Restoring a Reynolds 531 Frame
 

edit* I am trying to find a headset for this frame...so I can put the fork on, as well as a stem and handlebars. What kind of headset would this take? Thank you very much for your input.

Bonjour.

I am new to this forum, and I am looking forward to learning from all of you :)

I have an old Reynolds 531 frame w/fork that I am trying to restore (remove rust, repaint).

Pictures:
http://i50.tinypic.com/15piqly.png
http://i46.tinypic.com/35b6m0w.png

I have searched this forum for information on how to go about doing this, but I am still unclear about some things.

I would like some solid guidance and pointers on how to go about doing this, so I do not ruin the frame, or anything like that - I would also like to do this the proper way the first time, so I do not have to go back and do it all over again.

I am thinking of using bronze wool (with kerosene) to remove the rust - then using a matte clear coat paint from Rustoleum to coat the entire frame. From there, I am planning to paint over that with a primer. And from there, I am planning on putting on two coats of paint.

Too many coats of paint?

What brand primer and paint would you guys suggest?

Is there anything wrong with this method?

Would I be better off having it sandblasted? I don't mind spending 20 hours on this, at all. I'm just looking to do the best job possible.

Would I be better off using metal sandpaper (emery cloth?) to remove the rust, as opposed to bronze wool?

Any techniques I should be employing for this? Wet sanding? etc.

I am absolutely clueless as to how to go about doing this. I only know what I have read. So when explaining, please be thorough! :)

Any suggestions and information at all are appreciated.

Thanks you very much for your time.


cikal

I'm moving this to the Classic & Vintage forum, where I think you'll get better input on this.

post some pics

Instead of 'sand'-blasting, it can be blasted with plastic beads.
Imron or an automotive paint works fine.

Thanks, Tejano,

I just ordered the frame w/fork off of eBay. It's scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. When it comes in I'll post more thorough pictures. As for now, I've edited my original post with two pictures from the auction.

oxalic acid bath first. this will remove the rust without effort other than immersing the frame. Do a search on this forum, plenty of instructions and advise on the topic. I think you will be impressed.

+1 to Oxalic Acid. It will be a lot easier than other treatments.

OA the frame, then chemically strip the paint.

Don't expect to re-do that frame back to its 1986 decal spec, said decals are not available.

-Kurt

just my .02...

Get an auto body shop to do the whole thing for you. They can media blast it, and paint it with durable automotive paint and bake it in just like a proper Auto paint job. If you spray bomb it you might get good results if you are really immaculate with your prep work and very patient but unless you cure it for a long time it will never be nearly as durable as an automotive paint job.

I went through all this with my Raleigh Super Course in the not-so-distant past and the cost of materials to do it properly myself would have been easily as much as the $150 the auto body shop charged me....i saved some cash AND got a better paint job than I could have done myself.

Alright, hm. Thank you for the information, but...

If you do not mind, I would appreciate a thorough explanation of "media blasting." What specific media should be utilized for a Reynolds 531 (steel) frame? Also, what precautions should one take when media blasting a steel bicycle frame and fork? What should be covered? What should be left exposed?

Also, I am trying to find a headset for this frame...so I can put the fork on, as well as a stem and handlebars. What kind of headset would this take? Thank you very much for your input. Would it just take any threaded headset? I'm guessing the measurement is 1''?

How would I go about measuring this for sizing?

I'm just concerned about the headset because of this:

http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/in.../t-270790.html

Media blasting is using little particles of something that won't eat into the frame, rather than sand. Some people use plastic beads, some use bits of nut hulls, there are probably others.

My story - a few years back, I attempted to repaint a Raleigh Professional frame that had been repainted very poorly some years before. Stripping was a chore, and even though I thought I did a pretty good job on priming, the result was quite disappointing. I sent it out to be painted, and I'm very happy with the end result.

Yours will be a 1" threaded headset. Don't worry about the article you found. Your bike is from the 80's and Raleigh was no longer using steerers with that odd threading by then.

