Somet Hingo Rother

[GeePig]

Yes, and as usual I have a choice of endpoints, and would be quite happy to slap the pedals on and call it done, but I still dream of completing the project anyway. It is just great to leave my computer, walk up the yard and mess around with the bike.

As to the finish, now that is where I am not sure what I 'should' be doing. It is a bit like I have a sprayed a clear top coat on my bike, without fixing any of the flaws. Or, when it comes to cardboard, it is finding the point of 'completed unfinished':

See, it is 'almost' finished, as there are a ton of missing tiles, yet it is complete. Adding anything more would not increase the sense of completion.

I can imagine laying on the filler to the tank, applying a sufficiency of paint - but would that make it complete? Would stopping right now, and just adding a name to the tank suffice? I have three weeks to decide.

 

[kingfish254]

It's cool seeing how your pvc tank is "shaping" up. I like it so far.

 

[GeePig]

So am I, it is actually quite a bit of fun to see what a bit of heat can do.

 

[GeePig]

Between waiting for plastic on the tank too cool down, stacking a massive delivery of wood in the barn, working and relaxing, I have been fixing other bits on the bike - such as attaching the handlebars.

This is not the final angle, well, I don't think it is, I just need to start fitting the brakes. This means other stuff, like cutting the casings for the cables, for which I need some better way of holding it so that the cut is not all sloppy.

I have also had to exchange the domed mudguard nut I had down here, and I might still have to shorten the thread on the bolt for it. For the brake nut I had to partially drill out the threads in this long nut so that it would slide over the unthreaded section of the shaft. I can only imagine that they had no rear brake shaft of the right length in the factory back in the 1980s.

This took a little bit of work, I had to compare it with another one I had to see what bits went on it - the rubber hose and the aluminium ending. That is the trouble when you get junk bikes, many things just fall apart as you remove them. Anyway, this should be going on the front brake.

While I was fiddling around with the brakes, I thought it would be a good time to finally adjust the pads.

I still need to sort out the cables...

 

[Ulu]

I had one of those little elbows on my cable and I didn’t like it. I ended up just eliminating it and getting a longer cable. It’s not as tidy, but there’s less friction now.

 

[GeePig]

That is a possible solution, but I am kind of hoping that I can avoid it so that I can use the bracket for the earlier type of brake this fork had - and so keep the cables from hanging out everywhere. Well, that's the dream.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Your vbrake noodle isn't quite right, you've pushed it on too far.

The boot slides on the other end to keep dirt and debris from entering the noodle. Just the end nipple (painted black on yours) gets covered, the rest of the boot covers the cable. It gets compressed when the brakes are squeezed

 

[GeePig]

Your vbrake noodle isn't quite right, you've pushed it on too far.
View attachment 203062
The boot slides on the other end to keep dirt and debris from entering the noodle. Just the end nipple (painted black on yours) gets covered, the rest of the boot covers the cable. It gets compressed when the brakes are squeezed

Yep, that makes a lot of sense. Usually I just remove vbrakes, without paying a lot of attention to them, this is the first time I have decided to use a set.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Get ready for it, they are far more powerful than caliper or cantilever brakes.

 

[Ulu]

Yep, that makes a lot of sense. Usually I just remove vbrakes, without paying a lot of attention to them, this is the first time I have decided to use a set.

Your vbrake noodle isn't quite right, you've pushed it on too far.
View attachment 203062
The boot slides on the other end to keep dirt and debris from entering the noodle. Just the end nipple (painted black on yours) gets covered, the rest of the boot covers the cable. It gets compressed when the brakes are squeezed

My Chinese Schwinn had an S-noodle that led directly to that L-noodle. It had powerful brakes but too much friction on the cable.

Even after cleaning all that stuff I thought the action was sluggish.

 

[ifitsfreeitsforme]

so much noodle talk. I'm craving pasta now.

 

[Ulu]

Ha! Me too! Fortunately I have leftover pizza!

 

[SoulGarageOH]

I married a school teacher as well. (It’s amazingly, common here, and three of my associates married teachers while the fourth married a nurse.)

She taught English and arithmetic to immigrant kids for 32 years. She’s going to come chase me around on her bicycle right now.

Hey!! My wife married an English teacher!

 

[Ulu]

Mine was more of a kindergarten teacher.

 

[GeePig]

Get ready for it, they are far more powerful than caliper or cantilever brakes.

I have never ridden a bike with good vbrakes, I generally get them when they are already in shabby condition, with poor and fraying cables.

 

[GeePig]

Ha! Me too! Fortunately I have leftover pizza!

Is that possible? I didn't know you were supposed to not eat it all?

 

[GeePig]

This is how we stand at the moment - the shape is basically there and just really needs a bit of a trim and the addition of a fuel cap. I can make the connector between the cap and the tank easily enough, but I am not quite sure whether I will be using an actual cap or making one from something.

The fact that there is no engine is a minor issue, but it is a question that has been rolling around the back of my mind for some time. Not a real engine, of course, just something that kind of looks like one. See, if I fix the tank onto the mounting tube, it will be difficult to mount the tank onto another bike.

I still need to trim the rear and fit a pair of end caps, so I need to get some form of adhesive. Of course they usually have a ton of different adhesives at the store, and figuring out which one I need will be a problem.

Fixing those all the holes in the tank should probably be done, but the question is how far should I take it? And do I just need to conceal that it is a piece of plastic pipe so that it becomes a stylistic feature?

It does resemble a piglet, which is, of course, another opportunity in how I paint it.

 

[Ulu]

Is that possible? I didn't know you were supposed to not eat it all?

Well I am the cook here, and I just made way too much pizza. My wife hates to shop and cook, so she gets to clean the house, do the dishes, and take care of the dogs.

So I can honestly say that I’ve never had a reason to complain about my wife’s cooking.

As for the PVC tank, I think any polyester body filler will work OK, but I would have a tendency to use epoxy putty, if you can do the molding with the small amount. It is considerably more expensive but it’s also stronger and faster.

Otherwise I would suggest that you take PVC shavings and melt them in solvent, and apply them as a filler putty.

You can then shape the ends with a hot piece of iron after they harden, before you do the shaving and sanding.

 

[kingfish254]

I like the way the tank is shaping up.
A faux engine from everyday items could be cool. One that is obviously not a real engine, but mimics one.
One of my favorite RRB builds was Mash Banger by @Kuttnhack back in BO6

 

[Cmdr Ronald]

Howdy Folks. Please pardon my buttinski. If you build a cap, a compass or thermometer could be mounted in it.
I very much like your tank concept. I have a couple questions & a wee bit of helpful suggestion about it. Photos look like you're using pvc. Is it? IF SO, please use regular ol' medium clear pvc cement. That is a general purpose solvent cement. It welds the plastic by partially melting it. Epoxy coating the glued plastic will strengthen it, plus be moldable to add asthetics. Will this tank ever hold petroleum? IF SO, please use a heavy coating of tank liner. If NOT, you have a great spot to hide a string of 18650 batteries to power lighting. Ifya don't have a heat gun, some blow driers produce sufficient heat to soften pvc for bending.
Now taking my nose back to a roadside diner.