Poorly '54 Claud Butler - Avant Coureur Special??

[Peachy!]

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That will be some finish!
Maybe it wasn’t as popular back then as they were a bit too conservative with regards to making such a statement with your bike.
I can more picture a punk in the 70s pulling a wheelies up the high street than showing up to a youth hostel weekend in the highlands in the 50s
If you find a painter to do it tell I have my old beemer m/c that would look cool in this
Jamie

Yeah, green over neon yellow doesn't really conjure up a nostalgic picture of 1950s cycling does it? I'm assuming its original as its under the headbadge, and there is evidence of it overspayed in the bottom bracket shell and headtube. I suppose the whole bike could've been stripped and resprayed properly at some point in the last 66 years. If I hadn't spotted that crackle paint was an option in the 1954 catalogue I'd have never thought it was standard.

Seems that crackle effect is used a lot nowadays in faux-vintage furniture restoration......and there seem to be a few ways to achieve it - mainly using pva glue as a substrate to paint over which causes the top coat to shrink and crack. A good technique for furniture I'm sure......

Wondering whether this stuff is worth having a play with.....clear coated with something durable like a 2k lacquer?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sth2GrnEvE

I’ve used this product before (but not on a bike frame) definitely worth trying it out I think, keep it thin and subtle as I don’t think the thick big cracks will be so obviously deliberate on thin tubing.
Also do some tests/practices before using 2pak, you might have to build the clear coat up in lots of thin layers with loads of drying time in between.... hope I’m not teaching you to suck eggs!

 

[sherlylock]

Re: Re:

I’ve used this product before (but not on a bike frame) definitely worth trying it out I think, keep it thin and subtle as I don’t think the thick big cracks will be so obviously deliberate on thin tubing.
Also do some tests/practices before using 2pak, you might have to build the clear coat up in lots of thin layers with loads of drying time in between.... hope I’m not teaching you to suck eggs!

Not at all - all advice gratefully received! I've not done a huge amount of spraying, aside from my 1275gt in Cellulose about 15 years ago - which was a reasonable effort given the conditions I did it in (dusty old barn). I've rattle-canned a few bike frames with good results. I'll get hold of some of that crackle paint and see what it's like to use. I've got access to a decent compressor (and a spray gun) at work so I could build a temp spray booth to do the lacquer coats.

Had a couple of spare hours this afternoon whilst the littlest kid had a sleep so I got stuck into something really important! Not used my Tamiya paints and detail brushes for a long while (I have been known to dabble in painting Warhammer lead figures in the past.......shhhh, don't tell anyone).

Decided to go for a weathered look on the laurel wreath.....it just didn't look right as a block green colour, and added in a little black in the crevices to add some contrast. Just looked a little too "clean" without it.

Question is......should the CB text be in-filled with a colour. Reckon gold would look good.

 

[dan73uk]

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Looks great. If you do the text, the background of the rings will also need to be done as well I think

 

[dan73uk]

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Looking at numerous other CB badges, The text and inside /background of the rings appear gold

 

[sherlylock]

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Looking at numerous other CB badges, The text and inside /background of the rings appear gold

There are quite a few variations of the CB badge over the years. Some of the later ones are gold (brass?) but the one I have is a 50's aluminium version......so most of it should be silver. I've seen this one which either has yellow or gold detail on the CB text. Not sure which it is.....

 

[Peachy!]

That’s weird seeing my comment in that screen grab!

 

[Jamiedyer]

It's even weirder seeing you chatting to Ronald from Berlin
Small world and all that.

Jamie

 

[Peachy!]

It's even weirder seeing you chatting to Ronald from Berlin
Small world and all that.

Jamie

It certainly is...... BTW the early top end cast aluminium version should have a yellow ring & yellow "CB"
The background was left plain

 

[sherlylock]

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Found a little bit of time today (but not as much time as I'd have liked) and spent some time sorting the front wheel. Gave it a good clean.....petrol and a toothbrush to dissolve all the solid oil and greasy gunk caking the hubs. Underneath it all is a 3 piece low flange Campagnolo hub and skewer. Not a manufacturer I'm hugely familiar with but after a bit of trawling on Velobase I think it may be a Gran Sport from the 50's.....

Stripped the notchy hub down and flushed out the old solid grease. Bearing balls and races on one side of the hub all lovely.....other side not so good. Rusty and some slight damage to the race surface in the hub. Anyway - new 3/16" balls fitted, fresh grease, adjusted the cones and it is pretty blummin' smooth considering.

Also offered up the headbadge to see what it looks like in situ......

Starting to see an improvement: