juvela

You are doing just fine; we all look forward to following the progress!

noobinsf 

Various small bits following the Evaporust bath...

Velocivixen

Wow, what a nice job on the cleanup and polish. I adore that shade of green also. P,ease keep us posted.

Rollfast

That sounds like a great adoption, make sure it gets all it's shots and care and exercise it often

non-fixie 

Looking good!

BTW, I think 'Bergmeister' is one of the coolest model names ever for a bicycle. (And for motorbikes and cars too; it shows the right kind of ambition and confidence.)

noobinsf 

Well, after a lengthy hiatus, I am back at it and working on the rust issues in earnest. The pitting is pretty bad on the top tube, less severe on the down tube and stays. I started working with 120-grit paper, and the pic below is a view of the top tube leading into the seat lug -- you can see the smoother area on the right after some work, while the lug retains some pitting texture. I also have a light coat of oil on it after sanding to keep things stable.

Not having worked on this level of rust before, does this look like a bad sign, or is it safe to assume the tube is thick enough to handle this level of sanding?

Also, does anyone know if the interior of the tubes was copper-plated like the outside? The interior of the tubes also has an orange tinge, but it does not have the uneven coloring that indicates rust, so I think it is just plating. (I will try and get a pic of that tonight, but so far, I haven't been able to get a useful picture with the available lighting.)

This is going to be quite a bit of work, and I'm curious if it will be worth it in the end... I could live with a rough finish under a clear coat, since this will be a beater commuter, but I don't want to ride an unsafe frame if it's compromised by rust.

juvela

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Thanks very much for this update.

Good to see things moving forward on the project.

Readers might be able to give more/better feedback with aid of additional imagery...

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chewybrian 

Helpful?

Dougbloch 

A worthy project indeed!

And I love the Burgermeister Meisterburger reference.

noobinsf 

Okay, more images here. Also, yes, 'tis the season for more stop motion Burl Ives.

I was concerned, but after sanding down the knobby bits and checking out the interior of the tubes more extensively, I think this thing is actually remarkably free from major issues (knock wood). Unless I'm woefully mistaken, the interiors of the tubes have an orange tinge due to copper plating. I scrubbed a few sections with synthetic steel wool and light oil, and the test spots came out shiny.

Now I'm thinking the ratty finish under clear varnish could be really attractive, and I'm tempted to build up a set of 650b wheels, since the clearances are good, and it's something I've wanted to try. I have a set of Weinamnn 750s waiting for an application.

Here it is in its current state with a borrowed set of 27" wheels:





Inside of bottom bracket shell after cleaning:



Inside of steerer tube after cleaning:

non-fixie 

I like the look of that. The fork shape is especially attractive.

Andy_K 

Some semi-translucent paint over that could be really cool, sort of a spottled effect.

noobinsf 

I'd like to eventually do a rattle can job over the whole frame, but for now, I think it will be an interesting beater commuter with the finish as is under Humbrol Clear, as demonstrated by member @realsteel. I have renewed energy for this one.

My mind keeps going back to this image of @jyl's Bianchi as inspiration:

noobinsf 

A bit more progress...

Polished crankset, cleaned and Boeshielded steel seat post, cleaned Mertens Coureur saddle



Brake caliper before and after

noobinsf 

And here is first-hand proof of the fabled Ava Death Stem.

Doesn't look too bad here


But here is a close crop of the same photo. The crack goes about 1/4 of the entire circumference. Thank goodness I never tried it, and I've replaced it with an Origin8 Classique stem (which fits into the French-sized steerer without modification.)

Piff 

Great progress, I can't wait to see the end result.

juvela

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Fine work, a most fortunate Bergie to have fallen to your hand!

This photo with the wheels in and no fittings certainly accentuates the limousine wheelbase. Expect it must be something in the vicinity of 41 1/2" to 42".



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52telecaster

Awesome bike and great work your doing. Very inspiring!

noobinsf 

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone!

Juvela, good eye there -- the wheelbase measures 42.5 inches.

juvela

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Hey folks, it's those dimpled blades that really get him going!

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rsandoval75002

I recently got a hold of a 1960s Bergie also, and I'm looking to restore it as you can see it was painted over the -and hopefully- original paint. Did some research and apparently is copper color under.

juvela

Congratulations.

Lots of Bergie threads here at the forum you can pull up with search function and/or begin a new thread for your latest arrival.

As you likely already know, Bergies were also private labelled as Sears/J.C. Higgins.

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Hudson308 

Wow, that is a seriously high bottom bracket shell! Bergmeister Boulder Bouncer?

noobinsf 

Hmm, well, I checked it against my modern Felt, and they match at 27cm from center of the BB to the floor. Is that high? Isn't that pretty much standard? Maybe just the angle of the photo...

noobinsf 

Closing in on completion. Here is a pic after fitting some of the cleaned parts -

• overhauled Suntour GT rear der (my addition - had a Huret Allvit)
• overhauled generic Shimano front der (prev owner's addition)
• Huret shifters and downtube cable guide
• overhauled headset
• overhauled bottom bracket
• original post and saddle
• new stem
• new Nitto 115 bars, 45cm
• placeholder brake levers -- cleaning the originals
• Boeshield treatment inside tubes

And here are the original hoods after toothbrush + mild dish soap + Bon Ami mild abrasive cleaner. They were yellowing and dry, but the Bon Ami appears to have taken a light layer off, so they're brighter and supple.



I'm just finishing up truing the wheelset that this one will wear.