Raleigh Sports Restoration Part 2 Wet Sanding / Also some Tool and Product Reviews

Hello and Welcome. Today "Sunday" I did some repair/maintenance work on a bike that belongs to the grandson of a friend of mine. Then went to look at flooring with my wife and partner of almost 30 years. I finally unloaded the freebie Sprint that was donated to the cause by my brother in law Frank that has been in the trunk of my old Taurus for 5 days. (the bike not Frank). But Friday and Saturday afternoon I spent wet sanding the Raleigh Sports. And I hope to spend at least part of tomorrow working n it as well.

Above: Friday afternoon went pretty well, I finished sanding all the main tubes and the left side chain and seat stays. For the initial sanding I have been using an automotive grade 180 grit wet sandpaper. Before spraying primer I will go over it quickly with a finer grit paper, probably around 220 grit.

Above: I thought I would try something different, so I purchased this 3M Finish Sanding Wheel for my high speed 8 amp DeWalt drill. It did not work well on the frame at all, it felt too hard and wanted to bounce. Also I did not seem to be getting much done with it at all. I am sure it "probably" works fine for other applications, just not this one. I`m sure I will find some practical use for it in the future.

Above: Saturday afternoon I finished wet sanding everything except the head tube. I have decided to remove the badge this time. Today I looked for a beveled metal file at the Depot but they did not have anything in stock. Tomorrow I will check at Peter's True Value out on M59 west of here. I plan on filing off the rivets from inside the head tube as Darrell from Bent Wrench Restorations suggested.

Above: By the way... Congratulations to Darrell who took home a trophy for "Best Middleweight" at the "Village Cycle Sport Show and Swap" for his beautiful Flightliner. Well done!! This is the same Darrell who donated the beautiful decals for the Rusty Raleigh restoration. Sometimes good things do happen to good people!

Above: Today (Monday) while picking up a new beveled file and some hack saw blades at Peter's True Value, I also picked up 2 size D batteries. And as you can see above the Delta "Buddy" Flashlight Lantern is working!! Not too bad for a 1919 model. I plan to use this light as a prop while photographing my 1964 Raleigh Sports.

Above: Today I removed the head badge, and was able to do so without destroying it. On the advice of Darrell from Bent wrench Restorations I filed down the rivets from inside the head tube. For this I used a beveled or curved file.

Above: My new beveled metal file. Being the head tube is exactly what it sounds like "a tube" using a beveled file will make it much easier to file down the rivets from the inside. This hopefully will allow me to simply pry off the head badge when finished.

Above: Here I am filing down the rivets. Actually pretending to, as I am right handed and am holding my Fuji Fine Pix Camera in my right hand. But you get the general idea. Once I was sure I had filed the rivets down flush it was time to pry off the badge.

Above: First I slid in a feeler gauge to separate the badge from the tube next to one of the rivets. Then a thicker one to make room for my micro pry bar.

Above: This mini pry bar was a freebie. It was part of a small promotional mini tool kit that was given to my wife at work many years ago. I keep it in with my bicycle tools and use it fairly regularly. Once I had separated the head badge from the the paint I was able to pry each of the rivets loose easily using this little tool. I did this by placing the mini pry bar behind the badge and as close to the rivets as possible. I often use the mini pry bar to get under old rubber or plastic rim strips for removal.

Above: Here is a little peek into the past to see the glossy black finish which once complimented this classic style frame. This answers a question I had as to whether or not this bike ever had a glossy finish. I thought it may have had a more semi gloss or satin finish.

Above: Here I am ready to start wet sanding the head tube. By wet sanding the paper goes a lot farther than using it dry. Dry sanding tends to fill the paper with paint rendering it pretty much useless. By rinsing the paper often it goes a lot farther. But the main reason I like wet sanding is the absence of dust.

Above: Here I have finished sanding the head tube but do I need to touch up the edges of the lugs.

Above: I have found that for this a low speed 18 volt rechargeable drill works better. The fine brass wire wheel brush (safety glasses) is just to hard on the metal at high speeds. The low speed drill mimics hand brushing. The wheel brush is much easier and faster even on the slower drill. I usually position a fan to one side to blow the dust away as I work.

Above: Now that is what I am talking about!

Above: When the frame is finished I like to hang it up high where nothing bad can happen to it. Now I need to get the fork ready for primer.

Above: Here is the dramatic difference that a good sanding will make. The metal on this frame is actually in much better shape than the metal on the Rusty Raleigh. Even after sanding I could still see the negative effects of having been of left out in the weather for an extended time had on the Sprite. Even though this bike is considerably older the metal is in excellent condition. I guess the message here is obvious.

