Diamond in the Rough- Polished Gem Almost done

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Re: Diamond in the Rough

Using a 10 tooth cog the bike will run a chain with 57 sideplates including the master. I have a short Diamond Line chain that I use for repairs like this. If u can't find any links up there let me know and I'll get some to you.
 
Re: Diamond in the Rough

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Re: Diamond in the Rough

Got a call from my powder coater this morning to tell me that he had everything blasted. I stopped in to inspect the parts before he coats them. The bars and the frame will need a little attention to get them smooth before he works his magic on them. It will be after the holidays before I get to work on them. :(

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Re: Diamond in the Rough

I have been busy with the bike for the last few days. My powder coater ordered me a can of Lab-Metal and I got a handful of dings in the frame cleaned up and the bars had some bad pitting that I filled as well. This morning I am dropping the frame and bars off again so he can do his thing.

I also got some good pics of the Rollfast frame darts from Walker and used the pics to draw up a template to take to my vinyl guy so he can make me a stencil. Once I get the parts back home and the stencil in hand I will get the white paint down on top of the blue and be ready to begin the reassembly process.

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Re: Diamond in the Rough- '32 Rollfast Ballooner

My powder coater called me this morning to let me know he had some parts for me. I was surprised since he just got the frame and bars back yesterday morning after I gave them the Lab-Metal treatment. I am still waiting on the bars (he hadn't shot chrome yet today), the rims (wanted to be sure of the color I wanted, blue), and the rack (coated it in chrome instead of blue by mistake :oops: ). I should be able to get the rest of it tomorrow.

On my way to see him I spotted a new decal shop that had just opened so I stopped in and spoke with the owner. She is going to make my dart stencils and I should have them in my hands soon.

Here is what I got back today

Look at all the shiny bits!
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The BC Jiffey Kickstand
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Before
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After
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Lower truss plate
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Snowflake sprocket
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And the frame
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Re: Diamond in the Rough- '32 Rollfast Ballooner

So all of this is powder coated? That is really cool!
8)
 
Re: Diamond in the Rough- '32 Rollfast Ballooner

Lookin really good buddy! Blue is awesome & looks better in person i'm sure. I use a lot of chrome powder coat. It's just about as close to chrome as you can get, so if the part is smooth it looks great, if it has imperfections they show. But then again they would show with real chrome as well. Can't wait to see this one come together!
 
Re: Diamond in the Rough- '32 Rollfast Ballooner

Do you have a 'rule of thumb' for the chrome powder coat vs real chrome; I should think that since you do the prep and fill, etc., and no polishing is required that it would be way cheaper?
 
Re: Diamond in the Rough- '32 Rollfast Ballooner

gcrank1 said:
Do you have a 'rule of thumb' for the chrome powder coat vs real chrome; I should think that since you do the prep and fill, etc., and no polishing is required that it would be way cheaper?
Click to expand...

I have parts chromed and I have had parts powder chromed. Side by side there is no comparison, real chrome every time. The deciding factor for me on this one is cost. Rechroming all the shiny bits on a bike runs about $300. Powder chrome plus the color on the other parts set me back about $125. A full rechrome on this bike would have run much more due to the pitting on most of the parts.

As far as a rule of thumb- If you are doing a proper "restoration" where you hunt down the exact correct part or you are doing a bike that really means something to you then go with real chrome. I have done this on two bikes. The first was a recreation of my dad's first bike that I suprised him with for his birthday. The second was my '37 BSA tandem. It is one of only two (that I have found in my extensive research) in the US.

If you are building a regular bike go with the powder chrome. Do the prep work- blast the parts, do the required body work to make the part smooth and clean, and have it powdered. From 10' it is hard to tell the difference.
 

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