"Helen Wheels" : ...Farewell, Good Summer...pg 7

[OddJob]

He painted it. You can see it on the spokes. Guard looks killer and nice "shine" on that front rim.

Hopefully you had to 'blow up' that photo quite a bit to see any paint on the spokes!

I used my patented 'hold wheel in old front fork mounted in old paint repair stand and spray down down on spinning rim' method. Rustoleum Hammered spray color very lightly applied. Just wanted to spruce it up a bit (green color palette pun intended)

How does it look with the original flaking chrome paint on the rear rim @Chad T ? Should I try to add a little chrome flakiness to the front too?

 

[OddJob]

Nice work on the guard and rim OJ.

Thanks man! See my question below to Chad T. Try to 'chrome up' the front rim too?

 

[kingfish254]

Have you thought about maybe putting a little more cushion in the nanner? It looks a little slim compared to most.

 

[OddJob]

Have you thought about maybe putting a little more cushion in the nanner? It looks a little slim compared to most.

It is slim, skinny 'nanner fit.

I thought it looked 'fast', but Chad T said the same thing to me. More like it's 'fasting'.

 

[kingfish254]

Svelte nanner

 

[KJV]

I also made another change to the appearance of Helen Wheels. Can you spot the change between these before and after photos?

Before....
View attachment 100439

After...
View attachment 100440

Old school spray bomb on the wheel?

 

[Brian macumber]

Looking good

 

[OddJob]

Chapter 5 of Helen Wheels: "Crazy Cruisin' Cousins"...and ride video!

Another tale from the memory banks of my Uncle Tucson....
"An interesting roll the Torino played. I don't know if Dean ( Aunt Diana's brother, my second cousin) was the one that bought it from Helen, but he ended up with it. It was when Grand Meadow had the teachers strike. Dean and Doug ( his twin brother) got into trouble racing the streets of GM. Aggravated speeding( way over the speed limit). So their mom brought the boys down to us to enroll them in LeRoy (rival town about 15 miles away). Wrestling was starting and she wanted them in school NOW.(the brothers were regional wrestling champs) My buddy was the wrestling coach and the Pres. of the local teachers union. I was Pres. of the school board. Wild meeting! Before Doug and Dean showed up for school on Monday the strike was over. So you could say the Torino had a roll in settling the strike."

My aunt's brothers (all 4 of them) were quite the helen-ions, if you know what I mean.
We have contacted them through my uncle's oldest daughter as to the whereabouts of the Torino, but so far no word has returned. I decided as a side note to this build, that it would be really cool if we could 'unearth' Helen's Torino as well!

@Chad T asked for a ride vid of me on the little rat rod. Here you go....just shot this morning. Beautiful Minnesota summer day here, 68 degrees and full sun.



I actually held that track stand for about 10 seconds, but my wife stopped the recording too soon. I think she didn't want to film me if I fell over!

 

[kingfish254]

Chapter 5 of Helen Wheels: "Crazy Cruisin' Cousins"...and ride video!

Another tale from the memory banks of my Uncle Tucson....
"An interesting roll the Torino played. I don't know if Dean ( Aunt Diana's brother, my second cousin) was the one that bought it from Helen, but he ended up with it. It was when Grand Meadow had the teachers strike. Dean and Doug ( his twin brother) got into trouble racing the streets of GM. Aggravated speeding( way over the speed limit). So their mom brought the boys down to us to enroll them in LeRoy (rival town about 15 miles away). Wrestling was starting and she wanted them in school NOW.(the brothers were regional wrestling champs) My buddy was the wrestling coach and the Pres. of the local teachers union. I was Pres. of the school board. Wild meeting! Before Doug and Dean showed up for school on Monday the strike was over. So you could say the Torino had a roll in settling the strike."

My aunt's brothers (all 4 of them) were quite the helen-ions, if you know what I mean.
We have contacted them through my uncle's oldest daughter as to the whereabouts of the Torino, but so far no word has returned. I decided as a side note to this build, that it would be really cool if we could 'unearth' Helen's Torino as well!

