Ralph_the_Rohan
Retro Guru
Re:
Last update (probably!)
The time had come for me to tidy up the frame ready for the rebuild to start over the next Bank Holiday weekend.
At the beginning of this thread there was a minor discussion on what I should ultimately do with the frame, and eventually, once funds are available, I am hoping to send it back to Mercian for a full restoration, but for the time being I just wanted to rub down the existing rust and try and get as much of the original paint looking a little bit better.
I began by giving any areas of rust a gentle brush with a small wire brush to remove any loose flakes and try and expose the metal/paint underneath. Once that was done I then went over the whole frame, including the remaining paint work, with a very fine wire wool to remove all the years of dirt and oxidisation. Once that had been achieved I gave the frame a polish with a clean cloth.
Surprisingly the frame didn’t come out too badly, with quite a lot of the original blue paint visible….
The original T.D.C. ‘Italia’ Headset was very badly rusted, so I fitted a replacement that a friend donated. Although not NOS by any means, it was still a great improvement on the original….
I then removed the original Stronglight Bottom Bracket, gave it a full clean and re-grease and then refitted it….
I’ve also finished cleaning the rusty frame on the original Brooks B17 Champion Narrow saddle and given it a good treating with Proofide, but I won’t bore you with a picture of that!
So that’s it as far as this thread is concerned. Hopefully I will soon be in a position to show the completed bike!
Steve.
Last update (probably!)
The time had come for me to tidy up the frame ready for the rebuild to start over the next Bank Holiday weekend.
At the beginning of this thread there was a minor discussion on what I should ultimately do with the frame, and eventually, once funds are available, I am hoping to send it back to Mercian for a full restoration, but for the time being I just wanted to rub down the existing rust and try and get as much of the original paint looking a little bit better.
I began by giving any areas of rust a gentle brush with a small wire brush to remove any loose flakes and try and expose the metal/paint underneath. Once that was done I then went over the whole frame, including the remaining paint work, with a very fine wire wool to remove all the years of dirt and oxidisation. Once that had been achieved I gave the frame a polish with a clean cloth.
Surprisingly the frame didn’t come out too badly, with quite a lot of the original blue paint visible….
The original T.D.C. ‘Italia’ Headset was very badly rusted, so I fitted a replacement that a friend donated. Although not NOS by any means, it was still a great improvement on the original….
I then removed the original Stronglight Bottom Bracket, gave it a full clean and re-grease and then refitted it….
I’ve also finished cleaning the rusty frame on the original Brooks B17 Champion Narrow saddle and given it a good treating with Proofide, but I won’t bore you with a picture of that!
So that’s it as far as this thread is concerned. Hopefully I will soon be in a position to show the completed bike!
Steve.
I am always a bit undecided about that, I like the originality but also like the nice shiny just painted look.
