Revenant

[Kevin B]

I wonder if this is the oldest frame ever used in a build off here?

 

[us56456712]

I wonder if this is the oldest frame ever used in a build off here?

I think it probably is.

 

[us56456712]

I’m wondering about paint. The bike is a rat, I already removed the dirt and patina. It’s been stripped down to pitted grey metal. I’m leaving the bars, crank etc grey pitted metal. The frame has a few rust pits and some shallow dents. I’m leaving the dents as battle scar character. I‘m going to fill the pit’s. There are a lot of imperfections in the tubing. I’m not sure how much prep would be appropriate. Right now it’s got a skim coat of black that’s drying. That will be sanded down with 400. I don’t want the paint to look new. I think I’ll paint it satin crimson, which isn’t original but was a common color back then. You could order this bike in different colors. The crimson pigment was made from powdered dried insects.

 

[Kevin B]

I think it probably is.

How cool is that? I like your satin Crimson idea.

 

[kingfish254]

I think it probably is.

It's pretty wild that both you and @mrbirddog have 1890s bikes in BO17. Definitely the oldest that I am aware of for our BOs.

 

[us56456712]

It's pretty wild that both you and @mrbirddog have 1890s bikes in BO17. Definitely the oldest that I am aware of for our BOs.

Man, these old bikes aren’t for the faint of heart, their built weird and very hard to work on. Part of the problem is the deeply penetrated rust from years of sitting. When I got it the headset was frozen, the chain had stuck links and the rest was stiff to move. I’d like to see more photos of the other old BO17 bicycle. This is second one I’ve redone, the other a 1912 - 1917 extremely rare Flying Merkle single top tube racer. The Merkle has a cracked bb race and I can’t find a replacement that fits the crank threads. I ride it anyway. I could possibly help him with sources and ideas. He has a big job.

 

[us56456712]

I have two 100+ year old American bicycles. Pedals take a beating. They are usually missing or totally broken and unrepairable. I took a vintage no brand name 9/16 pedal with missing dust caps and combined them with the guts from a 1/2 inch plastic pedal. The 9/16 pedal has an antique looking design. Neither were rebuildable but if you file the crimp off you can drift punch out the shafts. I measured the shafts to see if they were close before disassembly. I threaded the 1/2 inch shaft so you can get them apart if you need to service them. There isn’t enough shaft for a lock ring and bolt so I’m using the permanent lock tight, which will release with torch heat. I also made a faux vintage toe cage.

I‘m going to make dust covers from old pedal ends.

Here is the faux toe cage. I looked at antique bicycle parts advertising for ideas before digging into my junk stash for parts.

 

[us56456712]

We had a wind storm last night. A pine tree snapped of 20 feet above ground but it missed the power line and out buildings. I’ll have to get the chainsaw out. My neighbors kayaks blew over the fence into our yard. Split wood from one of his stacks blew into our yard. His covered wood racks blew over into our yard. Siding 15 feet up on my garage blew loose and there is a gap to the outside. It’s a mess. 50 miles away no wind storm. So, I’ll not be doing any bicycle tinkering until this is cleaned up.

 

[ifitsfreeitsforme]

every day I log on to rrb, click "new posts", then scroll down to this thread. THEN i read every one else's.

 

[Captain Awesome]

every day I log on to rrb, click "new posts", then scroll down to this thread. THEN i read every one else's.

Get them notifications!

 

[us56456712]

lots of low spots. Skim coat sanded down.

 

[us56456712]

I’m trying to save the pedal with the chipped outer race. Teflon tape wrapped around a bolt threaded into the race, JB Weld filling in the chip, nylon from an old plastic pedal melted into the pedal and after the JB Weld hardens using heat to sink the repaired cone into the nylon that’s been melted into the pedal. Ah duhno if this will work.

 

[us56456712]

Repaired race.

Pedal with nylon insert melted into the cone shape. Nylon is a thermoplastic so melting it doesn’t alter it. To service it I’ll have to melt in more plastic instead of greasing it. The other race on the inboard side will be rebuilt with new 5/32 bearings and grease.

 

[kingfish254]

Hope everything is fine from the wind storm.
You're almost having to re-invent the wheel with some of these parts.

 

[us56456712]

Hope everything is fine from the wind storm.
You're almost having to re-invent the wheel with some of these parts.

Thanks, I had help sawing up and burning. I only have one small pile of branches to burn. It took two days to burn the blown down stuff. Obviously I don’t know where I’m going with the pedals, homemade, new spindle or plastic races.

 

[us56456712]

The tubing for this old beast was made buy the Hamilton Tube Company, Hamilton Ohio. There still in business but there is almost no information available on their 1800s Sinfret brazed seam tubing. This was very thin, light and oversized tubing. The method of seam brazing was low phosphorus so it didn’t bleed through the paint. All the tubing on this bicycle is made from Sinfret. Hamilton perhaps started making this tubing in 1888. This was a high end bicycle and expensive compared to others at the time. Depending on the model, racing Monarch bicycles were advertised as weighing 22 and 23 pounds. That’s probably advertising hype as it’s all steel except the seat, tires and rims. There is another 1890s brand that I found where the advertised weight was 20 pounds. Arthur Zimmermann wouldn’t use these lightweight bicycles. They were too squirmey and sapped energy and speed so he rode heaver bicycles. I’m thinking tubing technology wasn’t advanced enough to make a light stiff steel frame.

The tubing on the fork.

The tubing on the stays.

The main frame tubing.

Art Zimmermann, former world champion track cyclist.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

That's some pretty cool history. Thanks for sharing this gem of a bike with us

 

[us56456712]

That's some pretty cool history. Thanks for sharing this gem of a bike with us

I hope some are enjoying this bike as much as I am. Lots of unique features, like the threaded bars and stem. I’m sanding down my second skim coat, which is 75% done, then I’ll start the final color coats.

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

Art Zimmermann, former world champion track cyclist.

Bob Dylan's grandpa?

This bike build is ruling.

 

[OddJob]

Bob Dylan's grandpa?

This bike build is ruling.

Bobby's just one 'N' at the end.