Pre-war Elgin, a new project begins
- Thread starter sandmangts
- Start date
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No, I wish I had the space to do it but my painter is very reasonable and does great work. Thanks for the tip for cleaning the chain. White vinegar worked wonders. The chain looks almost new. I have the original Torrington pedals off my DX that I may use. Not sure about the grips yet.yewhi said:
yoothgeye
I build stuff.
sandmangts said:
Glad it worked, upon posting I had removed mine from the vinegar and put it into a tin can soaking in gas/oil mix. I removed it wednesday night, used the wire brush to do a quick scrub on all four sides to knock off the grit that was hanging on and I was SUPER surprised at just how flexible the chain, it works like a new chain and before I couple barely roll it up.
OH....MY!
Fantastic! I was drooling at the first one, but this is just as top notch! I personally think these pedals would be absolutely perfect for you...
http://www.memorylane-classics.com/
http://www.memorylane-classics.com/
Sure thing, I am still hanging on to those parts incase you need them too. Polishing is all about patience. Bench grinders are a must. Home Depot has a polishing kit that is inexpensive and very effective. It includes 4 polishing compounds from course to superfine and 2 buffing wheels. I find on bare aluminum it is all I need. Parts with clear coats or heavy oxidation are another story. For instance these cranks were badly pitted and the ano coat was coming off. I had to wet sand from 320 grit to 400 to 600 to 800 to 1000 to 1500 and then polish from course to fine and then use a cream polish like Mothers to coat and protect from oxidation. I still did not get all the ano off the back but they looked good enough.41DX said:
This Suntour Browning auto shifter crank was literally caked with heavy green oxidation. I thought it was hopeless, same process, now they look practically mint although originally they would have had a more opaque anodized finish.
Brass is easy, just use the fine jewelers rouge and low speed on the buffing wheel. I actually went back over this piece with polish to fade the paint a bit and then let the brass tarnish a bit before a light coat of clear to give it that older look.
The best thing to do is get a peice of metal you don't need or care about and just go to town.
Pretty much done now. Rides great, super comfortable. This is just the perfect coffee getter. I am always terribly nervous about my bikes getting ripped off but lucky for me my local pub lets me park it in the store room.
yoothgeye
I build stuff.
xHOBOPHOBIAx said:
Look at the ends of the brace bar where it is welded to the main bars, it is crimped flat, if you twist the bars when installing you can make that flat part go through the opening in the stem.
Yeah, I know, but the boy sure loves it and it is really a perfect bike for it with the gearing and the weight balance. We were rolling in style around the bay last weekend. I managed to strip the crank nut on the Elgin but thankfully I did not screw up the crank so I have to get another nut and I am waiting on some nice Schwalbe Fat Alberts. After that I will move on to my DX clunker project. Parts aquisition alone could take years for this one.yewhi said:
