OK, I've got lazy recently, since I sold my 6KU singlespeed. My Falcon singlespeed, 'Aryton' (Aryton Senna, cost me a tenner) has been off the road for several months due to the rust getting quite bad, so now's probably the time to start getting it back into shape.
As some of the rust is quite deep I'm going to paint strip then try find somewhere to media blast the worst bits (grit or sand too destructive). Then I'll treat the remaining rust with Jenolyte or similar, before painting, which I may do myself or get professionally done.
I was planning on trying to obtain some carbon forks as the original chrome ones would need some attention (although the rust doesn't appear to have penetrated where the blades attach to the crown). Plus, I want to use a threadless headset and modern, black components to avoid any suggestion of it being a 'r3tro' build...
The BB took a bit of shifting. Having a quality vice is a limited benefit if it isn't attached to anything, as I found out later with the seatpost.
With head badge, graphics and the unobtainable 'Reynolds 453' sticker removed, it was time to attack the seized seatpost. I tried initially with penetrating oil to no avail, then cut the thing down to about 1" and slotted it front and back. After several hours drilling, slotting as far as I could, reapplying penetrant, sticking it in the (loose) vice and attempting to get it to rotate, it eventually decided it was going to break rather than give up its galvanic bonds.
There is a decent gap around it, now, so it's obviously seized lower down. I'm going to let it soak overnight and have another go; I think I've got an expanding reamer somewhere (that I bought for reaming Lambretta front suspension link bushes) which might fit. If I can ream it til it's geet thin I might be able to collapse it inwards. I always read people's posts about seized seatposts with some amusement; this is the first proper seized one I've encountered, and I only have myself to blame...
As some of the rust is quite deep I'm going to paint strip then try find somewhere to media blast the worst bits (grit or sand too destructive). Then I'll treat the remaining rust with Jenolyte or similar, before painting, which I may do myself or get professionally done.
I was planning on trying to obtain some carbon forks as the original chrome ones would need some attention (although the rust doesn't appear to have penetrated where the blades attach to the crown). Plus, I want to use a threadless headset and modern, black components to avoid any suggestion of it being a 'r3tro' build...
The BB took a bit of shifting. Having a quality vice is a limited benefit if it isn't attached to anything, as I found out later with the seatpost.
With head badge, graphics and the unobtainable 'Reynolds 453' sticker removed, it was time to attack the seized seatpost. I tried initially with penetrating oil to no avail, then cut the thing down to about 1" and slotted it front and back. After several hours drilling, slotting as far as I could, reapplying penetrant, sticking it in the (loose) vice and attempting to get it to rotate, it eventually decided it was going to break rather than give up its galvanic bonds.
There is a decent gap around it, now, so it's obviously seized lower down. I'm going to let it soak overnight and have another go; I think I've got an expanding reamer somewhere (that I bought for reaming Lambretta front suspension link bushes) which might fit. If I can ream it til it's geet thin I might be able to collapse it inwards. I always read people's posts about seized seatposts with some amusement; this is the first proper seized one I've encountered, and I only have myself to blame...
And I said I'd never form a relationship with an inanimate object!
. I've still got my childhood Falcon..
