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New Bike Day - Colnago Elegant

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New Bike Day - Colnago Elegant

Old 09-25-22, 03:17 PM
  #1  
ericlowney 
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New Bike Day - Colnago Elegant

This poor bike…. I rescued it and probably should not have. I did not notice the seat stay dent until after I picked it up, and the paint chipping underneath the bottle cage was an unpleasant surprise as well. I’ve started to break it down and clean everything. Replacing the pedals, seat and post, bar tape, tires, and tubes to get started. Polishing up the chrome as best I can, it’s very dull and yellow/brown looking, trying to research how I can fix that because so far aluminum foil isn’t doing it. Also trying to see where might be able ti repair the dent in the seat stay, local to FL would obviously be best case scenario.




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Old 09-25-22, 03:32 PM
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@ericlowney

This is my go to, scrub, slather, let dry, slather again, let dry and scrub with fresh, repeat as necessary.

One of the many places you can get it.

https://www.acehardware.com/departme...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

The ding is zero sum, I would fill it with bondo, JB weld, etc. and figure out a clever coverup, maybe accent bands on both sides or just paint to contrast or match both stays as best you can and call it good.
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Old 09-25-22, 03:48 PM
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Its a Colnago, cant go wrong with that caliber of bike. Small imperfections but no structural damage. Looks like a great bike. I've had a few forks re-chromed here in the L.A. area for $50, Shop around im sure you can find a fair price to get it redone.
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Old 09-25-22, 03:52 PM
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@ericlowney

Evaporust would work for the fork too but you would need to make a pipe bath for each leg and a gallon of juice.

And I would still use the TW after that as well as a regular show polish of some sort in the end.

8 or 9 speed?

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Old 09-25-22, 03:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Manny66
Its a Colnago, cant go wrong with that caliber of bike. Small imperfections but no structural damage. Looks like a great bike. I've had a few forks re-chromed here in the L.A. area for $50, Shop around im sure you can find a fair price to get it redone.
I thought it was all but outlawed in Cal. especially in LA, when was the last time you had one done?

OP is in FL so....

We have almost no chromers here anymore and the last work I know about took 2 years to complete.

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Old 09-25-22, 04:04 PM
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Well thanks guys, you are making me feel a lot better because when I saw the dent I was sick to my stomach. Then I found the peeling paint. And now I also found a spoke that pulled out of the rear wheel. So not the condition I expected but I’m just going to power through trying to clean and fix it up. I’m going to learn a lot on this bike I can tell already

it is an 8 speed with campagnolo chorus brakes and Racing T drive chain with a triple crank. Campy hubs on mavic wheels. One has a blue sticker that says ‘reflex’ and the other has a red mavic sticker but it’s peeled off. Both have a SUP UB Control decal as well.
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Old 09-25-22, 04:12 PM
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Originally Posted by ericlowney
Well thanks guys, you are making me feel a lot better because when I saw the dent I was sick to my stomach. Then I found the peeling paint. And now I also found a spoke that pulled out of the rear wheel. So not the condition I expected but I’m just going to power through trying to clean and fix it up. I’m going to learn a lot on this bike I can tell already

it is an 8 speed with campagnolo chorus brakes and Racing T drive chain with a triple crank. Campy hubs on mavic wheels. One has a blue sticker that says ‘reflex’ and the other has a red mavic sticker but it’s peeled off. Both have a SUP UB Control decal as well.
Hopefully the POA is worth the "valuable learning experience".

This happens most of the time IME, blinded by the light, oh, wait, , damnit Jim, hate it when that happens.

All part of the fun and usually does teach us a thing or two, ain't life grand?
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Old 09-25-22, 04:55 PM
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Hard to tell from the photos but if that is light rust it might clean up well enough to be presentable.."DO NOT USE STEEL WOOL" to clean it, use tin foil or the O.A. or Evaporust to remove the rust.
As others have said the dent is not an issue.....So unless you paid "list"(high) price, IMO, you did alright.
Best, Ben
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Old 09-25-22, 05:20 PM
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Looks like a red rubber indoor trainer tire.
was not aware until my neighbor bought one.
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Old 09-25-22, 05:22 PM
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Originally Posted by xiaoman1
Hard to tell from the photos but if that is light rust it might clean up well enough to be presentable.."DO NOT USE STEEL WOOL" to clean it, use tin foil or the O.A. or Evaporust to remove the rust.
As others have said the dent is not an issue.....So unless you paid "list"(high) price, IMO, you did alright.
Best, Ben
I have a very good friend, world class expert painter, detailer, mech, tech, fabricator that uses .000000? steel wool on most things and they come out fantastic no matter what.

