1957 Raleigh Superbe Restoration Thread

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Krashper
Posts: 84
Joined: 4 Apr 2021, 8:33pm

Re: 1957 Raleigh Superbe Restoration Thread

Post by Krashper »

Govnor wrote: 6 Jun 2021, 10:41pm Is that like the paint that is on a pillar drill or our work lathe seems a similar colour.

Just asked the forum about a UK seller 1000w ebike conversion as we are rather large.
Saw your old bike paint and that's dandy like, can of paint and get the repair shop guy to paint them when quiet like.
Exactly right, the hammertones from the Combicolor range are like OEM paints for old machines. It's very good stuff ime. Dries rock hard.
Govnor
Posts: 82
Joined: 6 Jun 2021, 8:33pm

Re: 1957 Raleigh Superbe Restoration Thread

Post by Govnor »

Krashper wrote: 6 Jun 2021, 10:57pm
Govnor wrote: 6 Jun 2021, 10:41pm Is that like the paint that is on a pillar drill or our work lathe seems a similar colour.

Just asked the forum about a UK seller 1000w ebike conversion as we are rather large.
Saw your old bike paint and that's dandy like, can of paint and get the repair shop guy to paint them when quiet like.
Exactly right, the hammertones from the Combicolor range are like OEM paints for old machines. It's very good stuff ime. Dries rock hard.
Aye the mill and lathe are 1970's and the paint is troweled on, nice finish on yours Pal, will be a beauty.
robc02
Posts: 1824
Joined: 23 Apr 2009, 7:12pm
Location: Stafford

Re: 1957 Raleigh Superbe Restoration Thread

Post by robc02 »

Krashper wrote: 6 Jun 2021, 10:23pm No, I won't be lining the frame. I thought about some stripes, like thin red ones but I've decided against it because it seems more fitting for vintage touring or racing bikes. These bikes weren't state of the art machines so I want to keep it looking humble.
Looking at Raleigh and Humber catalogues from the 1930's and 1950's, they do show lining on various roadster models, and I have seen it "in the flesh" on Raleigh roadsters from the 1960's. I suspect it was dropped on later models - I bought a 1970's / 80's model for someone a few years ago and don't recall it being lined.
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kylecycler
Posts: 1378
Joined: 12 Aug 2013, 4:09pm
Location: Kyle, Ayrshire

Re: 1957 Raleigh Superbe Restoration Thread

Post by kylecycler »

robc02 wrote: 7 Jun 2021, 9:01am
Krashper wrote: 6 Jun 2021, 10:23pm No, I won't be lining the frame. I thought about some stripes, like thin red ones but I've decided against it because it seems more fitting for vintage touring or racing bikes. These bikes weren't state of the art machines so I want to keep it looking humble.
Looking at Raleigh and Humber catalogues from the 1930's and 1950's, they do show lining on various roadster models, and I have seen it "in the flesh" on Raleigh roadsters from the 1960's. I suspect it was dropped on later models - I bought a 1970's / 80's model for someone a few years ago and don't recall it being lined.
You'll likely have seen this, but this is how it was done at the factory:

https://youtu.be/XOE0DbfWqyo?t=437
robc02
Posts: 1824
Joined: 23 Apr 2009, 7:12pm
Location: Stafford

Re: 1957 Raleigh Superbe Restoration Thread

Post by robc02 »

Yes, I have seen it but still find it interesting. Thanks.

I did the lining on my family's roadsters using a Beugler lining tool - basically a wheel whose edge is covered in paint from a reservoir. You run the wetted wheel along the path you want to paint. Much easier than the brush method used in the past but still quite tricky.
jb
Posts: 1782
Joined: 6 Jan 2007, 12:17pm
Location: Clitheroe

Re: 1957 Raleigh Superbe Restoration Thread

Post by jb »

Maybe they were trying to save weight, that poor lad nearly crumpled at the knees picking that frame off the line. If he's still about he must think carbon frames are made of fairy dust.
Cheers
J Bro
Krashper
Posts: 84
Joined: 4 Apr 2021, 8:33pm

Re: 1957 Raleigh Superbe Restoration Thread

Post by Krashper »

Indeed I have seen the short documentary and they did have stripes added. If I were to do it I would mask the lines with electricians tape and then roller it. Then remove the tape before the paint cures fully to ensure a clean edge. Imo details like that are more fitting for artistic frames with detailed lugs and racing bikes so I plan to keep mine plain.
Krashper
Posts: 84
Joined: 4 Apr 2021, 8:33pm

Re: 1957 Raleigh Superbe Restoration Thread

Post by Krashper »

Here's that front wheel. Laced yesterday and trued today.

