ORBO Belle: Round 2!

[MattiThundrrr]

I think you use the cutter to make masks (I too am fluent in Photoshop lol). They cover up the areas where the acid won't etch. The darker areas in the badge are what's eaten away

 

[Bike from the Dead]

I think you use the cutter to make masks (I too am fluent in Photoshop lol). They cover up the areas where the acid won't etch. The darker areas in the badge are what's eaten away

I've heard a bit about acid-etched headbadges before, but I'm not too familiar with the process. Sounds like something I might have to try!

 

[ChaOs]

I think you use the cutter to make masks (I too am fluent in Photoshop lol). They cover up the areas where the acid won't etch. The darker areas in the badge are what's eaten away

Yeah sorry, my bad
You can make stencils with the vinyl cutter.

You can also paint your graphics or use electric tape and then cut by hand with a scalpel but that's much more time consuming...
Then you just need some destilled water, vinegar and salt, some wires and an old power supply and you're good to go. I played a little with concentrations, voltage and time but it is fun and not that hard. There are also many videos on how to do it. Aluminum is a good metal to start.

I've heard a bit about acid-etched headbadges before, but I'm not too familiar with the process. Sounds like something I might have to try!

I used iron-3-chloride for brass because when I tried with electricity like with aluminum it just wouldn't work well (I'm to lazy to find out why or to buy equipment)

Edit:
For drawing I use sketch book from autodesk for android. It's free and works just fine even on smartphones. You can import and export your drawings quite easily and the software of the cutter can work with the .png.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Yeah sorry, my bad
You can make stencils with the vinyl cutter.
View attachment 287816
View attachment 287815
You can also paint your graphics or use electric tape and then cut by hand with a scalpel but that's much more time consuming...
Then you just need some destilled water, vinegar and salt, some wires and an old power supply and you're good to go. I played a little with concentrations, voltage and time but it is fun and not that hard. There are also many videos on how to do it. Aluminum is a good metal to start.

I used iron-3-chloride for brass because when I tried with electricity like with aluminum it just wouldn't work well (I'm to lazy to find out why or to buy equipment)

Edit:
For drawing I use sketch book from autodesk for android. It's free and works just fine even on smartphones. You can import and export your drawings quite easily and the software of the cutter can work with the .png.

I really ought to get a vinyl cutter... between this and using vinyl masks to paint graphics on bikes, I could get some serious mileage out of one.

I just checked out a couple videos on the process, and yeah, I think I could do that! My only real concern would be cutting the metal to shape afterwards. If I was just making a rectangular or circular badge, I could easily do it myself with just a jigsaw and a belt sander, but this is a design where I want the outline to be where it's cut. I feel like if I were to engrave this design, it'd make more sense to have it laser-engraved, as it could be cut to shape with the same machine and a .eps file. My brother actually did that sort of thing back in college, except it was mostly with wood, not metal.

That all said, I designed this icon for print as either a sticker or t-shirt graphic. I'm sure I could make a sweet aluminum or brass headbadge out of it if I took it to a shop with a laser engraver, but that's an idea for later. Right now, I'm in "print shop" mode.

I had used Autodesk's Sketchbook desktop app waaaaay back in high school about 15 years ago, and I've been meaning to try it out again. I have the android app, but I barely use it, as I prefer using a computer over my phone for pretty much everything. I just looked up the desktop app, and it's only $25! I might just get that and play around with it again.

 

[ChaOs]

Laser is of course a luxury and really cool.
I used a fretsaw and fine metal saw blades for sawing. With aluminum it is very easy and quick, brass is a bit more difficult but not so bad. After sawing you just need a few small key files and some sandpaper and a little patience.

I don't have a PC, so I do everything with my smartphone or tablet

 

[Wayne]

fretsaw

I'm old, have lots of tools, but I'm still learning. Looks like I'm going to get another saw to hang out with my coping saws. Tighter turns, I like that!

 

[Bike from the Dead]

The weather was nice and warm yesterday, so I decided to spend the afternoon getting some more work done on Belle.

First, I cut and bent a piece of copper tubing to help guide the rear brake cable away from the rear tire. It definitely works, I just need to figure out the finish. On one hand, I like how the bare copper looks next to the blue paint, but on the other hand, I'm wondering if I'd like it better if it was painted to blend in with the rest of the bike... I may cut off another piece of tubing and paint it just to see how I feel.

Most of yesterday was just spent cleaning and shining up parts. I hit the rear brake, brake levers, and shifters with steel wool, wire brushes and Simple Green.

I needed to clean some built-up dirt on the chainrings, but I figured instead of filling a bucket with some water, I could just use the deep puddle at the end of the driveway and scrub the parts with a hard plastic brush. (Ever since they repaved the road back in 2020, the driveway turns into a cement pond every time we get a decent amount of rain. This is how it looks after a day has passed, and it's still about 2-3 inches deep where the driveway meets the road!)

I got a bit of the gunk off, but these parts really need to soak in some water and either soap or Simple Green. I was going to do that yesterday, but I discovered a problem that might make that effort pointless for now...

Here's where I left off last night. I went ahead and reinstalled the fork and kickstand, but while I was doing that, I wanted to test-fit the front derailleur to see how it'd work with the cable guide. That's when I ran into a new potential problem.

I don't know if I'll be able to have 2 forward gears on this bike. The front derailleur can only go up so high on this frame thanks to the low top tube, and it just might be too low to clear the chainrings. If I mount it above the top tube, then it sits too high.

I compared it to a couple other step-thru multispeed bikes, and the derailleur on those bikes sits between 1/4-1/2in higher than what I can do on this Schwinn.