@Chad T asked for a ride vid of me on the little rat rod. Here you go....just shot this morning. Beautiful Minnesota summer day here, 68 degrees and full sun.



I actually held that track stand for about 10 seconds, but my wife stopped the recording too soon. I think she didn't want to film me if I fell over!

That would be great if you could connect Helen Wheels with the Torino! Cool ride video too.

 

[Chad T]

Nice vid! Not nearly as silly as I was hoping for. You look good on that little bike.

Svelte nanner

He's just got the bottom pan on there is why it looks that way.

 

[SoulGarageOH]

Good ride video and story. Leave it to wrestlers. I’ve only had 4 years of my life without a wrestling season ( competing and coaching ), so I feel confident in saying that 85-90% of wrestlers are a little “off.” But I do believe they’re better for it.


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[OddJob]

Helen Wheels is a true rat rod. It has parts from a few different bikes, and looks nothing like it's original version. Here's a photo that @RustyGold dug up that shows the bike as it was configured by Columbia.

So with it's current mix of Columbia, Schwinn, Persons, and other parts; it's hard to nail down exactly what it should be called. It can only be:
a Rat Rod Bike.

I've wanted to attempt this for some time, as I have turned out 9 custom rats since I built the BACK40 three years ago. All of these bikes, while they bear some resemblance by frame design to their original maker, have received the RaT-ification of the BACK40. Now they will bear the one thing that identifies them as such:

The BACK40 headbadge!

As always, I turned to Youtube for ideas / methods to create this head badge. The following is a step by step using a combination of the DIY vids I found. This is the first iteration of The BACK40 head badge. I already have ideas for expanding on it and adding to it.

First of all, this is not a 'how to', it is only a record of what I did to create this badge. The chemical part of this is very toxic, and caution was used in the process of producing this badge. The fumes when inhaled, or the contact with skin or mucous membranes could require immediate medical attention.

Step 1. Put together an image using multiple designs to project the vibe of The BACK40. Then use Windows Photo program to 'flip horizontally' the photo to create a reverse image, that way when it is laid down on the plate, it will be in the proper direction.

Step 2. Copy multiple images to an 'overhead projector sheet' at the local Kinkos / FedEx store. I jacked up the resolution 10% as well, to get the most opaque logo possible. Cost: $1.50 for 8 images (two sheets printed).

Step 3. For some reason, I forgot to photo this portion of the process. Basically, I cut the images to fit the 3"w x 4" h plates cut from the piece of aluminum I purchased at Home Depot. Cost: $18.00 for aluminum sheet, Muriatic Acid 1 gallon, Hydrogen Peroxide 32oz.

I cleaned the alum plates with Isopropyl alcohol. Then I tapped the image, inked side facing the plate, on to the plate with 3M blue tape. I then laid the plate , image side down, onto a old cotton linen sheet folded up and placed on a floor tile remnant, to act as an insulator between the iron and my wood work bench.

I then turned my Ski and Snowboard waxing iron (dry, no water in the iron) all the way up to 7, the highest setting for Linens, and placed it on top of the back side (taped side) of the head badge plate. I left it on there for about 2 mins, then flipped the plate over to look at the image. When the image turns 'gray' / lighter than the original, that means it is transferring to the metal. There were a couple attempts before I got a satisfactory image transfer. If I kept the iron on too long, it faded the image into a squiggly lined mess. About 90 secs to 2 mins was right for my set up.

This one ^ is an example of not a complete transfer. Some of the ink stayed on the transparency (where the white dots are in the image.)

Step 4. Here's where the fun / danger begins!
The etching mixture is a combination of the muriatic acid and hydrogen peroxide reacting together with the bare aluminum. For some crazy reason, the portions of the alum plate covered by the ink are not affected; if I used the correct ratio in the mixture! It turned out to be a tale of OddJob and the Three Bares (metal). The first mixture, 3 parts Hyd peroxide to 1 part muriatic, was too cold; not enough etching after 30 mins submersed. The second mixture, 1 part hyd perox to 1 part muriatic was too hot! After only about 5 mins, this is what it did to the plate...

