Classic & Vintage - How do I reattach a headbadge?

I carefully removed the rivets holding the Nishiki headbadge onto my frame. Now that the frame has been powdercoated, I'd like to reinstall it. Do you generally use screws, and if so, what type?

I carefully removed the rivets holding the Nishiki headbadge onto my frame. Now that the frame has been powdercoated, I'd like to reinstall it. Do you generally use screws, and if so, what type?

How about using a pop-rivet tool?

When I couldn't locate any appropriately small rivets I glued my raleigh heron emblem back on my repainted SuperCourse. Still leaves the holes available if I ever find something that will work & doesn't look to bad.

You can also use the thick, double-sided mounting tape used on auto trim. Phony up some rivets using the ends of a couple old spokes, glued into the holes in the headstock.

Small screws will look better than pop rivets and hold better than glue or tape. You would need to tap some threads into the headtube. Finding a pair of small screws with a matching tap may be a challenge. I dont think you want to put a nut on the inside of the head tube unless you are sure you can lock it in place with Loctite or some other method.

Rob Harold

I had a frame repainted at CyclArt about 10 years ago & they used doubled sided tape on the headbadge. I was skeptical at first, but it holds fine.

I have had good luck with silicone sealant; the stuff that is used to glue aquariums (aquaria?) together. It has held for 10 plus years on a repainted frame. It was used to glue some small screwheads into the rivet holes also.

So, just how did you manage to carefully remove the rivets and headbadge in the first place? I have a vintage Hercules with a damaged headbadge that I would like to replace with one I found on eBay...

If interested, check it out on my site http://oldbikes.741.com

Cheers
Charl

So, just how did you manage to carefully remove the rivets and headbadge in the first place?

I started with the smallest drill bit I had, mixed in a steady hand, and threw in a pinch of nervous brow sweat.

In other words, I chucked up the smallest drill bit I had in my cordless drill, set the speed on low, braced myself in a comfortable position, and drilled out the center of the rivet. I then stepped up one drill bit size and repeated the process. At that point, enough of the rivet was gone that I was able to pinch the end of it closed, pull the headbadge off and pull out the remaining rivet.

I should note, however, that I was trying this on a 1980 (or '81) Nishiki frame...not exactly a collector's piece. So the fallout of a botched attempt was fairly low.

Good luck.

i used a crowbar and hammered the claw against the rivets to pry them off. the rivets came out in good enough shape to reuse but i suggest you use some sort of adhesive so the badge/rivets dont fall off.

you can also use a half-round file to file the back off the rivets from the inside of the head tube. then you can try to pop the rivets out either from the inside of the headtube. this will leave them intact to be used later as faux rivets to keep the original look.

I have always drilled the original rivets to remove a head badge, then replaced them with self-tapping sheet metal screws for reinstallation. I have a pop riveter, but I concur that the "pimple" in the middle of the rivet head may not be the look everyone wants.

If you want to glue it on, and be permanent, use auto body panel adhesive.
This is the same stuff the OEM's use when gluing your car together.
The only problem is you will never be able to remove it without some heat.

On the back of the FireFighter badges I get from local 22 theres a double sided tape thats so strong I tried pulling it off of my old car to place it on my new one and had to use a small crow bar! Then when it finally popped off it took a chunk of fiberglass with it! I think its 3M? its got a green film covering the "sticky" part :) if not the GE aquarium sealent mentioned works fantastic too ;) its VERY STRONG STUFF! just be sure that its true aquarium sealent, it will say so on the tube :)

I usually carefully drill to release, and have some really tiny pop rivets, but I'm almost out. A tiny machine screw or a cut off brass brad bent over inside could work too.

There's a mil-spec part for a rivet with a spiral type thread that's actually made for this exact application. I'll have to go out to the barn and look the part number up, maybe if there's enough board interest, a bulk purchase can be made, as usually there's a minimum buy for that type stuff.

Dab or two of silicone. Spoke ends for fake rivets is a cool idea!,,,,BD

McMaster-Carr has lots of aluminum rivets. Here's one with head dia. of 0.131" and length 0.125".
Rivet (http://www.mcmaster.com/itm/find.ASP?tab=find&context=psrchDtlLink&fasttrack=False&searchstring=94439A210)
Has a matte gold finish, but you could probably chuck it up in a drill and remove that. They have a lot more, I only browsed for a minute or two.

I'd probably use adhesive like silicone to attach both the headbadge and the rivets.

I just got back from Winks, Portland's super-awesome specialty hardware store & they set me up. The answer is tiny drivescrews. Slip them through the headbadge (I had to drill these holes out a tiny bit), poke them into the holes in the frame, & tap 'em with a hammer. A 10-minute operation, less than $1.00 in materials, no tape glue, or (admittedly brilliant) fake rivets necessary, and they look perfect.

I just got back from Winks, Portland's super-awesome specialty hardware store & they set me up. The answer is tiny drivescrews. Slip them through the headbadge (I had to drill these holes out a tiny bit), poke them into the holes in the frame, & tap 'em with a hammer. A 10-minute operation, less than $1.00 in materials, no tape glue, or (admittedly brilliant) fake rivets necessary, and they look perfect.

+1 on drivescrews. These and rivets are the traditional way of attaching nameplates, etc, to machinery.

+1 on drivescrews. These and rivets are the traditional way of attaching nameplates, etc, to machinery.