Above: The thimble like inserts on the upper fork blade look like new. I wonder if they have been replaced at some point? That is all for today. I will pick this up tomorrow if I can. I do need to mow the front and back and side lawn tomorrow. We shall see.

Above: The Trek Mountain Lion I purchased for $7.50 today. (Wednesday) I took Tuesday off "after working in the yard all day" I was just too tired to do any bicycle work. But today I fixed-up this Trek with stuff I had laying around the shop. I did quite a bit of rust removal on the rims and cleaned up the spokes and hubs as well. I installed new Avenir pedals that I had purchased a while back and never used. The saddle is the one that came here on the slow boat from China. The ODI Grips have been on a couple of bikes, the last being the red fixed gear cruiser. The chain-guard is one that was hanging on the wall, off a salvage bike I assume. The bike was also filthy and both tires were flat. I think now I could get 50.00 for it without too much trouble.

Above: After using two of the original chain guard mounts (the rear and farthest forward mount) the guard was flopping around. This guard was not made for the push in rubber mount pins. So I made up a mounting bracket using one of the original collars and a left over bracket I had in my collection mounting bracket parts. It worked out real well as the guard is no firmly in place with lots of clearance. I drilled a small hole in the front of the guard so the bracket mount can be easily accessed with a screwdriver. The guard is not the sharpest looking I have seen, but it gets the job done.

Above: Here it is Sunday again and all I have managed to do "bike wise" is clean-up this little Trek I fixed up. I had some home and family things to take care of. The weather here has turned tropical again. I just do not have the right DNA for hot weather I guess. But it is supposed to cool down somewhat Monday. So I should be back in the shop finishing the fork and I should be getting the frame and fork sprayed. (primer)

Above: Paul a new but regular reader of the blogs face book page (and hopefully the blog as well) asked about cleaning paint. So for those of you who do not do the "face book thing" here is the secret. Meguiar's Paint Cleaner which is part of the Meguiar's 3 Step treatment. Or if you want to simplify, there is also a "Meguiar's Paint Cleaner/Polish" you can purchase any of these at most good Auto parts stores.

Above: My tire new pump my wife gifted me for my birthday back in May. The air psi gauge dial is mounted up higher. I was having trouble reading the old one, especially in the shop. I highly recommend this Topeak Joe Blow Sprint air pump. Not only is the gauge easier to read, it also has a flick-lock to secure the handle and a peg and clip to secure the hose. My son did the research and said this appeared to have the best reviews for a pump in this price range. You can find this pump on Amazon.com and a rebuild kit for it as well. I traded Laura (who owns two of my bikes as does her partner) my old Blackburn air pump for a sweet mountain bike rear rack.

Above: While I am recommending tools, I would like to recommend all four of the tools you see above. The Two Park chain tools are both from Park Tool. The larger of the two chain tools is only for larger chains 1/2 x 1/8 and larger. And the smaller on is for the smaller 1/2 x 3/32 chains. Do not let the size fool you, the smaller chain tool is very well made and has very smooth threading. The 3 Way Allen key wrench is also made by Park and has the three most commonly used sizes 4, 5 & 6 for brakes and derailleurs. The 3 Way Socket wrench has the three most commonly used sizes for brakes and derailleurs 8, 9 & 10 and this one is made by Avenir. I am sure you can find either of these two tools offered by both manufacturers. Both are real time savers and easy to bring along if needed.

Above: I have had these Gear Wrench sets SAE and Metric for a while now. I would like to report back that I have not broke one yet. And I have since filled out my metric set. I am only lacking the 11mm to complete my metric set. (7/16 works fine) They are faster than a conventional wrench, but you still have that option on the open-end side of the wrench. I purchased the original sets and additional wrenches at Peter`s True Value Hardware in Highland on M59 west of town on the south side.

Above: Well it can not be all good news. My "Dremel Like" = not a real "Dremel" has shorted out. For a while I could manipulate the cord and get a connection. Not any longer, I suspect the problem was caused by the case. It is small and the cord has to be rolled up small to fit in the space allowed in the case. So there you have it, If you buy this off brand rotary tool you might want to toss the case in the wheelie bin. Or you could just buy a Genuine Dremel Rotary tool which will cost a little more. But you can see what has happened to my cheaper one. I will try to replace the cord and get back to you.

Above: Anyone know who won this thing? Until Next Time, Please RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE Cheers, Hugh

ATTENTION AMAZON SHOPPERS!! You can help Support This Blog by simply logging onto Amazon dot com using the Amazon Search Box located at the Top Right Corner of This Page. It will not effect your cost and I will receive a small commission. Thanks for your support. Above: Shameless use of a pretty girls photograph to keep your attention long enough to solicit contributions! No worries!! I`ll "even this out" with the next shameless solicitation. I promise :)