It was about 1/2 the thickness of the original alum, and all the image was eaten away! The third mixture was just right; 2 parts hyd perox to 1 part muriatic acid. Here's a short vid of the chemical reaction...


Again, those fumes were very noxious. I wore a 3M mask during this process.

Step 5. I lifted the plate from time to time during the etching, to visually check the depth. It was hard to see for sure, but I could tell when the image was sitting up higher than the back ground of the alum plate. When it was ready, I lifted the plate out with a tongs and dropped it in a bucket with water and baking soda to neutralize the chemical reaction. I used a whole box of the baking soda, in about one gallon of water. Cost: $1.00.

Step 6. I dried off the head badge plate with a paper towel, then used a #0000 steel wool pad dipped in white vinegar to rub the inked image portion of the head badge plate. After the ink was removed, I cleaned the plate again with isopropyl alcohol. And, viola' !

I was out of Cream of Tartar to make up some aluminum polish (see last year's Fisher CR7 resto build in RRB BO #13) so I plan to polish it up a bit more today after I buy some.

Then I trimmed the badge into a oval shape, and hand formed it to the head tube of Helen Wheels. It's a little big for this small bike, but any smaller, and the image would be really hard to reproduce; at least for me. I used Goop glue and clamped it using two pedal toe straps and a couple clamps, and left it overnight.

 

[SoulGarageOH]

Helen Wheels is a true rat rod. It has parts from a few different bikes, and looks nothing like it's original version. Here's a photo that @RustyGold dug up that shows the bike as it was configured by Columbia.

View attachment 100753

So with it's current mix of Columbia, Schwinn, Persons, and other parts; it's hard to nail down exactly what it should be called. It can only be:
a Rat Rod Bike.

View attachment 100754

I've wanted to attempt this for some time, as I have turned out 9 custom rats since I built the BACK40 three years ago. All of these bikes, while they bear some resemblance by frame design to their original maker, have received the RaT-ification of the BACK40. Now they will bear the one thing that identifies them as such:

The BACK40 headbadge!

View attachment 100755

As always, I turned to Youtube for ideas / methods to create this head badge. The following is a step by step using a combination of the DIY vids I found. This is the first iteration of The BACK40 head badge. I already have ideas for expanding on it and adding to it.

First of all, this is not a 'how to', it is only a record of what I did to create this badge. The chemical part of this is very toxic, and caution was used in the process of producing this badge. The fumes when inhaled, or the contact with skin or mucous membranes could require immediate medical attention.

Step 1. Put together an image using multiple designs to project the vibe of The BACK40. Then use Windows Photo program to 'flip horizontally' the photo to create a reverse image, that way when it is laid down on the plate, it will be in the proper direction.

View attachment 100756
Step 2. Copy multiple images to an 'overhead projector sheet' at the local Kinkos / FedEx store. I jacked up the resolution 10% as well, to get the most opaque logo possible. Cost: $1.50 for 8 images (two sheets printed).
View attachment 100758 View attachment 100757

Step 3. For some reason, I forgot to photo this portion of the process. Basically, I cut the images to fit the 3"w x 4" h plates cut from the piece of aluminum I purchased at Home Depot. Cost: $18.00 for aluminum sheet, Muriatic Acid 1 gallon, Hydrogen Peroxide 32oz.
View attachment 100760 View attachment 100759

I cleaned the alum plates with Isopropyl alcohol. Then I tapped the image, inked side facing the plate, on to the plate with 3M blue tape. I then laid the plate , image side down, onto a old cotton linen sheet folded up and placed on a floor tile remnant, to act as an insulator between the iron and my wood work bench.

