Originally Posted by
Chombi
I've been stuck for a while now with what to decide to do with the NR derailleurs (especially the FD) I got with my latest project bike from 1972.
I keep looking at these 1st gen NR derailleurs that came with it and they just look very crude with their kinda lumpy castings and their very dull anozised finish. Frankly, they look like pot metal items to me and not what you'd expexct from Campagnolo. Would it be blasphemouse to remove the clear anodizing on them and polish them up to a smoother or maybe even mirror finish, or would that look tacky. Might refinishing these components have been a common thing to do back in the 70's. I just never realize how inferior the finishes on these would be compared to what I have been used to expect for Campy stuff from the 80's.
Maybe if some here can post up pics of NR componentes that they have polished up, I can make that decision to do so easier with the inspiration they could provide (just a link to a pic library you might have will be great too!).
Another solution might be for me to just mount on later NR derailleurs from the 80's instead.....anyway, NR's NR....right?...but then the original derailleurs will never forgive me for separating them from the 40 year old bike!....drat!
Chombi
80's bike guy trying to deal with/understand 70's bikes.....
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but not everything Campy did was intended to be beautiful. A lot of Italian stuff from the '60s and '70s seemed like tools for racing, not rolling bling. I don't think they were the olnly company with that point of view, either. Look at Mafac brakes and Huret front and rear derailleurs, about as utilitarian as you can get. Campy Record derailleurs were great because the worked very well in their element, and lasted a darn long time doing so.
As far as polishing: anything can be polished, but not everything should be.