I learned a cool trick to clean tarnished brass. All you need to do is dip the part into a vinegar and salt solution. I did this with the brass nipples and it worked very well. Then to polish them I just whisked them around in a plastic container with toothpaste and a dremel wire cup attachment on a drill. Then rinsed off and packed them with copper grease anti-seize.

As for the hub, here's another cool trick. To buff it out I just tightened the cones really hard on the hub till it wouldn't spin. You can then mount the hub into a drill and buff it out with alu foil. The drill was also handy for cleaning up pitting in the hub cones. I spun the axle with the cones tightened down and put some emery cloth to it. It also helped in figuring out whether the axle is straight as I had to tap it back into shape on some wooden blocks.

The wheel is a three cross pattern. I don't really like building wheels, I find it tedious but a good result is always very satisfying. I always build off of this video. It's like a manual I keep coming back to because I keep forgetting how to do it... :lol:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIU6mi0K4Y4&t=312s

I trued it on a fork of a bike flipped upside down. I used some zip ties around the forks later on in the process to see the more subtle sideways wobbles better. near the end I measured from each side of the rim to the fork to make sure the wheel is well centred as you can make a perfectly true wheel that's completely off centre without knowing... :lol: Lastly I sat on the rim and tested it with my weight on both sides to release any tension and twisted spokes followed by some final adjustments. I taped it up with electrician's tape. Result:
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jb
Posts: 1782
Joined: 6 Jan 2007, 12:17pm
Location: Clitheroe

Re: 1957 Raleigh Superbe Restoration Thread

Post by jb »

Re-using the nipples - that's dedication to originality.

:lol:

Hope the rear comes out as good as the front.
Cheers
J Bro
Krashper
Posts: 84
Joined: 4 Apr 2021, 8:33pm

Re: 1957 Raleigh Superbe Restoration Thread

Post by Krashper »

Yeah, well they came off fine so I saw no reason to replace them, plus they're uncoated brass which looks really cool. They will tarnish over time and regain their vintage patina :)

Here are some photos of my Dynohubs. Weighing in at just under 2kg these things are colossal! The less rusted one on the right is dated 08/57 and comes from this bike I'm working on right now. The other is dated 03/58 and was formerly laced into the rims I have restored for this bike project. Though in worse shape externally, the '58 hub was less ridden and is in better shape internally than the other. I will use it as a donor to make a solid working/looking hub out of the two.

I've had a little mooch about inside today to get familiar with the mechanism. I opened up the donor hub first to get an idea for the order in which it is assembled and in case I messed anything up. Everything went fine, it looks rusty because of the camera flash but really they're just full of gunk. There's a ball ring screwed into the hub shell that has to be removed with a punch and hammer. I secured the hub in a vice wrapped in an inner tube to avoid damaging the chrome and to protect it from the impact of the hammer. They were on there quite well. A useful technique for removal is to first hammer/punch them clockwise as if to tighten them and then then anticlockwise after. It's also good to tap the notches in turn as opposed to just one, this dissipates the force around the ring to help loosen it better.

I've also had a fiddle with the magnets. I haven't separated them from the armature but I have an idea for how I'm gonna tackle them tomorrow so hopefully I'll have something then...
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Krashper
Posts: 84
Joined: 4 Apr 2021, 8:33pm

Re: 1957 Raleigh Superbe Restoration Thread

Post by Krashper »

So yesterday I rebuilt the Dynohub. As you can see, one of the magnets was packed with gunk. Given that it was basically unusable in that state I decided to take the risk and to separate the magnet and armature. Clean the gunk out, reassemble and test for output. If nothing bad happens I could then clean the other one, if not I'd at least have an armature to use as a keeper for the other dynamo, that was my plan.

The magnet doesn't seem to have lost any magnetism, feels the same to me. As for output, I'll have to do a proper test once it's laced but I got 50v out of it by spinning it against a wheel of a bike flipped upside down. Of course, spinning it like that, the ratio going from a 26" wheel to the hub shell is unreal so it's not a very good test but it'll do for now.

At this point, whether I like it or not, I have to use this magnet because I was an idiot and I ruined the other one. I got cocky and decided to ehm... "improve" or "rejuvenate" the other dynamo with a powerful junk fishing neodymium magnet. After all, you can re-power dead magnets like that right? That was a fast way to kill the magnet for good. With some time and manipulation I managed to to bring back some of it's magnetism but the poles aren't arranged correctly and the output is still an impressive zero volts.... :cry:

Everything else went fine, I swapped most of the internals from the donor hub because they were less worn and less gunked up. I hammered the toggle chain links to stop it falling apart. For bearings I use X-tra Heavy Duty Polyurea grease by Lucas. Used gear oil for the internals.
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Krashper
Posts: 84
Joined: 4 Apr 2021, 8:33pm

Re: 1957 Raleigh Superbe Restoration Thread

Post by Krashper »

Finished building and truing the rear wheel, behold the results. The rear is a 4 cross pattern, I had to pay attention to keep the driveside spokes separated from the non-driveside as they are not the same length due to dish and the differing flange sizes. I've never laced 4 cross before but it's pretty much the same as 3 cross for the first set of spokes and then you cross over 4 with the second set. I went over, over, under over with my spoke pattern, idk if this is correct but it worked for me.

