hello all,
ill admit i am a virgin and have never undertaken a refurbishment or restoration on my own. to make it tricky i plan to do it all on an apartment rooftop (no sheds in NYC) with minimal tools and im looking for a few tried and tested opinions on materials, methods and ideas as to how to go about what i plan.
the frame is a montagner (passarella) and is oria tubed (longitudonally ribbed) with gipieme drop-outs. it had a dua-ace ultegra kit which i sold off and had ridden it since as a simple fixie (these have gone to a friends build). i now have a slightly better array of simple fixie parts that are new and am looking to clean it up as other than the peeling paint and decals it really is in sweet condition.
it is chrome at the ends and nickel plate between (main 3). i aim to peel the decals and save them in case ...i dont know just in case i get ideas for a repaint somewhere down the track. they are lifting in parts but are all there. i have heard a few ideas ranging from blow driers and nail polish remover or light solvent. any other ideas? im pretty handy whith a camera, scanner, photoshop and quark et al...should i take close pics of them and remake my own just in case. (im not worried of legal and moral ramifications and if reattached i would happily own up to them being doctored). decals like the one refering to a time trial record in colorado springs and such i would like to keep. the fork slope/crowns, bb shell and seat stays are all pantographed so i dont mind if i cant keep them but id like to try.
a friend recommended that i use a product called aircraft stripper that he said was available from autozone. good or bad? i dont mind elbow work but desire to absolutely be sure that the chrome and nickel plate is unharmed. i have gloves, face masks, buckets water, sponges, rags, brushes, fine grade paper, steel wool, orbital sander and am very nifty with my hands but would like to where possible avoid buying tools as city life makes storage issues and i doubt that ill need to use them again. will scraping paint mean that i will have to buff the plating (all of which is in excellent condition). the paints ok but is easy to peel in parts just by hand so i figure ill go the whole hog. of course i plan to seal all the ends and i have a lot of time to do it properly and in parts if necessary.
buffing - polishing - cutting i know are tricky to do to plated metals but for a good simple shine will simichrome do for both platings? once cleaned and dried i have weigle's waiting and will check for alignment. its straight as i see but nonetheless. anything else to finish before building up again?
and lastly it has a mavic bottom bracket which is smooth and appears fairly new. as the bb has been chamfered ( i dont know why as it doesn't appear damaged or maligned and know little of its history) to fit i suppose i dont have many options but to service it and refit it or do i? if not, i have never serviced a bb with sealed bearings . it looks straightfoward though but does anyone know offhand what size bearings and where to source from. and which 130bcd cranks have the right taper for this bb? id like to go early 80's if possible whithin my budget (peanuts). a lbs store has offered to let me use their tools and shop in the wee hours as a trade of favors for th build so i have all the frame and parts tools i could wish for but they mostly stock current components and will try where possible to slip what i need in with their ordering if they can.
im sorry if i ask a lot but i thought a range of responses may be better for gaugeing what to do or not to do. i just thought i'd ask before taking the plunge. indeed most of the talk here has me envious and even though i live in high density 'ville i am so begging to get my hands dirty and not smell like a calvin klein test lab.
any and all responses would be greatly appreciated whether on or off list. small or big doesn't matter. good or bad.
oh...the frame....as an opinion if you care for how i think of it.... i must admit it is a well balanced frame and is lively as it is smooth. its sum of parts and history probably don't amount to much but it is an honest and perfectly good ride that i have enjoyed more than most of my "superior" frames. the fact that i had ridden it with 2 completely different groupsets and kits and still found my opinion consistent is my marker. i dont know of any others sadly.
its to be my bad weather, around town, commuter, fixed gear, shopping, ride with my girl and anything else bike but i aim to build it to look very smart. the parts it came with have when sold amounted to more than it cost me so im not going to lose any actual value in my eyes.
http://idisk.mac.com/
http://idisk.mac.com/
thanks for being patient with my dribble as i thought to a little of my joy instead of my lifeless ebay notices.
ciao
ben kamen, NYC