Preserving bare steel?

[jdvorchak]

Brushed steel only works if it's stainless steel. Wax it daily and it might not rust too bad.

[dorkburger]

That does look cool, particularly with the chrome/red Suzuki badge.

[JamesWhut?]

You really have to get the finish you want and then coat it with something, preferably permanent like a urethane. A "brushed finish" is probably the perfect medium for rust (very high microscopic surface area).

[free_derick]

How did you get on with this? I tried a clear laqcuer rattle can which was better than nothing but doesn't seem to be holding up long term. Interested to see if you found anything.. have been searching for a while. Anyone ever used Sharkhide?

[frankenwabbit]

Mmm....you could try using boiled linseed oil (you can pick up at a hardware store) to help preserve the finish. Do a search on it on the web...seems lots of people use it to preserve the patina on their ratrods and whatnot. Don't get regular linseed oil....it has to be "boiled linseed oil".

[JorDesign]

Look up Penetrol...

[GregT]

Only just seen this thread...There's been a fad in "vintage" racing to leave bronze welded Manx Norton frames as bare metal for a while now. Usually with a clear coat over them. There are two local to me which were done in clearcoat from new - both are visibly brown now....
And those are bikes which get much more care and attention than a road bike.