So, while this isn't a complete setback, I may have to settle for 5, 6 or 7 gears on this bike. Still, 5-7 gears is 4-6 more gears than what I usually have, so it's still an upgrade. If the top tube sat just a little higher or just a little lower, I could've made it work, but I think that's why none of the other step-thru klunkers I've seen had more than one forward gear: there just isn't enough room for a front derailleur on these old step-thru cruisers.

Fortunately, I should have at least one chainring for a 7-speed bike in storage somewhere. I'll run by my storage space today and see if I have one loose there. Otherwise, I know one of the last donor bikes I picked up has the part I need.

One other thing that I need to clean is the rear derailleur, but I've never done maintenance on one of those before. Is there a good in-depth tutorial for taking one of these apart and cleaning/greasing them? I tried doing a quick search on Google and YouTube, but most of what I saw just shows a basic cleaning without dismantling the derailleur, something I know I'll need to do with mine.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Take pictures and note the order as you remove pieces. Keep the parts removed in the order you took them off, put them back in reverse order



Pretty comprehensive rebuild of a crusty shimano unit, but modern compared to your stuff, so there may be more here than you have to deal with

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Take pictures and note the order as you remove pieces. Keep the parts removed in the order you took them off, put them back in reverse order



Pretty comprehensive rebuild of a crusty shimano unit, but modern compared to your stuff, so there may be more here than you have to deal with

I'm pretty good at taking process photos and organizing parts in the order they were (dis)assembled, so I'll be sure to be as extensive as possible with that. The main thing I'll need to do to prepare for that is tidy up my workspace so I'm not getting the parts mixed up with anything else.

Good tutorial! I'll pick a derailleur and do some practice with it this week. If I mess one up, I've still got plenty of spares.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

I swear, my ADHD is getting worse, because I can't seem to just make a decision and stick with it! I was going to run some errands and pick up a few parts today, but I took too long to get around and commit to anything. It's not a total loss, as tomorrow's weather will be just as nice as today's was, and I can just run my errands then, but it's still annoying how much time I spend planning my day only for that plan to fall apart because I can't stop looking at my computer.

That all said, I did make some progress on Belle today.

I cut another piece of tubing for the cable guide, and despite the smaller size, it'll still do what I need it to do. I'll scuff up this piece and paint it to match the frame, so it doesn't stand out too much.

Next, I dug through my stash of chainrings I have at home, and found 6 that I could choose from to run with a multispeed rear wheel. The smaller chainrings on the right would be better for a muscle bike in my opinion, so those aren't making the cut, but the 48 and 44-tooth chainrings on the left might.

I also found these 2 44-tooth chainrings that more closely resemble the original I had on before, And I just might end up using the one on the top left given how close it looks to the original. I won't know for sure which one I use until I decide on a rear wheel and the gears I want on that.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Spent the majority of yesterday out running errands on a warm sunny day. I got 4 more tires (2 balloon crusier, 2 hybrid bike) on clearance and a few more Hot Wheels at Target, which meant the cash I brought for chain and brake pads ran out before I could get them! Whoops! I'll probably run by Walmart later today and buy them then.

While I was out, I ran by my storage space and picked up a few more wheels to choose from for this bike. I didn't get photos of that yesterday, so I'll snap a couple photos while I test them out today. I also took the rear brake bracket and copper cable guide tube to my dad's shop and cleaned them up with the wire wheel, because I plan to paint both today.

I also cleaned up the teeth on my top 3 picks for the front chainring while I was there.

Odds are I'll stick with the Schwinn 4-hole chainring, but I at least want to see how the other 2 look before I commit to anything.

I don't plan to spend a ton of time working on Belle today, but I hope to at least make a decision on a wheel set, paint the brake bracket and cable guide, and buy a chain and some brake pads. I might try and do a little more, but I've got other things to work on today, so we'll see.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Here are the wheels I brought home from storage Monday. Most of what I grabbed were front wheels, but there are 3 wheels in particular I wanted to examine: the 2 white wheels, and the 7-speed wheel on the far right.

I wanted to check out the white wheels to see how they'd look, but I also grabbed this other 7-speed wheel because it has a much larger low gear than the other 2 7-speed wheels in my collection. I need to see what the possible gear ratios would be on this bike...

I tested out the white wheel yesterday, and I was genuinely surprised how much I liked it! It goes really well with an all-black tire and the blue paint on the frame! Sure, it's not a close match to the white on the scallops, but it vaguely reminds me of the white wheels some of these old Schwinns had. If I choose to use these wheels, I may even add a couple Sharpie pinstripes to mimic those wheels further.

I still want to see how the chrome wheels on this Magna bike would look on this Schwinn, even though I'm still a bit concerned about the rust on the rear wheel. It might result in some uneven brake wear, but as long as I can stop safely, that's what matters most. Plus, I know how chrome wheels look on Belle, and since I'll be putting the chrome chain guard back on, it might help to balance out the rest of the look of the bike.

Not only that, but now that I want to rebuild the Magna, I want to see how those white wheels (and even these pink wheels) look on it.

I was going to paint the bracket and cable guide last night, but I ended up spending last night chatting with one of my closest friends on a video call instead. I'm glad I did that, but I'll be painting these parts today as a result. I would have painted these parts out in the garage, except I like the lighting in my room better. I also brought the frame inside so I can more closely match the paint and patina on the parts.

My main goal for today is to paint the bracket and tube, but I'd like to decide on a chainring and a set of wheels as well. There are some other small things that I might do on top of that, but I mostly just need to paint a couple parts and make a decision on some others.