RE: [CR]State of the Art restorations

(Example: Racing)

In-Reply-To: <20040515.091757.495.28166@webmail03.lax.untd.com>
References: <20040515.091757.495.28166@webmail03.lax.untd.com>
Date: Sat, 15 May 2004 12:50:10 -0700
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
From: "Jan Heine" <heine93@earthlink.net>
Subject: RE: [CR]State of the Art restorations


Brian,

As I said, I did not intend to criticize anybody or to say that somebody's approach is wrong. I just would like to see a bit of discussion on this topic. My views have changed over the years because of discussions with others, etc. I am grateful for that.
>Paint finishes. Again, like you said, an old bike when new, if waxed
>and properly cared for probably looked exactly like a "modern" paint
>job that is properly applied. The key is to get proper looking
>colors( even though most bikes vary quite a bit either as new or as
>they age) and to get the paint on thin. To be honest, that is where
>most restorations fail in my opinion; which is why I make special
>efforts to apply paint the way I do. Modern paint is also easy to
>"adjust" to the gloss that you will find suitable. It's not the
>modern paint that doesn't "look right", it's how it's applied. What
>most restorers, myself included, do that is distinctly different
>from "factory finishes" is do clean masking and other finishing
>touches that are "too perfect" to appear factory. But trust me, most
>people whould be very disappointed if their Cinelli came back with
>the lugs and trim paint done to factory standards, which also vary
>quite a bit.

Paint thickness: The old bikes often had amazingly thin paint. I wonder whether paint shrinks over the decades?

Modern paint thickness often is disappointing. Clearly, when painting a TIG bike or a car, there is no conern about blurring the crisp edges of lugs. But our bikes are different.

Fortunately, as you say, modern paint job don't have to be thick and goopy. Joe Bell did an amazing job on my Rivendell, both for thin paint and durability. Despite being my daily rider for four years now, the bike has only one minor chip! Others have not fared so well, one restored tandem frame (with thicker paint) lost paint already during assembly. I will report on the Cinelli you painted for me once I get it together.

Better than new: That one is tough. I guess everybody makes their own compromises here. I strive for the best of the era - so my Cinelli should look like a good Cinelli, not like one that was done on Friday afternoon while everybody wanted to get home to watch the soccer finals, but also not like somebody slaved for days on getting it perfect, when they didn't do that back then.

Also, what about clearcoats that used to yellow - do you want a bike that is eternally youthful like a face-lifted superstar, or one that will age gracefully like it would have if you had bought it new and treated it well. I don't think I know the answer...
>
>Being a restorer is partially like trying to be a mind reader. What
>is helpful is having a good line of communication and having a
>restorer who is actually into the hobby and hangs around with the
>crowd. One learns a lot about what people like by participating and
>owning a collection of their own. It really does help.

I agree that it is extremely important for the customer to communicate what they want. This means the customer needs to be clear of what they want first! Simply to say "Make it as it was when new" is not sufficient, as people have different ideas of what that may have been. I think discussions like this can educate customers so they can make up their minds and then know how to communicate this. That would make life easier for you, too.

And then there is the question whether to restore at all. I would like to present some good examples of restorations in VBQ, so that readers at least know that if they restore their bikes, it will be done right. With a restoration, the original finish is lost forever, and I feel it should be replaced with something that is right. I have one bike that would look a lot better restored, but as long as I cannot be sure it is done right, it will stay as is.

So please send in some photos of restorations! This applies to others in the business as well.

--
Jan Heine, Seattle
Editor/Publisher
Vintage Bicycle Quarterly
http://www.mindspring.com/~heine/bikesite/bikesite/