Took it off soldered it again and it’s a fair bit cleaner than the last attempt but still well short of the perfect finish I’m after.
Think I’ll probably just clean this one up and get the rope attached then try something else and see if I can get the soldering a bit neater next time round. Working on some custom decals at the moment so it’d be cool to add them into the mix for the next piece. Watch this space.
Been playin around this weekend with some head badge designs. Havin a go at recreating the Strong Island anchor logo out of copper.
Learned two lessons whilst doing this today. 1 Do not leave files on the Workmate while you are hacking up old bike frames. They will roll off onto the floor and may break on impact. 2 If said file should survive the fall, make sure you pick it up right away! Fortunately I got the hole in the top of the anchor done just before Amy came out and stood on my only round needle file, snapping it right in half.
Got the anchor soldered onto the frame without too much trouble but the new technique I have developed for holding the piece down has produced too much excess solder round the edges. Think I’m gonna have to take it off, clean it up and then start again but I’m pretty sure the end result will be worth it.
I’ve been working on a frame for Stu of Ye Olde Bike Shoppe fame and after a good few hours of cutting and filing, I’ve finally got this old touring frame smoothed down, ready for its new life as Stu’s fixed gear run around. Not sure of the maker but the quality is clearly there in the components and the craftsmanship and I’m pretty sure it must be at least 531.
We had brake bosses, rack mounts, mudguard mounts and cable hangers all over this thing but I’ve finally got it all cleaned up and almost ready for powder coating.
As a special touch we decided to go with a copper head badge. Plain for now, with Ye Olde design to be added after powder coating. Didn’t want to get too fancy as I’m still getting to grips with the soldering but I was pretty sure I could improve on my last effort and fix this bad boy on without too much trouble.
WRONG!! After much cleaning, fluxing, heating, soldering, cleaning again, fluxing again, heating again, soldering again and some swearing and stamping of feet, I had to admit defeat.
So I called on the Grand Master himself, Captain Borneo Senior and he came right round to help me put things right. With a bit of persistence and a slight alteration of technique we eventually got there and I’m well stoked with the results.
Bit of emery paper and a bit of Brasso and it’s come up a treat.
Please excuse the terrible photos. I will ditch the iPhone for a proper camera soon.
Got my test piece back from Stu and the powder coaters have done a pretty good job of masking the bit I wanted. It’s not perfect but it’ll clean up nicely.
Also pretty stoked on how the lightning bolt came out. The finish on the powder coat isn’t great as they didn’t bother to sand blast it but I reckon this technique has some potential.
Fixed the hole in the shed but in the process I’ve made a new one in my hand. Split right across the knuckle, right to the bone. Decided to leave the job of repairing the felt till next weekend.
You can see where the roof is bowing due to the major lack support.
All fixed up and ready to be fitted out with new work bench and storage. Supports look a bit wonky in the photo but I guess it’s just the iPhone camera.
Been toying with the idea of using a copper head badge for Stu’s new bike. Soldered to the frame and masked off during the powder coating process to give a real smooth custom look. I knocked up a little sample for Stu to get coated to see how well they can mask it off. I also did a lightning bolt that will be powder coated over to see if there’s any scope for doing some 3D lettering and decoration.
Not the best finish in the world but it was my first attempt and a bit of a rush job. I’ve got a whole frame chopped up now for some practice pieces and I’ve still got a bit of time to hone my skills with the blow torch before Stu’s frame has to go to the powder coaters. I’ll update as I go. Watch this space.
Chris Borneo's Resto Blog 
