How to fill in frame pitting from rust

[bl**dydrivers]

What do you use to fill in heavy rust pitting?
Still juggling between powder coating and 2pack paint for the frame.

Was told by a powder coating specialist that they use JB Weld, don’t feel comfortable to use that and solder won’t resist the high temperatures involved in powder coating.

Either can get a welder, fill in the pitted areas building it up slowly and smooth it out with a grinder.

Or used solder to build it up and go the 2pack route.

The 2 front bottom tubes are extremely rusty and will probably need to be replaced.

Unsure and thought I’d ask the experienced.

Just want the paint to look smooth and want to do what’s best.

[Joolstacho]

Brazing?

[jachenbach]

If you go with paint, just use body filler (Bondo, Evercoat). As thin as will be needed for what you describe, it'll last longer than most of us with good surface prep.

[chaterlea25]

Hi,
The frame tubing is only about 0.090 thick so deep pitting will affect the strength of the frame
I replaced a section of a down tube on a current  B series frame project as it was crushed from probably a crash
bar mounting
I had difficulty finding the same thickness wall tubing, eventually I found a piece from a scrap frame
I need to replace a short section on my RGS project frame where the prop stand fits and have a piece left over to do this
The joints were sleeved and also holes drilled in the tube  to plug weld the sleeves

John

[BSA_54A10]

If you are going to fill for safety sake use steel and make that high strength steel as a weld is a casting so is not as strong as the original wrought tube.

Weather you should will depend upon how deep, who many & exactly where they are.

[coater87]

 

 When we evaluate rusted metal, we use an awl or an ice pick. We are not gentle about it, we are looking for weak metal.

 If your metal is sound, but just pitted- I would look around for a shop that can do spray welding. Parts that you dont want welded can be masked with a special gel. Its a lot of careful work to knock down the spray welded sections to make things look nice, but you will never know it was pitted.

 If the metal is weak, I would replace those sections.

 You could use DOM tubing. Anyone with a good size lathe should be able to turn you up correctly sized pieces in the 6-8 inch long range. Its a PIA but it can be done. 

 Its certainly not a "deal breaker" on a frame, its just another adventure in the restoration process.

 Lee