Pretty sure he has a secret "trick" that I wouldn't get, I have done some but don't trust myself so the rust remover and elbow grease is my go to.
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Old 09-25-22, 05:51 PM
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I watched a video of a guy using wet-dry sandpaper (1500 but recommended 2000) but I'm afraid to do it. Trying the turtle wax for now, at least for a couple of days, then will go to the evaporust next. Will incrementally try to fix it. I need to find some touch-up paint (purple) for where it is chipping off. Is that something I can get at Auto-Zone, etc. or is there a specific place you all go for bicycle specific touch up paint?
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Old 09-25-22, 05:53 PM
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Originally Posted by merziac
I have a very good friend, world class expert painter, detailer, mech, tech, fabricator that uses .000000? steel wool on most things and they come out fantastic no matter what.

Pretty sure he has a secret "trick" that I wouldn't get, I have done some but don't trust myself so the rust remover and elbow grease is my go to.
merziac,
I have a friend that "was" a chrome plater(30+ years) and he did only show chrome and did a number of things for me, some will say chrome is harder than steel, however he "Never" recommended using steel wool to "polish" chrome because it would leave micro scratches on the finish.....Bronze wool is better IMO
The OP's fork will never have the lustre that it once had so if they choose to use steel wool that is entirely up to them.....Others may disagree with not using steel wool and TETO.....I "steeill woould" not use it on any chrome that I need to clean. E.R. of O.A. and a through cleaning to remove the specks of rust and if necessary aluminum foil or bronze wool, polish and a real wax etc.
I have not see 06 SW before perhaps the scratches/dulling are not as noticeable.
Best, Ben
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Old 09-25-22, 06:58 PM
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I don’t think that fork will come back to its former glory with metal polish or other treatments. It will look better but I suspect the matte finish is a permanent feature. Others may have insight about your specific model and why the chrome has become dull but I’ve seen similar examples on cars and motorcycles and usually the answer was live with it or refinish it.

Neat bike. I would enjoy as-is but my aesthetic standard is…..”complicated”….
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Old 09-25-22, 08:39 PM
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Originally Posted by merziac
I thought it was all but outlawed in Cal. especially in LA, when was the last time you had one done?
About 2 or 3 years ago I talked to a chrome shop in Palmdale, California. It looks like it is a suburb of LA.

Anyway, I think they said they regularly have a delivery truck that comes up I5 at least to Eugene for pickups and dropoffs.

The latest thing I'm seeing mentioned for restorations is silver nitrate coating. A lot less toxic than real chrome, but apparently gives very good results. And one can coat multiple materials with the silver nitrate.
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Old 09-25-22, 09:14 PM
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As far as the fork, early Colnagos had painted forks. Later ones got the chrome forks. I personally like the look of painted forks with chrome crowns, and chrome dropouts.

A good auto paint store should be able to get you a pretty good match for the paint which could touch up around the bottle cages and paint the fork. Perhaps with a little mist of white around the edges.

For the chipping around the bottle cages, just get close, and put the cages back on and you'll never know. I like some of the newer stainless steel (or titanium) cages.

For the seatstay, first of all check the rear end alignment of your frame, and make sure the stay itself is straight. I'd probably get it filled with something like silver solder, but you'd have to remove the chrome in the hole first. Then the silver nitrate mentioned above could make the stays look like new without destroying all your paint (although you may need to get the chrome sanded to a very smooth finish first).
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Old 09-25-22, 09:21 PM
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Originally Posted by merziac
I thought it was all but outlawed in Cal. especially in LA, when was the last time you had one done?

OP is in FL so....

We have almost no chromers here anymore and the last work I know about took 2 years to complete.
There are 2 chrome shops in my area that I use. Ive had several forks and various motorcycle parts done over the years. I had a Automoto frame completely chromed a year and a half ago. I regurlarly pass by the shop I use and its still up and running.The owner is also a bike guy.
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Old 09-25-22, 09:41 PM
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In Sight

Originally Posted by ericlowney
...Polishing up the chrome as best I can, it’s very dull and yellow/brown looking...
Looks like the fork is clear coated. Strip it off with a paint stripper. It won't harm the chrome, and comes off easily.

Your description is consistent with deteriorated clear coat. To test this hypothesis without paint remover, try scraping a bit off with your fingernail.
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Old 09-25-22, 10:11 PM
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Originally Posted by xiaoman1
merziac,
I have a friend that "was" a chrome plater(30+ years) and he did only show chrome and did a number of things for me, some will say chrome is harder than steel, however he "Never" recommended using steel wool to "polish" chrome because it would leave micro scratches on the finish.....Bronze wool is better IMO
The OP's fork will never have the lustre that it once had so if they choose to use steel wool that is entirely up to them.....Others may disagree with not using steel wool and TETO.....I "steeill woould" not use it on any chrome that I need to clean. E.R. of O.A. and a through cleaning to remove the specks of rust and if necessary aluminum foil or bronze wool, polish and a real wax etc.
I have not see 06 SW before perhaps the scratches/dulling are not as noticeable.
Best, Ben
Yeah I get it, my buddy has won many, many shows and awards, cars, mc's, boats and more, his show jobs were often worked over without replacing or rechroming anything that could be reworked and restored. He is a master of making it right and reworking lackluster factory finishing and aesthetics. He worked with show chromers along the way as well, got plenty of help and developed techniques along the way.

