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts .

 

[GuyBoden]

Rat bike.

Use Rustin's Rust remover, £3.34 from Toolstation.

Then wash down with Methylated spirits, then apply a few coats of linseed oil, leave to dry before each coat.

https://cdn.aws.toolstation.com/images/141020-UK/800/20340.jpg

 

[bagpuss]

I have tried the above during last weekend . It looked no better . I will give it another go .

 

[midlife]

Soak in a bath of oxalic acid?

 

[FishFright]

Soak in a bath of oxalic acid?

And rub the frame with scrunched up aluminium foil, changing foil as it becomes a dull grey . IIRC this enables an ion exchange changing the rust back to iron powder and aluminium oxides.
Wear gloves .

I've used this to remove rust a few times.