buerklec

Hey Folks,

I just got a hold of a 62cm Austro Daimler Vent-Noir II Frame. The frame is structurally in good condition and I want to use it in my next fixie project. The decals are a bit worn and the chrome needs some polishing. How would you go about polishing this bike. I don't want to ruin the smokey nature of it, but I want to even out the finish since I'm taking off the shifter and cable attachments. Does anyone have experience with this? I also was wondering if there is a place to get replacement transfers. I ordered some of the reynolds 531 transfers but haven't had any luck with the other ones. Any info would help. I want to get this up and running asap.

-C

gr23932

Check ebay out for the decals. There is a person there that everyone seems to say nothing but good things about. The ebay store name is cyclomondo or something like that. Some one here will surely correct me with the name.

unworthy1

I believe (cause I've heard stories) that the "smoked chrome" finish is actually a hard-chrome plating, similar to that used for shock absorber tubes, motorcycle forks, that sort of thing. So it's harder and harder to scratch than common chrome plating, but I'd still start with a non-abrasive polish like Simichrome. If that doesn't do it for you, then go to something with a mild abrasive in it. After you get the new decals on (Greg Softley is the guy in Australia referred to above, but JRrestore in SoCal is another source to try, PM him) and they have dried and stabilized, I'd just give it good all-over waxing with a non-cleaner (no abrasive) wax like Mother's Carnuba.

MajorA

Aaaaaahhhhh! Don't do it!

unworthy1 is right; that finish is a special plating process that is 1) extremely hard and as a result extemely durable; but 2) also impossible to match with paint or anything else.

The reason I'm screaming that you not do it is that the Vent Noir ("Black Wind" .... what a cool name ...) is a treasured and sought after frame. If you start nicking off the shifter bosses and derailleur hanger and what all else, you'll be ruining its collector value, dropping its value by about half, and causing irreparable scars in that one-of-a-kind finish.

And if I still haven't convinced you, I'll work out a trade for any of three of my bikes ... I have a Peugeot PKN, an Austro-Daimler Starleicht, and a Raleigh Competiton GS, all 62 cm, and all Reynolds 531 ... to save that Vent Noir from a gory fate.

One other thing ... don't take my comments as being a crusty old roadie's objection to all things fixie/ss; I ride an Italvega singlespeed that's too much fun for its own good. I'm not one of those guys who thinks that converting a vintage frame is automatically bad ... it's just THAT frame would be a tragedy.

Poguemahone

Hmm... my Vent Noir II has cable clips along the top tube and clamp on downtube shifters. It doesn't even have a braze-on for the derailleur cable run on the rear drive side stay... I think it's pretty much braze-on free (don't have it here to look at). I suppose I could convert it to a fixie, but why bother? Mine has all the original campy bits.

I don't think the OP will be hacking anything off if his bike is like mine. I've never seen another one in the flesh (iron?) though...

Yes, it is 62cm and no I won't trade you for all three of the above bikes.

MajorA

Having just looked at Mark Bulgier's A-D catalogue scans, I stand corrected ... it looks like the only thing which might get chopped in a conversion is the derailleur hanger. If buerklec promises to leave that intact, I'll pipe down ...

At the risk of hijacking the thread, 1) Poguemahone ... is your Vent Noir equipped with Campy Gran Sport, and if so, where do you find replacement chainwheels for the 3-arm spider; and 2) here's a link to the scan of the 1976 Vent Noir catalogue page:

https://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalog...ent%20Noir.jpg

It takes a while to load, but check out the closeup of the drillium circa-'76 Dura Ace crankset ...

int19

Yeah, I don't think you could remove any braze-ons and keep consistent with the unique finish. If I were you, I'd sell the frame, and use the $$ to get a nice road fixed frame hard chromed with a smoke finish. Then you'll have nice strong track dropouts for getting perfect chain tension and no braze-ons. Plus you'll have a brand new smoked chrome finish instead of an older one...

Poguemahone

It is GS equipped, but my crank has a five arm spider, IIRC.

Poguemahone

Yep.
https://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...3&d=1140824179
Thar's my baby. One of 'em anyhoo.

buerklec

Woah, Woah!

I didn't realize that this would be upsetting to some people. So, I'm not cutting into the frame at all! I'm just taking off the screw on cable bosses and guides. I will leave the derailleur and fender eyelets so as to not mess with the structure of the frame. I will even go against my friends' advice to lob off the rear dropouts and add track ones. I just want to buff it to a shine and get the original labels without damaging the surface. I would hope that my search for decals and hope to return it to it's former glory would prove that I appreciate this frame and want to keep it intact.

That aside, the advice of unworthy1 sounds good. What about the decals that are still slightly on? How can I get them off without damaging the surface? I bought some Reynolds 531 decals from Greg Softley...Does he do custom labels? I didn't see the AD ones on his website. Let me know/thanks for the feedback.

MajorA

We weren't being bast***s .... really.

Now that I understand what you have in mind (and kudos to you for keeping the original drops) on cleaning the finish I'd start with a solvent like rubbing alcohol or citrus degreaser, because on the frames I've cleaned up the marks left behind by cable guides and stuff have usually been decades-old buildup of oil-based road grime. If that doesn't get you where you want to go, try Simichrome polish, suggested above; as abrasive buffing compounds go, it's very gentle, but still take it slow.

A-D decals are more of an issue; there's a guy on this forum who goes by JRrestore who gets good reviews. But ... here's a weird tip about a timely coincidence. This link is to an A-D which sold in the last week on eBay ... and it included a bunch of tools and a set of A-D decals. Contact the buyer, and I'll bet you can do business:

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...:X:RTQ:US:1123

buerklec

Would steel Wool or a 400 grit sandpaper be too abrasive to get minor surface pitting off?

lotek 

I would think that would be too abrasive. Maybe some Blue Magic polish? (see the simichrome vs mothers thread).

Marty

unworthy1

yes, too strong. Don't resort to anything that coarse until you've tried the milder options first: you can always go "scratchier", but then you have a lot bigger job to polish out those scratches...and you risk burning right thru a thin plating. I'd try a fine BRONZE wool with a mild acid like phosphoric or oxalic, you might not even need the abasion of the bronze wool as the acid alone (on a rag) might do the job.