View attachment 100766 View attachment 100765
View attachment 100768

I then turned my Ski and Snowboard waxing iron (dry, no water in the iron) all the way up to 7, the highest setting for Linens, and placed it on top of the back side (taped side) of the head badge plate. I left it on there for about 2 mins, then flipped the plate over to look at the image. When the image turns 'gray' / lighter than the original, that means it is transferring to the metal. There were a couple attempts before I got a satisfactory image transfer. If I kept the iron on too long, it faded the image into a squiggly lined mess. About 90 secs to 2 mins was right for my set up.

View attachment 100767

This one ^ is an example of not a complete transfer. Some of the ink stayed on the transparency (where the white dots are in the image.)

Step 4. Here's where the fun / danger begins!
The etching mixture is a combination of the muriatic acid and hydrogen peroxide reacting together with the bare aluminum. For some crazy reason, the portions of the alum plate covered by the ink are not affected; if I used the correct ratio in the mixture! It turned out to be a tale of OddJob and the Three Bares (metal). The first mixture, 3 parts Hyd peroxide to 1 part muriatic, was too cold; not enough etching after 30 mins submersed. The second mixture, 1 part hyd perox to 1 part muriatic was too hot! After only about 5 mins, this is what it did to the plate...
View attachment 100770

It was about 1/2 the thickness of the original alum, and all the image was eaten away! The third mixture was just right; 2 parts hyd perox to 1 part muriatic acid. Here's a short vid of the chemical reaction...


Again, those fumes were very noxious. I wore a 3M mask during this process.
View attachment 100774 View attachment 100773 View attachment 100775
View attachment 100776


Step 5. I lifted the plate from time to time during the etching, to visually check the depth. It was hard to see for sure, but I could tell when the image was sitting up higher than the back ground of the alum plate. When it was ready, I lifted the plate out with a tongs and dropped it in a bucket with water and baking soda to neutralize the chemical reaction. I used a whole box of the baking soda, in about one gallon of water. Cost: $1.00.
View attachment 100772

Step 6. I dried off the head badge plate with a paper towel, then used a #0000 steel wool pad dipped in white vinegar to rub the inked image portion of the head badge plate. After the ink was removed, I cleaned the plate again with isopropyl alcohol. And, viola' !
View attachment 100778

I was out of Cream of Tartar to make up some aluminum polish (see last year's Fisher CR7 resto build in RRB BO #13) so I plan to polish it up a bit more today after I buy some.

Then I trimmed the badge into a oval shape, and hand formed it to the head tube of Helen Wheels. It's a little big for this small bike, but any smaller, and the image would be really hard to reproduce; at least for me. I used Goop glue and clamped it using two pedal toe straps and a couple clamps, and left it overnight.

View attachment 100779 View attachment 100780 View attachment 100781

Omg! Your head badge alone should put your bike into the “class 2” category![emoji23] very nice. Impressive craftsmanship OJ.


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[Brian macumber]

Great work on the head badge was checking out the head badge thread and wondered how they did that.

 

[KJV]

Helen yeah !

 

[OddJob]

Omg! Your head badge alone should put your bike into the “class 2” category![emoji23] very nice. Impressive craftsmanship OJ.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks Soul man! It was def an experience. My wife wants me to make a 'wine sign' for her outdoor bar now. I'm sure I'll be busy for the rest of the Summer.

 

[OddJob]

Great work on the head badge was checking out the head badge thread and wondered how they did that.

Like, there's a 'head badge thread' on RRB? I'll have to look for it now, thanks for the heads up!

 

[OddJob]

Helen yeah !

Hahahaha!

 

[Chad T]

That's cool how you made that head badge. Wonder if you could darken the etched part with something before you polish the image. Not much contrast from a distance. Great job...

 

[OddJob]

That's cool how you made that head badge. Wonder if you could darken the etched part with something before you polish the image. Not much contrast from a distance. Great job...

Some guys spray paint the whole thing with black, and then clean off the image part. I had also thought of getting the image cut, like on a laser, and then overlaying it on top of one that I had done in the etching process. One more layer would give some definition to it and add to the 2D effect.