Vintage component polishing.
 

Good morning!

I have a pair of Campagnolo Record Rauler panto levers that need polishing. I have read many of the outstanding posts on the subject of polishing but would like to know if there are any forum members that would want to do work outside of their own. If these were just a simple polish, I would do it myself but, I believe these will need some sanding to get them to look respectable for a restore. I would hate to mess-them-up, given how hard these are to find. As you can see from the photo, there is some extensive scratching around the Rauler panto. Can these be removed without damaging the panto?

Please pm me or email me at gjwags@gmail.com if you are interested and have experience with what I am hoping to achieve with these.

Thanks!
Geoff

From your photo it is hard to say ,close ups from a couple of angles would help, but to be sure some damage will be done, the question is how much and will you be happy in the end.

Buy a few grades of wet sandpaper and some Blue Magic polish like I assume you've read about. It's almost impossible to mess up. Just practice on a spare aluminum part or even the bottom of your stem. Those levers would only take a few minutes, just don't get crazy with the rough grade over the Campy etching. I've polished up seatposts with deeper scratches than you have and it took about 10 minutes.

After you polish your first part and see how easy it is and the results you get you'll want to polish everything. It's addicting.

The levers are andodized, aren't they? If you've got something like a complete Nuovo Record group with some pantographed parts, I would be very reluctant to remove the anodized coating from anything. If the bike (or the parts) have "collector value" then de-anodizing and polishing, in my opinion, is far more significant damage than a few scratches.

Drillium Dude had a series about doing the drillium work and it included a thread about filing and sanding the imperfections on tome worn and scraped aluminum parts. Here is a link for the third in the series:

http://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...g-sanding.html

I have used this as a reference for bringing back various alloy components to a respectable appearance. DD has some serious skills for the detail work that makes bikes pop and look highly respectable. I used his method on a few pairs of Campagnolo Victory, and Super Record levers this spring. I was pleased with the smooth feel of the repairs to some serious asphalt scrapes on them.

To finish polish them, I used Dawes Industries, Diamond Brite aluminum polish, and soft clean cotton cloths, and I took them over a standard polishing wheel, on a bench grinder, to get the surface clear of all dust and debris from the filing and sanding before I began. Taking my time and not getting anxious about what was happening was a big part, use a light pressure with the polishing wheel and keep the surface cleared as you go.

Good luck with your work, as Lazyass said, it can get addictive.

Bill

Thanks for the advice guys. I do not have a complete gruppo, just the levers and stem. I am not quite sure what to do with them. I feel like they should be polished because of their condition but understand why maybe they shouldn't be. I have never sold one of my bikes, so the resale or value is irrelevant to me, but I do understand and consider what other collectors think. I might just do a simple polish first and see how they look. If I don't get the desired look I am wanting, I might go through the whole process of lightly sanding and polishing.

Go ahead and give it a try, since you aren't looking to add monetary value to the levers, you aren't losing anything of you had it go south. Unless you really bear down on things while sanding, filing and even polishing, you won't mess it up. Start with a very mild polish, make sure it has little or no abrasives in it (the Blue Magic that Lazyass recommended is a good one), and some decent soft, clean cloths. The amount of surface grime that comes off easily will surprise you. I was hesitant about filing and sanding, but with some care it wasn't difficult for me. And, I am as ham-fisted as they come.

Bill

Thanks for the link! I've got a few parts on a winter build that need a little cleaning up, and this will be a big help.

I agree with RHM on this.

However, if you decide to go after them, you must remove the anodized layer first or polishing will get you nowhere.
Which means, the whole lever blade will need to be polished after you've removed the anodize.

The only caution I would offer is, depending on how deep the scratches are, and it's hard to tell from that photo, you are going to lessen the depth of the panto engraving when you take the surface down to "flat" when removing the scratches. If the engraving is deep, no problem, but you have to be careful not to round over the edges of the engraving or you'll lose the crispness of the lettering. Be especially careful around the Campagnolo stamp.
FWIW.

Personally I'd avoid polishing brake levers because they are a part that you touch a lot with your hands. Unless you polish them on a regular basis they are going to oxidize and you are going to end up with black aluminum oxide on your hands all the time (unless of course this is going to be a wall-hanger, not a rider.

I can restore them for you. The anodizing will be stripped, the scratches removed, then they will be polished, clear anodized as stock, and re-enameled.

Contact me at drillium@yahoo.com for more info.

You can re-anodize aluminium parts at home with a modest amount of effort and expense.

Here is a Super Record brake lever I restored for a 1986 Raleigh.

Sanding and polishing:
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...psdyzmzphx.jpg

Anodizing in acid (sodium bisulphate in this case):
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...psm4shntoq.jpg

... and the result:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...psg9sa36sg.jpg

It's probably impossible to reproduce the original finish perfectly but you can certainly improve it.

Are those reflections in the photo, or is the final finish not quite uniform? Perhaps from not removing all the original anodizing? Or variations in the degree of polishing before re-anodizing? I know from experience its much easier to sand off the anodized layer on NR levers than SR. I am always worried that I will pit the aluminum, using Drano to remove anodizing. So usually I do wet sanding and then a polishing wheel for the final stages.

OP - Send the levers to me... If you don't mind waiting a few years to get them back. I have an unpainted Rauler they would look great on. Nice Score!

I'll polish them for you....

Send me an email.. jim2527@hotmail.com

I preserved as much of the the original anodizing as possible. The Campagnolo anodizing is shinier than mine (which was more of a satin finish) possibly because of better polishing technique. This is why is looks non-uniform.

Thanks everyone for the great responses and conversation. I have decided to send them to a fellow forum member for full restore, which includes re-anodizing. His work is amazing and assures me they will look like new. I am extremely excited about this and will post before and after photos. Again, thanks for all the advice!

Cool. Gotta love all the bike forums cottage industries!

Just as an aside, I didn't remove the Campagnolo anodization, either. Agree with the replies above about leaving it.

Realseel, thanks for popping in, I was trying to find your thread with the lever repairs, just not smart enough.

Bill