[Steve Rosewell]

Just looking at starting my restoration of my F-frame deluxe, I can see how to do the chrome and paint etc. but can’t think how to tackle the stem, bars and brakes.
Any ideas? I not sure weather to polish or blast it or just leave it alone.
Thanks Steve

[stan ellison]

It’s a good few years since I did mine but if I remember correctly they are all stainless steel or are they chrome?. Which ever they are they came up nicely with wire wool.

[Alexander Johnston]

Rubbing with water and aluminium foil works reasonably well.
Alex

[Paul Grogan]

Hi.
For what it’s worth, my twopence worth of advice is definitely DO NOT use steel / wire wool on the chrome pieces. Think about it, you are rubbing steel across across a shiny surface and it will scratch it. (I did it years ago witha Brillo pad on my Speed M4 mudguards, so I can speak from a position of having already found it doesn’t work! They rusted twice as bad as soon as they got damp) I have heard the alumiium foil works well or use a brass wire brush (Not brass-coated steel – test with a magnet to confirm!) Brass brushes are not as easy to find these days but autojumbles and sometimes car boot sales might be a source. Once you have all the corrosion removed, Solvol Autosol chrome cleaner is good for the finishing touch.

[Matthew Dunn]

Hi Steve,
If the parts are alloy you can use fine sand paper to smooth the surface and then use something with a fine abrasive in it like T-Cut to polish it. I use a very similar technique and you can get it to a true mirror finish if that’s your thing.
There’s a picture at the bottom of the below webpage:
https://sites.google.com/site/bodsbikes/moulton-speedsix
Best of luck and let me know if you have any questions,
Matt

[Steve Rosewell]

Thanks for all the tips, the foil sound very interesting as does the brass brush.
There is lots of info on the net on both. I have some brass brushes for my Dremel which I will be testing, probably on the end which will be under the head tube. I have the ‘classic’ Moulton book which has been really useful and my stem is a GB spearpoint alloy, I am ready to tackle this now.
What I still have a problem with is the handle bars, the brake levers have been twisted while tight and put some zig zag scratches on the bars and these I would like to polish out.
Any ideas! Thanks again to all above

Steve

[Ian]

Steve, if you have a place near you that does soda blasting (on small parts – not the outside of buildings!) try them. A mate did a restoration of a Yamaha motorcycle and the parts he had done came up a treat.

[Steve Rosewell]

Cheers Ian, googled soda blasting and it looks perfect. I am so excited about this restoration, I looked at Matthhews link above and wondered how I am going to get such a great paint job with plenty of ‘pop’.
Hopefully see some of you at the events.
Thanks again
Steve

[Ian]

If you want a paint job like Matt’s it would probably help if you work for a top end specialist paint company like Matt! 😉

[Steve Rosewell]

I was thinking of using Argos cycles in Bristol who have done a frame for me before though I don’t think they will be sanding after every layer though.
If only I was some highly paid movie actor or a rock star who could send it to one of these custom car paint shops you see on television, then it would shine.
Unfortunately my career choice will only be useful to take the photos of it once done, so will have to use plenty of polish instead!

[Matthew Dunn]

Hi Steve,
You can just sand out the scratches with higher grit sand paper, something like 180 grit (the lower the number the more coarse the paper and the faster it’ll sand off the offending damage).
The aluminium foil and brass brush is normally used for slightly rusty chrome. Sanding and polishing is more for aluminium (random fact: you can use the same technique to make a parabolic mirror out of the bottom of a coke can and get scratched CDs to play again).
Enjoy the renovation, when they go well they’re lots of fun!
Matt

[Alexander Johnston]

Seriously Matt, you can sand the bottom of a coke can to make a parabolic mirror using light grained sand paper?
What did you use the “mirror” for?
Alex

[Matthew Dunn]

It’s possible but not particularly useful : o ) You can use it to focus light to burn stuff, we used it when I was in Air Cadets to start fires. Sound like a right pyro now!

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