The Barbie Bike

My daughter is learning to ride a bike (without stabilisers). I obtained an unwanted Barbie BMX bike in pink with orange mag style wheels.

 Last night was a lovely evening so armed with a few tools and a few cleaning products the bike got stripped down for diagnosis.  So far so good.  Brake levers are shot so new ones needed.  The frame has some minor rust spots and the paint is damaged.  The chrome parts need a good polish.  Mechanically sound though, so only cosmetic surgery required.  My daughter wants pink, orange and purple stripes.  Wait and see...

Update 14/07/2011

Bike dismantled and decals removed (Chromed parts in a Oxalic Acid bath)

The old tatty decals have been removed from the frame leaving behind the ultra sticky goo.  This stuff is a nightmare to remove, however here is a my little trick:  Soak a cloth in WD-40 and wrap the area.  Leave for a few hours and the glue will soften enough to be wiped off.  Best off all, the flower decals on the chain guard have left  flower shadows where the sun has not bleached the plastic.  This looks pretty cool!

Neat effect

After some research on t'interweb I have found that Oxalic Acid (wood bleach) is best for chromed parts.  Put parts in a solution of acid and leave for a few days for it to eat the rust then polish.  I don't have wood bleach, but "Bar Keepers Friend" (which I use on the motorbike and have in the garage) has Oxalic acid as the active ingredient (Found on CoSHH Safety Data sheet)  Problem solved.  I have placed the chromed parts in a solution of "Bar Keepers Friend".  Let us see later if they come out sparkly or brown!