For those who might be interested.
Yesterday afternoon a Canada Post van pulled up in front of our house and deposited a bike box. I have waited for more than three years for this day and I am like a dog with two tails. My Carpenter has finally arrived.
Now that I see the frameset up close it is soooo elegant and understated - much lighter weight than I would have thought. Mario Vaz's paint-job, while not completely perfect, is very good: deep-maroon with off-white head-tube and panel on seat-tube (small Carpenter crest in the middle of the latter); Carpenter on down-tube in off-white outlined in black; lugs lined in gold; and the chrome fork-ends have been kept (the crown was too far gone to keep chromed). I had thought of having the headbadge restored but have opted for a cleaning and will leave it with a certain amount of patina which should help to show the age which is no longer immediately apparent in the frameset (the latter needed to be refinished I am afraid).
I now have most of what I need for the rebuild. A few small odds and ends left for which I might be sending out a HELP ME posting soon. I have a winter of polishing and cleaning ahead of me. I am also going to have to figure out how to fit the headclip headset.
Christmas has come early here in Ottawa!!
Paul Williams,
Ottawa, ON, Canada