RE-ENAMELLING YOUR BICYCLE

Southland Times, Issue 23948, 14 October 1939, Page 8 (Supplement)

RE-ENAMELLING YOUR BICYCLE

If the enamel on your bicycle is not chipped or scratched but merely looks dull, the appearance may be improved considerably by putting a soft flannel in hot water, wringing it out and sponging over the tubes. Do not use a great deal of water, and avoid making the frame very wet. AU you need to do is to clear away the dirt, and this can be done with a flannel that is merely damp. When all the surfaces have been sponged over, rub them dry with a soft cloth that cannot scratch. At this stage, it is advisable to leave the work for a day, then to go over all the parts with furniture cream and polish them. When the work is finished you will probably be surprised to find how clean the frame looks.

But the enamel on your bicycle may be too far gone to benefit by this treatment. The best thing, then, will be to repaint it. Naturally, you will not be able to do the work as well as it is done at a factory, because it is stoved there, and this is an operation a boy cannot do at home. But if you follow the instructions given below, the result should be almost as good as that done by a factory.

You must decide whether you will take the bicycle to pieces before applying the paint. The work can be done better when the frame has been dismantled, but it is not advisable to do so unless you are quite sure that you know how to reassemble all the parts accurately. Before applying the fresh enamel, it is very important to see that the old surfaces are in a proper condition to receive the new coats of enamel. There will most likely be scratches, and some of the old paint will have perished, that is, it will flake off when scraped. It would be wrong to paint over enamel that is in this condition. Your best plan is to rub over all the tubes with a medium grade of glass-paper, paying special attention to the joints. There is no need to rub down the I

metal if the paint is sound. All you should attempt is to smooth out scratch marks, get rid of paint that has perished, and provide a bright surface, wherever there are signs of rust. This rubbing will cause a good deal of gritty dust, so it is advisable to wrap cloths round the hubs, bearings, and other working parts to protect them. When the surfaces have been nicely smoothed, buy a tin of good, hard drying enamel, and a brush with soft hairs for painting. Paint on the first coat. Apply the enamel sparingly and evenly, and do not attempt to hide the marks underneath, otherwise your surface i will be lumpy and uneven. If you have not put on too much enamel, and if the prepared surface was free from grease, the coat should dry in a few hours, and you will be able to proceed with the next stage of the work, which means going over all the enamel with glass paper of a very fine grade. Rub down any small lumps that may be present, and remove all shine of the paint. Now put on the second coat in exactly the same way as the first. When it is dry,, decide whether you will leave the frame as it is or provide a third coat. Two ' coats will usually look well enough as a rule, but they do not wear as well as three. If you are putting on three coats you must rub down the second coat in the same way as you did the first coat, before enamelling. If you wish to blacken the hubs, handle bar, and other nickelled parts, you must clean them very carefully before you enamel them. The best way to clean them is to rub them down with petrol. If a good enamel is used the finished effect will be brilliant black. If you think the surface is too shiny you can tone down the brightness in the following way. (a) Sprinkle some pumice powder on a damp rag and rub it lightly over the frame. Stop when the surface shine has been removed. (b) Wipe the frame with a clean damp rag, to remove the adhering particles of grit, and dry with a towel.