zigmin

Hey C&Ver's! So I have a question... A friend of mine found this frame that had been sitting in my school bike coop for some time and was planning to turn it into a polo bike, until I started taking a closer look at it. Now the whole frame has been rattlecanned with red and blue stripes, so identifying is something of a chore, but what details I have discovered all point to a nice handmade frame ca. 1985 (?) I wish i had pictures, I can take some later but for now a detailed description will have to do.
The bike is a lugged frame, and just below the seat cluster is what appears to be the teal blue-green of a reynolds 531 sticker peaking from behind flaking layers of rustoleum. The bottom bracket shell has a heart cut into it, it has campy dropouts, fastback seat stays, and I can make out the name "walker" on the downtube decal. The bike was originally equipped with the silver and black 80's(?) Campy Super Record (also covered in red and blue spraypaint... The "surviving" bit being the headset. and not much else... There is a stem and bars on the frame, but I have a feeling neither are original since the stem is SR and the bars are Fuji. Can anyone tell me about this frame?

mkeller234

It sounds nice. I would attempt to carefully remove the spray paint from the Campagnolo components. I would assume the parts can be saved with a little labor without destroying the anodized finish on them.

3alarmer 

Other than the fact that there's a real
probability it ended up in its present
location and condition because it was
stolen, I can tell you that Benotto did
this, and yes they are worth saving.

Look here:https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...notto-Question

and here:https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ts-Cool-points

And try to give the poor thing back a
little dignity (which does not include
use for bike polo).

Bianchigirll 

any chance you can [ost some pics? what brand are the dropouts?

realestvin7

Neat. Save her from being a polo bike!

YoKev

Don Walker?

https://www.donwalkercycles.com/

If it is and you have questions, he is on Bikeforums. I used to see him in SSFG but I don't spend much if any time in there anymore.

zigmin

I'll try to get some pics up today. Get ready to cringe...

zigmin

I forgot to mention: the headbadge looks to be handmade and simply has the letter "BCD" on it. pictures later.

3alarmer 

“There are some things you see, and you can’t unsee them. Know what I mean?”
-- Max California

You know that in some instances you can
remove spray paint without significantly
damaging the original underlying paint job,
yes? So do some research before you go
at it and test on small patches first.

I've personally used rubbing compound (3M)
with reasonable results, but i recall a thread
here not so long ago that had a variety of
agents/methods.

realestvin7

Update?

zigmin

Pictures are crappy I know... But you get the idea.

Gary Fountain

Looks like a De Rosa bottom Bracket - but i don't think its a De Rosa - no other ID in the lugs of seat stay tips. I wonder if the head badge is brazed or glued to the head tube? It looks like a pretty nice frame though.

realestvin7

Shame. That could be a tight ride for sure.

Gary Fountain

Where are you located - In Australia the Walker would probably mean 'Cecil Walker' - pretty good frames with similar build qualities as your frame.

I have painted a few frames over the years and I try to burn the paint off with an Oxy acetylene set with a heating tourch - it works great - but you have to have access to a tourch. Overheating is never a problem as it is easy to regulate and the heat stress relieves the frame but it does require 'frame saver' resprayed into the tubes. The paint comes off with a light brush with a wire brush. before you know it you have a bare frame ready for respraying. The headbadge might just fall off too.

Take out all fittings - the campy headset will clean-up quickly with steel wool.

zigmin

Dont give up on me yet! I wont let this thing die. I'm thinking a beadblast and trip to the powdercoater are in order. I just want to find out what it is first.

realestvin7

I never give up. Lol. Search my threads. Here are current projects...

Started with stuck seatpost...







Spray-bombed Raleigh Super Brand Prix... Currently painted white. Painting lugs this week.





Spray-bombed Nishiki International...





Guerciotti Strada with cracked downtube... On the backburner.





There will always be others...

I know you can do it.

RobE30

I've done chemical stripping in the past and have had good results. Just make sure the person doing the media blasting doesn't use sand or any really coarse abrasives. I saw someone use baking powder once.... that was cool and cleanup was super easy! There is hope for this bike, take pictures and keep us posted! Good luck man

Cynikal 

Don didn't start building frame until 1991. Not saying that it's not his but this looks earlier.

rhm

I would try some solvents on the spray paint, see if there's anything that will dissolve them to reveal whatever's underneath. The fact that the bomber went right over the headset etc suggests he too no time to prep, so the original decals may well be there still.

What solvents do I mean, you ask?

I'd start with naphtha, progress to goo-gone, goofoff, etc. On a nice day when I can go outside and work in the open air, I'd try acetone, xylol.... something's bound to work. You may find the original paint down there and not even too bad.

realestvin7

Acetone will definitely work. Lol. Be careful though.

3alarmer 

+1

zigmin

I've already deduced that the original paint is beyond salvaging... I may try that torch method though, sounds interesting. Any more ideas on what kind of frame this is !

rhm

Returning to the solvents suggestion: take off a little of the spray paint, and you may have the answer to your question. I'd definitely try it before going medieval on the paint.

3alarmer 

+1 --With the components just a memory to this bike,
your best hope of figuring out what it was (could be
again ?) would lie in the original paint and decals.

Turn it over to a bead blaster and that stuff is pretty
much also a memory. So depends on how curious you
really are. In other terms, are you an archaeologist
or a treasure hunter ? Certainly given current status,
you could make a case for either.

Mike Larmer

rhm

Zigmin,
You might want to check out this post where I show how I confirmed the identity of a bike I had to repaint. In my case, the original paint was long gone, but the decals had preserved the steel better than the paint had, leaving a shadow from which I was able to get the needed information. I presume your original paint was better than mine ever was, in which case you won't have the same kind of stains as I had, but if you find any trace of the original decals --even two letters-- you'll be well on your way to figuring out what your bike is.