"Build Thread" for my 1974 850

I almost have all of my hardware. Geoff was OCD for Stainless Steel, and he had some nice pieces. I picked up where he left off and spent a pile of money at Eurojamb.com, and RGM. All fasteners will be stainless with any markings removed off of with machined heads. https://www.stainlessmiddleton.co.uk/ is my favourite supplier for hardware.


"Build Thread" for my 1974 850


"Build Thread" for my 1974 850

"Build Thread" for my 1974 850
"Build Thread" for my 1974 850
"Build Thread" for my 1974 850
 
Me like stainless too :cool:

Couple of problems though. Strength and galling. For fasteners that need steel like strength, i like titanium, but if you think stainless is spensive... For galling on fasteners, you need to lubricate the threads. I like molybdenum. Only problem there though is a propensity for the nuts to come loose. I use nylon lock washers or nordlocks. Nordlocks are hands down the best locking mechanism for fasteners.
 
Just as a matter of interest , you can achieve really good finishes in a normal dry blast cabinet , it is the dust or the media type that dulls your finish . So if you want a nice sheen to your alloy , it is just a matter of dropping out your general purpose media , usually garnet , for new glass bead ( balluton impact spheres) come in many grades /sizes and finish off your parts , they will come out looking awesome. Some of the vapour blasted parts they use a fine ceramic bead which I have seen used on carb bodies etc.
 
Just as a matter of interest , you can achieve really good finishes in a normal dry blast cabinet , it is the dust or the media type that dulls your finish . So if you want a nice sheen to your alloy , it is just a matter of dropping out your general purpose media , usually garnet , for new glass bead ( balluton impact spheres) come in many grades /sizes and finish off your parts , they will come out looking awesome. Some of the vapour blasted parts they use a fine ceramic bead which I have seen used on carb bodies etc.
Great tips! Many thanks!
Lots of recipes to play with
 
Rear wheel is now disassembled and cleaned up. Depending on how my night goes, I may get to the bearings.

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It had one pass through the cleaner previously, but there was some pesky spots that needed attention.
 
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Rear wheel is now disassembled and cleaned up. Depending on how my night goes, I may get to the bearings.

View attachment 99562View attachment 99563
It had one pass through the cleaner previously, but there was some pesky spots that needed attention.
Are you going to polish your hubs before re-spoking ? was that finish off the gun or wire buffed ? , i hope to polish my rear hub when i respoke .
 
It had one pass through the cleaner previously, but there was some pesky spots that needed attention.

When spending so much on stainless and chromed parts, you may want to clean up the hubs better than this. CnW used to offer a service whereby hubs were turned and partly polished, so ribs and hub flanges looked like new.
There may be pictures somewhere. Pictures of these hubs fitted to some of the show models can be seen at CnW's site.

- Knut
 
If you visit AB tools or have a similar place near by there are various pads that can be used to clean up the surface in different grades , starting at coarse working your way to fine , some of the 3M style pads like this may help you

"Coarse medium or fine Scotchbrite Rust Paint Removal Remover Polishing Buffing Mop 8" x 2 Row" can help get into the center hub , it depends what surface finish you want , like you can have a cleaned up surface and then move on to hard mops and soft mops with various compounds and you will be able see the cast surface below , still easier to clean , depends how much work you want to do , and as polishing can round things off, as MTD said some bits can be machine skimmed to sharpen up the lines . You might need a decent 200mm bench grinder or similar with taper or just send it to the polishers .​

 
The front hubs seem to be always polished ? , i don't know if this is factory, and the rears aren't .
 
When spending so much on stainless and chromed parts, you may want to clean up the hubs better than this. CnW used to offer a service whereby hubs were turned and partly polished, so ribs and hub flanges looked like new.
There may be pictures somewhere. Pictures of these hubs fitted to some of the show models can be seen at CnW's site.

- Knut
I just looked at the CNW hubs. They sure are beautiful! Decisions decisions….
 
If you visit AB tools or have a similar place near by there are various pads that can be used to clean up the surface in different grades , starting at coarse working your way to fine , some of the 3M style pads like this may help you

"Coarse medium or fine Scotchbrite Rust Paint Removal Remover Polishing Buffing Mop 8" x 2 Row" can help get into the center hub , it depends what surface finish you want , like you can have a cleaned up surface and then move on to hard mops and soft mops with various compounds and you will be able see the cast surface below , still easier to clean , depends how much work you want to do , and as polishing can round things off, as MTD said some bits can be machine skimmed to sharpen up the lines . You might need a decent 200mm bench grinder or similar with taper or just send it to the polishers .​

Thanks!!
 
When spending so much on stainless and chromed parts, you may want to clean up the hubs better than this. CnW used to offer a service whereby hubs were turned and partly polished, so ribs and hub flanges looked like new.
There may be pictures somewhere. Pictures of these hubs fitted to some of the show models can be seen at CnW's site.

- Knut
I gave your post some thought, and went to a local machine shop this morning. The owner was a very pleasant fellow, and I lucked out as he was very knowledgeable about vintage bikes. I explained to him what I was looking for, and told me to leave the hub with him. After a nice chat, he invited me into the employee area and gave me a tour of his shop. The shop was unbelievable. It had every kind of lathe, water cutter, and CNC imageable. Below are some pictures of the larger pieces of equipment that he had.

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If you are rebuilding wheels, you might do better if you buy spool hubs and fit discs and calipers - cheap at the wreckers.
When I was building my bike, I made the 2 into 1 exhaust system out of steel. These days some in the aircraft industry can bend and weld Inconel. It is a nickel alloy and much lighter. It does not corrode and look like shit.
 
Inconel alloy is very heavy, heavier than stainless steel or mild steel.
It is high in strength but also very brittle.
A heavy, expensive, brittle metal is probably not a good choice for an exhaust pipe.
If want a lighter exhaust pipe and are prepared to spend lots, titanium would be a good choice.

Glen
 
Not a whole lot of progress this weekend. I mainly cleaned up my garage in preparation for winter.

I found out the new Lucas steering lock is smaller, and does not fit in the hole. As I did a poor job masking, I may just find a suitable rubber plug.
"Build Thread" for my 1974 850


Using some used brake fluid, I cleaned up the original grey wiring sheath for the original Lucas switchgear. It is cleaning up alright, but I did order some 8mm grey wire sheathing to experiment with. In the past, I have gotten this clean, but not where I want it to be.

"Build Thread" for my 1974 850


And lastly I got some good polishing work in on one rim last night. Relaxing work.

"Build Thread" for my 1974 850
 
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