I think a Tange Levin or Passage would be a good choice for the headset (English thread). Velo Orange makes some called Grand Cru, which are pretty nice, and not especially pricey.

Don't worry about the data given for the '70s Grand Prix variant. Those were made in Nottingham, and bear no relation with the 1986 Taiwanese-produced GP's.

I don't recall what the steerer tube stack height is for this machine, nor the crown race seat. I'd measure the crown race first, then look through options in that size.

Near as I can see from this photo, my '86 seems to have had quite a short stack height - similar to the 1" threaded Shimano 105 and 600 headsets. Either of those, with the correct crown race, should fit. I question whether the Tange Levin (EDIT: See later posts for discussion on Levin variants) - which has a similar stack height to the rather tall and portly Campagnolo Nuovo Record - would fit.

http://www.jaysmarine.com/Raleigh_86_GP_new_2.jpg

You know what? I regret getting rid of this thing. The ride was better than the '84s, and it just looked darn good. Some of my happiest miles were logged on it; then I switched to the '61 Paramount. About that time, I learned about the A&S forum here...well, I'll say no more.

-Kurt

Thanks a ton for your input, USAZorro and Kurt. Great stuff.

One more question, but certainly not the last (lol), if you don't mind...

How do I measure the crown race seat?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...abeled.svg.png

Would I measure the diameter of the crown? (referring to the above picture)

Here is a picture of what I'm working with: http://i48.tinypic.com/11j6l9x.jpg

Is the silver piece on the fork the crown? Or is that something removable?

I'm looking at the Shimano 105 headset: http://www.modernbike.com/itemgroup....176834&TID=367

I see that it says, crown race: 26.4 - that measurement refers to what you're referring to as the crown race seat, correct?

So in order for this piece to fit, the crown on the fork would have to be the same size? And the stack height of the frame/fork would have to be longer than the stack height of the headset pieces, per se - to ensure that there would be enough room to put the headset pieces, like the locknut, race, etc. on the bike - any extra space is compensated for by the usage of spacers, correct?

Hopefully I'm making sense.

Thanks for your patience guys.

I'm sure Velocals can do some.

The paint looks pretty good, except for the scrapes. Maybe just put some matching touch up paint on the worst spots. And you'll never match those unique decals.

I only cleaned up this old Raleigh International. It has half missing decals, and scrapes and scratches. But the paint shined up with just a good cleaner car wax. And the chrome's rust spots disappeared after an oxalic acid soak. I like it this way--it's 35 years old and shows the years of use.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_wc7ef8CMbxA/Sm...0/IMG_7753.JPG

The dot-matrix fade on those decals would be murder to replicate accurately.

-Kurt

I don't disagree. But the guy does great work.

The frame looks good the way it is. Clean it. Build it. Ride it. :)

You're right - the frame is in relatively good condition...I don't like the colorway, though. I'm not really trying to restore the frame to its original look, I'm just trying to clean it, get rid of the rust and paint, then paint over it (in a nice candy white color).


I asked a question a few posts up that's probably lost by now, so I'll go ahead and ask again. What do I measure to determine whether a 26.4mm crown race will fit?

From that first pic, it looks like your fork already has a crown race installed. The measurement you want is the inside diameter of that race. Many of them are marked with the size on the surface that sits on the fork crown.

Neal

As for all of the advice about media blasting, the painter blasted my frame with sand and he uses nothing else.

http://inlinethumb48.webshots.com/39...600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb53.webshots.com/46...600x600Q85.jpg

Ah, gotcha^ Thanks.

I got the crown race off...but how on earth am I supposed to, when measuring with a ruler, differentiate between 26.4mm and 27mm? Impossible!

To figure out the stack height I measured the length of the steerer, which is 135mm, and the length of the head tube, which is 100mm - so a stack height of 35mm.

Measuring
 

>You'd better use a good set of metric calipers, or better, a set of digital calipers. That's the way to get an accurate measurement. Any good machine shop will be able to measure for you. Even an excellent automotive shop, if they do re-building and re-boring, etc. Good luck.