I trued the same as last time, on a frame by eye, by feel (compressing the crosses), and with zip-ties. I find it a very frustrating exercise and I'm glad it's done. Adding to the difficulty is the fact that both the frame and fork aren't straight meaning the wheels are only true and centred for this frameset.

I've checked the output of the Dynohub with a voltmeter and with an SA light and it works perfect. 12v at high speed as expected, that's 6v for the front and 6v for the rear when connected in series. I also forgot to mention that I accidentally dropped and cracked this magnet during cleanup. Not that I'm proud of it but if this was just magnetised iron as I've heard it said somewhere, impact like that would demagnetise it completely. Just goes to show the Dynohub magnet is tougher than is commonly believed and you can't believe everything you read, even if it's spelled on the casing... :D

The tyres are Michelin World Tour 35A and imo have a very pretty tread pattern. Very vintage looking. I used Dunlop valve innertubes because they have removable cores (needed this feature for sealant) and are compatible with vintage frame pumps. Some of you may know that removing the wheel from a Raleigh three-speed is an utter ball ache. In order to remove the wheel you have to get past the toggle chain, the chain case, the chain, the rod brakes and the mudguard on the rear. Once you have removed the wheel, there's no (obvious) way to put the bike down without damaging the fenders. For this reason I want to avoid having to fix flats as much as possible so I'm using sealant.

I'm using homebrew, this formula is basically the WSS formula but slightly modified. I use it in my commuter and it hasn't failed me yet:

- 1/3 liquid latex
- 1/3 household ammonia (10%)
- 1/6 water
- 1/6 glycerine
- sawdust filler

I used glycerine or aka glycerol instead of anti-freeze. It has the same properties and there was a time when it was used as anti-freeze in cars before propylene-glycol and ethylene-glycol became the standard. I used it because that's what I had at hand but regular anti-freeze is what most people use. The added benefit of glycerine is that it's goopy and makes the final brew less watery. It also retains moisture and drastically reduces evaporation rate meaning your brew doesn't dry out in the wheel, it also takes longer to cure after sealing a hole as a downside.

I first stuff 2 generous table spoons of sawdust into the inner tubes. It doesn't really want to go in easily so I put a silicone kitchen funnel over the valve stem and stuff it in with a tooth pick or something like that. Then I inject 185g of the sealant with a syringe. It has a tendency to separate in the bottle so I keep a glass marble inside and mix the brew well before use. I never mix the filler with the sealant because it clogs up the syringe. Some people use glitter and cornmeal with good results.
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Krashper
Posts: 84
Joined: 4 Apr 2021, 8:33pm

Re: 1957 Raleigh Superbe Restoration Thread

Post by Krashper »

Apologies for the long wait. Hay fever is killing me so work is slower. Last weekend I assembled the skeleton of the bike, the photos were taken late so not the best but here they are. During assembly I used a product by Hammerite called Underbody Seal with Waxoyl. It comes in a 600ml spray, it's basically paraffin wax and bitumen diluted in white spirit. It's used to seal car chassis' against moisture. The spray nozzle didn't come with a spray tube so I had to adapt it by glueing one on with a glue gun. I then sprayed it inside all of the frame and fork tubes as far as I could reach, this will give further protection against corrosion.

The best way to do this would be to split the can, dilute it more, plug up the holes in the frame and slosh it around inside to get it everywhere but it would be a mess to drain so I've decided against it. Plus the frames were originally dipped in paint so the interior is protected anyway, this is just an addition.

Next step will be to attach all the other bits, get them out of the way like the headbadge, frame clips, pulley, front mudguard, lamp, saddle... etc.
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Krashper
Posts: 84
Joined: 4 Apr 2021, 8:33pm

Re: 1957 Raleigh Superbe Restoration Thread

Post by Krashper »

I also finished blasting the rear fender. Used filler on the soldered areas, sanded back and primed it. Came out nice. The repair area looks excellent. I'll paint it over the course of this and next week and then tackle the chaincase after that.
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LuckyLuke
Posts: 374
Joined: 10 Jun 2010, 11:54am

Re: 1957 Raleigh Superbe Restoration Thread

Post by LuckyLuke »

Really loving this thread.
It’s like a bicycle version of TV’s The Repair Shop.
Your commitment to the cause is outstanding Krasper, and you’re doing a cracking job. Wish I had the know how.
Looking forward to seeing her all built up. Give us a ride report too please!
Best wishes,
Luke
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