He runs the only semi size wind tunnel in North America at Freightliner here in Portland and paints many of the R+D prototype trucks with Imron which he has also used for decades.

His day to day pedestrian work has always been better than most supposed "high quality" work, he's pretty good at what he does and there's very little he doesn't do.
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Old 09-25-22, 10:49 PM
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Originally Posted by ericlowney
I watched a video of a guy using wet-dry sandpaper (1500 but recommended 2000) but I'm afraid to do it. Trying the turtle wax for now, at least for a couple of days, then will go to the evaporust next. Will incrementally try to fix it. I need to find some touch-up paint (purple) for where it is chipping off. Is that something I can get at Auto-Zone, etc. or is there a specific place you all go for bicycle specific touch up paint?
Not going to be at Auto Zone, you need to find a auto body paint supplier that sells to the public and mixes to match. Often not cheap and some don't do small touch up bottles, only pints and up or spray cans including 2 part where you whack a button on the bottom to mix it before using, fun stuff.

If you go down the wet sand road, I would encourage 2000 or even 2500, you can always go more coarse but wishing you hadn't can be a lot more work.

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Old 09-26-22, 07:40 AM
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Drop that thing off with Alan Wanta and wait for it to come back like it was new.
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Old 09-26-22, 08:10 AM
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Originally Posted by merziac
Yeah I get it, my buddy has won many, many shows and awards, cars, mc's, boats and more, his show jobs were often worked over without replacing or rechroming anything that could be reworked and restored. He is a master of making it right and reworking lackluster factory finishing and aesthetics. He worked with show chromers along the way as well, got plenty of help and developed techniques along the way.

He runs the only semi size wind tunnel in North America at Freightliner here in Portland and paints many of the R+D prototype trucks with Imron which he has also used for decades.

His day to day pedestrian work has always been better than most supposed "high quality" work, he's pretty good at what he does and there's very little he doesn't do.
All Good points, if you like on your next restoration, give the steel wool a try....I am just reporting on what I have experienced.
Best, Ben
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Old 09-26-22, 08:58 AM
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The whole fork was not intended to be chrome. The fork blades were painted at one time. The only parts of the fork that were supposed to show any chrome after it was painted was the fork crown and dropouts. The reason that the middle of the fork is chromed is because it is much easier to dunk the whole fork in the tank than doing it twice on each end and then trying to taper where the chrome ends on each end. You will notice that the fork blades are not polished because there was no need because that part gets painted.

My guess is that the paint on the fork got badly chipped and it looked a lot better to take all the paint off. Paint doesn't stick well to chrome so it will chip more easily.
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Old 09-26-22, 08:59 AM
  #23  
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Touch up paint

Originally Posted by ericlowney
I watched a video of a guy using wet-dry sandpaper (1500 but recommended 2000) but I'm afraid to do it. Trying the turtle wax for now, at least for a couple of days, then will go to the evaporust next. Will incrementally try to fix it. I need to find some touch-up paint (purple) for where it is chipping off. Is that something I can get at Auto-Zone, etc. or is there a specific place you all go for bicycle specific touch up paint?

For touch up paint I've had good luck with nail polish -- it works pretty well, is fairly cheap, and comes in an amazing array of colors -- just wheel your bike into the makeup aisle of drugstores and makeup stores and compare brands and colors until you get close.

Autozone and similar will have more expensive car touch up paint, but in a pretty limited color palette -- almost certainly not close to that purple.

You could have some customized made up at an auto paint shop, but now you're talking $$ and still might not be perfect.

As my goal on a bike like this is generally "looks good from 5-10 feet away" nail polish is the winner, IMHO.
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Old 09-26-22, 10:08 AM
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Originally Posted by xiaoman1
All Good points, if you like on your next restoration, give the steel wool a try....I am just reporting on what I have experienced.
Best, Ben
No worries and your right, I've done it with mixed results, only used it on things that I didn't think it would make anything worse and don't think I did but was one of those things where I didn't get it and therefore didn't get the improvement I had hoped for so like you don't use it.

Firmly believe it is another one of those things that you have to have a knack for and "hold your mouth just right", elbow grease and stubborn determination alone won't get you there unless you're like our friends with superpowers.
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Old 09-26-22, 11:49 AM
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Originally Posted by merziac
No worries and your right, I've done it with mixed results, only used it on things that I didn't think it would make anything worse and don't think I did but was one of those things where I didn't get it and therefore didn't get the improvement I had hoped for so like you don't use it.

Firmly believe it is another one of those things that you have to have a knack for and "hold your mouth just right", elbow grease and stubborn determination alone won't get you there unless you're like our friends with superpowers.
M
You're correct......Chrome and steel wool is my "Kryptonite"!
Best, Ben
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