Decals
 

Are there tips to protecting the decals on vintage frames when they're held in a work stand? A recent bike I was working on I had the assembled frame in a Park work stand clamped to the seat tube. Efforts were use to put the rubber padded clamp in a clear area between decals but either slippage through time or didn't see it but one got "squashed and distorted" with some of another sticking to the clamp.

I generally clamp to the seat POST not the tube as my vintage road bikes are quite tender and sometimes( bottom bracket maintenance ) I put quite a bit of force on the bike. If I am just taking a wheel off to clean or repair I may use the tubes and then I wrap one of those lint free detail rags around the tube.

I’ve got 2 old Blackburn stands with the hard rubber clamp. I always use the top tube, so just put a folded over polishing cloth over the top tube of the bike before clamping it. Haven’t trashed a non clear-coated decal yet
Tim


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...532c2c46c.jpeg

Raising the seatpost and clamping that is effective and side benefit add a bit of grease before lowering it back to insure it is not stuck.
Too hard to extract?, ream or hone time, once done, works like a charm.

Thanks for the tips. Duh moment, didn't think of the seat post.

Clamp The Top Tube
 

:thumb: I have an old Blackburn bench top clamp that I've had it since the 1980's. For light stuff, I wrap a cut to size cloth around the top tube. When I'm working on bare frames, sometimes I'll put in a proper sized old steel seatpost and grip it in the Blackburn. For heavy work like removing or installing a BB I'll sometimes grip the frame near the bottom of the down tube. I put the bike on the ground to remove stuck pedals.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...321df939f6.jpg

verktyg :50:

Totally agree. No worries damaging decals, paint or denting anything (especially carbon). Also allows for easy drivetrain work because pedals clear the stand vs using the seat tube.

Yeah on a newer bike I’ll use the seat post, only way the Blackburn work stand will work. My 2nd Blackburn is a bench top mount.
Tim

Yeah, "don't clamp on a frame tube." If you're worried about losing a hard-won saddle height by clamping on the seat post, either mark the post in some way or use a tool to restore the saddle to the correct height after working on the bike:

This all sounds hideously familiar. The first I had a frame resprayed, I put in the stand clamped by the seat tube. That did small bit of damage to a decal. Not a big deal in the overall scheme of things (you have to look pretty closely to see it), but I was not a happy camper. I mean, I hadn't even gotten the bike built up and on the road before it had been schmutzed up. :notamused:

Since then, I clamp the seat post each and every time. I have yet to mess up a decal that way.

I always wrap the tube with a microfiber cloth even if there's not a decal in the way.