I've thought about drivescrews, but if I understand them correctly they're driven in, and can't be turned out. They have a small domed head that looks as if it wouldn't be easy to drill out. So they're cheap, easy to install, look good and hold well. Very nice solution until next time someone wants to remove the drive screws and headbadge to repaint the frame. What do you do then? It's shortsighted to do something that someone later is going to regret--I'd say that it's committing a "Drew." I see the same concern about the various permanent adhesives people have suggested. Among other things, I think whatever method one uses to attach a headbadge should also be reversible. I lean toward the idea of self-tapping sheet metal screws. Any ideas of finding some with a simple round slotted head?
jv

Check it. Came like this when I got it. Not a big fan of the look, but it works well, and I'm sure you can get smaller heads.

I know you guy,s over there have tubes of silicon sealant, but, do you have tubes of "Liquid Nails" too ? coz it will adhere an elephant to a space shuttle and it wont fall off,used sparingly it is gr8 for headtube badges !

I just reattached my headbadge on a 1983 Raleigh Record, I had to buy like a lot of screws if someone needs them just send me a message and I'll mail them, no cost, I only have enough for say 4 badges with three holes each, the right size was 2-56 (i think thats width and thread) 3/16 long.

I've thought about drivescrews, but if I understand them correctly they're driven in, and can't be turned out. They have a small domed head that looks as if it wouldn't be easy to drill out. So they're cheap, easy to install, look good and hold well. Very nice solution until next time someone wants to remove the drive screws and headbadge to repaint the frame. What do you do then? It's shortsighted to do something that someone later is going to regret--I'd say that it's committing a "Drew." I see the same concern about the various permanent adhesives people have suggested. Among other things, I think whatever method one uses to attach a headbadge should also be reversible. I lean toward the idea of self-tapping sheet metal screws. Any ideas of finding some with a simple round slotted head?
jv

I just linked to this thread from another but it's recent enough that I thought I'd comment - I have never - and I mean never ever - seen an original equipment headbadge attached with slotted screws. I won't say they don't exist but I've never seen one. That is problematic when you talk about using screws to re-attach a headbadge.

The adhesives solve the problem of attaching the badge and many can be removed but then you still have the problem of the covering the holes. I like the idea of the fake heads but I think the best solution would be to take careful measurements of the hole and how much space you have between the head tube and the steerer tube and get a drive screw just long enough to stick out a bit on the inside. That way you can still push it back out from the inside should you ever need to remove it. Now mind you I've never actually tried this but I will test it on the frame in the garage - without the actual headbadge and before I have it painted :)

I'll be interested to hear if the drive screws can be pushed out from the inside. I tend to doubt that it will be easy to do that, particularly on a large frame--a 63, say--with such a long head tube that the ends of the drive screws will be way down in there. Perhaps possible to rig up some sort of lever arrangement to press against the screws. That said, drive screws do seem like a nice clean solution.
JV

Schwinn used very small round head sheet metal screws for attaching the headbadges of some models, notably the sixties, seventies, and early eighties Paramounts. They were No. 2 x 1/8" Type B sheet metal screws, and you occassionally see them on eBay like those in THIS LISTING (http://cgi.ebay.com/Schwinn-Headbadge-Screws-Pair-NOS_W0QQitemZ360154460469) (not mine).

For other models, Schwinn used solid alloy "squeeze rivets", installed with a squeeze rivet tool (http://www.aircraft-tool.com/shop/detail.aspx?PRODUCT_ID=5022-3A).

Just a little bit of solder works perfectly. It looks very nice and clean if you do it right.

I'll be interested to hear if the drive screws can be pushed out from the inside. I tend to doubt that it will be easy to do that, particularly on a large frame--a 63, say--with such a long head tube that the ends of the drive screws will be way down in there. Perhaps possible to rig up some sort of lever arrangement to press against the screws. That said, drive screws do seem like a nice clean solution.
JV

To test this I pushed the drive screws out last night on my Bottecchia frame. I used a long screwdriver and they popped out a couple of millimeters and then I could get behind the heads to coax them out the rest of the way. It took no more than a minute or two to get both screws out and the badge off.

To test this I pushed the drive screws out last night on my Bottecchia frame. I used a long screwdriver and they popped out a couple of millimeters and then I could get behind the heads to coax them out the rest of the way. It took no more than a minute or two to get both screws out and the badge off.

Nice to see that the spirit of experimentation lives on this forum. Thanks for passing that along. Drive screws it will be.
JV

I have never - and I mean never ever - seen an original equipment headbadge attached with slotted screws. I won't say they don't exist but I've never seen one. That is problematic when you talk about using screws to re-attach a headbadge.

Didn't Trek originally attach their head badges with slotted screws? I think I remember reading on the Vintage Trek site that they did. After a couple of years I think they started using adhesive instead.
JV

Didn't Trek originally attach their head badges with slotted screws? I think I remember reading on the Vintage Trek site that they did. After a couple of years I think they started using adhesive instead.
JV
Schwinn used slotted screws to attach head badges for decades without any problems.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d7/k4drd/Bicycles/ParamountHeadbadge.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d7/k4drd/Bicycles/1974P-A50-32.jpg

Interesting, you learn something new every day. I really had never seen slotted screws used like that before. Then again, I'm not a Schwinn guy.

I'm still sicking with drive screws where those were original. With a dollop of silicone just to be on the safe side. Don't want the head badge falling off going down the road. :)

Dang, why did you have to bring originality into it? I was just getting comfortable with the idea of replacing the original rivets on my cool Dawes "flaming torch" head badge with drive screws (drilled the rivets out to dip the frame in oxalic acid). I'd dismissed the idea of trying to find appropriate rivets instead--probably impossible anyway.
jv

Go to Radio shack,they got the small screws you need---sam