[CR]Bike painting

(Example: Framebuilding:Norris Lockley)

Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:07:28 +0200 (CEST)
From: "Nick March" <nicbordeaux@yahoo.fr>
Subject: [CR]Bike painting
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org


Powder coat ? If you want. Obviously the best is whatever paint was used at the time. I think chemical strippers should be avoided unless your frame is totally free of anything like headsets... Common sense. I guess chemical is faster than rubbing the paint off, or flat ...

Just my two cents, but at what stage does a frame need to be repainted ? Do you really want your vintage bike to look new ? Here are two links to a thing I was going to strip and have totally repainted. I was advised against doing it, and I agree now. Because there is a paint out there which, if you can lay your hands on it, can be hand brushed on and hand polished to perfection. If you know somebody who is a competent artist, that person will be able to mix your paints to an exact colour match, enabling you to repaint part of the bike, or touch in the damage. On a total repaint, you are going to lose all box lining, decals, pinstriping... Plus there won't be any patina at all.

http://membres.lycos.fr/partspeekers/hpbimg/red1bresize.jpg

http://membres.lycos.fr/partspeekers/hpbimg/red1aresize.jpg

I'll upload some detailed pics when the bike is finished. Which may take time, because I'm trying various gear out on her, can't make up my mind as to whether a plunger 47 Simplex TDF is better than a 57 one with the black washer with gold laurels (and matching shif lever of course). Or maybe a Campag something or other ? And the brakes ? Steel, or a set of early alloys ? The bars likewise ? Stem ? Saddle ? Even cable clips...

So that is another one along the lines of "keep just one", but it is "Say you have a beaut handbuilt frame and no spec, what would you fit, how would you build her up, what would you use in the way of parts ?"

I face that rather fun and likeable problem with the red racer, a cyclotourer and a track frame.

Nick March, Agen, 47000, Mont de Marsan, France.

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