Dating a GT Outpost

[moffyr72]

have you ever used cold blueing kits before??

i'd be very tempted to reconsider because from my experience of trying to do full guns, you can never get a good, consistent finish.

It would look as cool as hell if you could do it but the cold blue kits are only ever really any good for touching up or small repair sections. A mate of mine also tried a pair of barrels from an old 'el chimbo' double hammer .410 and while the finish looked good inside, as soon as it was in natural light it looked terrible.

over the years i've attempted a couple of vintage air rifles & a couple of over lever webley pistols as well as some shotgun barrels to try & get the farm knockabout guns looking a shave tidier but the results were always the same.

if you are going to try it, go for a blueing paste as opposed to a liquid as they do work a bit better from what i've discovered & make sure you cure the frame in plenty of oil for a few days before you clear coat it.

my other concern would be cost. cold blue stuff aint cheap and to do a full frame you would need a fair bit of it, you could probably powdercoat the frame for similar money if you shopped around.

lastly, i'm not sure how big his blueing tank is, but try ringing colin at manchester air guns because his blueing work is second to none. i've seen a few guns & barrels he has done over the years and his work is always stunning, really deep, dark finish & a lot more hard wearing than a lot of factory finishes. if he can fit a frame in his tank (potentially dipping it toptube first then bb shell & downube then seat stays then chain stays) it would be well worth the cash!

good luck with it!

I just fancied it, have been watching various threads on builds and I have yet to see something along those lines, so thought I'd give it a go! if it goes tits up I do have a back up plan but I reckon I can do it with a bit of luck .. well lot of luck. I'll take your points on board though, Thanks!

GM,
Thanks for the confirmation.
I remembered your comments before about Hodaka numbers starting with H then the year number.. it was a fake Zaskar thread.. and how the number for the year could be for that or the following year.. etc etc
Couldnt find it in a 1993 catalogue which then got me thinking it could be 1994.. which took me a while to find (and which you linked straight away with the accompanying knowledge!) Thanks very much. Absolutely astounding how much information and knowledge can be found via this site. 'Tis awesome!

 

[jax13]

I just fancied it, have been watching various threads on builds and I have yet to see something along those lines, so thought I'd give it a go! if it goes tits up I do have a back up plan but I reckon I can do it with a bit of luck .. well lot of luck. I'll take your points on board though, Thanks!

if you are gonna have a crack at it, strip & attack the forks first.

prep is everything, the slightest impurity on the metal will give an uneven finish, something as slight as a partial finger print leaves enough grease behind to screw it!!!

latex gloves, plenty of methys or petrol to degrease & remember that blueing is essentially a rusting process & if left wet, dirty or greasy it will rust like a good 'un.

once your happy with the finish you will need to keep it soaked on oil for at least 24 hours so some large plastic bags or cling film to wrap the parts in while they cure would probably serve you well.


I did fancy having a crack at it myself until i thought it through properly! once you give it a crack make sure you pm me with some pics, it would be awesome if you could get a decent finish.

 

[moffyr72]

I will do. Cheers for the tips

Off to the Falklands very soon for a short month and a bit tour but when I get back I'll attack the project proper.

**edit**

Did a little more paint stripping tonight and found 'trail' on the end of the 'Outpost'

http://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/Bike ... &Type=bike

Got it.