Sid (finished)

[The Renaissance Man]

Thanks for the info. As expected, it was not difficult at all.

My first pass did come up short so I unwound it. It was going to come back off anyway because the color was completely unacceptable. I tried it again with another Hunt Wilde yellow denim that I had (I've bought four different wraps since I started Sid). Again it immediately came right back off after making it about halfway up one side due to the color. The other two packs that I have were out from the day I got them so I had to call in the punt team.

The handlebars will remain naked.

Moving on.

 

[CRASH]

*cough*red*cough*

 

[RustySprockets]

I really wouldn't have a problem with the 'butterscotch,' but TRM has his vision.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

*cough*red*cough*

I really wouldn't have a problem with the 'butterscotch,' but TRM has his vision.

Thank you guys for all of the thoughts and opinions but I really do have some (self-imposed) restrictions that I'm trying to adhere to with this bike.

Imagine that Sid is a survivor piano. A Steinway piano that is in pretty bad condition. The piano was given to me by its original owner because he knew that I was a piano person and might appreciate it. Some of the strings along with the foot pedals are broken and the finish is also in poor condition. It is unplayable at this point.

To show my appreciation I decided to bring the instrument back to playing condition. I'm faced with the choice of completely restoring it back to new condition (which would be very involved and expensive) or restoring it back to good playing condition (which is the most important part of any instrument) and making the outward appearance as presentable as possible while maintaining the original finishes. I choose the latter.

I replaced the strings and repaired all of the mechanical parts back to working condition. I have to make some compromises like replacing the broken foot pedals with similar but not exact replacements. Maybe with time, I'll find some exact replacements but until then the piano will be playable. And besides, the pedals are not noticeable, especially to the untrained eye. Most importantly it is now playable and sounds like a Steinway should! The finish is cleaned and preserved as much as possible but still looks distressed. To me, the piano has a warm personality not in spite of, but because of the bruised patina that only age can produce.

So for me, putting a new mismatched color wrap on the bars would be like putting new mismatched plastic on some of the keys just because the original ivory is missing. It would look out of place and wouldn't have any effect on how it sounds. After today's experiment, I'm now thinking that even if I had the correct gold sparkle wrap, it might still look out of place by being too new. That is, unless I could tone it down like I did with the cables. What I would really like to find is some used gold wrap that has been removed from an older bike.

 

[GeePig]

If you are applying shiney new tape, it will never suit what you want.

Since you have some unsatisfactory yellow tape, then you have something to experiment with. It might have to be a combination of pre-fitting and post-fitting treatment perhaps, plus some artificial damage.

You might find some old tape, you might find some that is the right colour, but then you might not. But you have tape now to play with.

 

[ifitsfreeitsforme]

TRM you are the master at patina-ing new stuff. I'm sure you can come up with a way to fast-track patina into some bar wrap.

 

[RustySprockets]

I couldn't help but question out loud if a process like Retrobrite (i.e. hydrogen peroxide + UV light) might artificially age some of the NOS wrap you have now. I doubt anyone's tried it before, so the outcome is a complete mystery at the moment.

 

[Skipton]

Always a pleasure to watch a master. Bike is looking fantastic! Keep up the great work.

 

[CRASH]

I'm just sayin...

(I'm kidding. You do what's best for the bike!)

 

[The Renaissance Man]

@GeePig @ifitsfreeitsforme @RustySprockets Trust me, the tape that I have on hand was not even close. If I can ever find the correct tape, I'll try again.

@Skipton Thanks!

@CRASH That's the perfect analogy for ConTENtious! Unfortunately not so much for Sid. Looking forward to seeing all of that chrome!

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Chainguard time!

Apart from a couple of minor things like trimming and adding ends to the cables, Sid is done!

For the first time in all of the build-offs before, I will have the whole last month to get my final pictures. Woo Hoo!

 

[Pondo]

Thank you guys for all of the thoughts and opinions but I really do have some (self-imposed) restrictions that I'm trying to adhere to with this bike.

Imagine that Sid is a survivor piano. A Steinway piano that is in pretty bad condition. The piano was given to me by its original owner because he knew that I was a piano person and might appreciate it. Some of the strings along with the foot pedals are broken and the finish is also in poor condition. It is unplayable at this point.

To show my appreciation I decided to bring the instrument back to playing condition. I'm faced with the choice of completely restoring it back to new condition (which would be very involved and expensive) or restoring it back to good playing condition (which is the most important part of any instrument) and making the outward appearance as presentable as possible while maintaining the original finishes. I choose the latter.

I replaced the strings and repaired all of the mechanical parts back to working condition. I have to make some compromises like replacing the broken foot pedals with similar but not exact replacements. Maybe with time, I'll find some exact replacements but until then the piano will be playable. And besides, the pedals are not noticeable, especially to the untrained eye. Most importantly it is now playable and sounds like a Steinway should! The finish is cleaned and preserved as much as possible but still looks distressed. To me, the piano has a warm personality not in spite of, but because of the bruised patina that only age can produce.

So for me, putting a new mismatched color wrap on the bars would be like putting new mismatched plastic on some of the keys just because the original ivory is missing. It would look out of place and wouldn't have any effect on how it sounds. After today's experiment, I'm now thinking that even if I had the correct gold sparkle wrap, it might still look out of place by being too new. That is, unless I could tone it down like I did with the cables. What I would really like to find is some used gold wrap that has been removed from an older bike.

That's a great analogy and a great ethos. They're only original once and I love this restoration style and this build is fantastic. I also love sparkly restorations and full on customs. Like you and @CRASH have alluded to, it all depends on the specific project. Kudos, this bike is amazing! I'd be jazzed to have one like it in the 'collection'.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Thanks @Pondo !

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Just put the finishing touches on Sid for this Saturday's bike show in Tennessee. I've got one of the two surprises that I've been saving for the final reveal ready to go! I'll get some updated photos this weekend.

Until then, here's a couple more from the last session.

 

[metalchewy]

Love this bike.

I am sure it will turn quite a few heads at the show!

 

[Captain Awesome]

Just put the finishing touches on Sid for this Saturday's bike show in Tennessee. I've got one of the two surprises that I've been saving for the final reveal ready to go! I'll get some updated photos this weekend.

Until then, here's a couple more from the last session.
View attachment 251726
View attachment 251727

I bet you can get some awesome fall color shots up there

 

[ifitsfreeitsforme]

my clear glitter coke grips would look sweet on that thing. maybe. probably too new though haha

 

[ParkRNDL]

Life got busy so I'm sitting out this build-off, but I figured I'd check in. This build is FANTASTIC. I love the patina/barn find look. That's what I did for my Coppertone Fastback in a recent MBBO.

 

[OddJob]

The cable patina process was a success!

Here's a side-by-side pic with one of Sid's original cables next to the brand-new Jagwire:

View attachment 251373

The last step involved rubbing the dried stain/paint this morning with a white Scotch pad soaked with mineral spirits and then wiping it dry with a paper towel. The weekend checklist is off to a good start!

The Renaissance Man just created another period correct da Vinci.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Sid stood tall at the Get-A-Grip bike show yesterday and brought home a top twenty award! There were quite a few muscle bikes along with many other great bikes spanning from pre-war to BMX to full-blown customs. The weather was perfect and there were some good deals to be found at the swap meet. The first thing I got was a pair of vintage gold glitter grips to use as stand-ins for tape on the naked handlebars and immediately slid them on for the show.

If any of you are looking for a good bike show, forum member @dorr always hosts a great one every first Saturday of November!