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Post by franco on Aug 13, 2020 14:57:57 GMT
A bit bizarre how I got this. Got a call from an old friend out of the blue asking how I was and how things were during lockdown, we talked and I mentioned I’d been busy refurbishing old bicycles without going into any depth on brands or eras. He text me the following week saying his customer was throwing a bicycle in the skip and asked if I wanted him to pick it up, who would have thought it would be a Viscount?! A bit of history about it, the lady is a doctor and bought it new in the early/mid 1980’s, the date suggests it may have sat in the shop for some time. It was expensive for the time and from what I can gather the shop finally reduced the price to get it sold. It came to me covered in dust and I was hoping underneath that it would clean up with some elbow grease and T-Cut, but after washing it down it looks a bit past that in some areas. No major corrosion but will need paint touching in unless I do a ‘rustoration’ job on it, either way I’ll do my best. A mixed bag of components; Shimano Atlus RD, 600 FD, Atlus downtube shifters, Tourney calipers, Dee-50? brake levers, SR super custom chainset, SR stem, ITM handlebars, not sure about the pedals, all I can see on the wheels is Super Competition Challenge. Most parts look fine other than the rear rack and usual stuff like chain and cables. The tyres look new as well. I bet it was a stunning bike when it was new, quite a unique silver/lilac colour. I’ll update the thread when I get some spare time and start working on it A few pics
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Aug 14, 2020 1:43:23 GMT
You can't beat the price! I am looking forward to your progress.
Cheers
Jim
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Post by wheelson on Aug 14, 2020 3:02:09 GMT
Franco, judging from some of your past projects, if anyone can do it you can. Shame to see one let go to this point, but I see it quite a lot at the bike shop I contract with. The only good news is that COVID has created a situation in which almost everything possible is getting fixed up and not discarded. Nothing new in the pipeline for months to come.
I too am looking forward to seeing you work your magic.
Best, John "wheelson"
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Post by franco on Aug 14, 2020 6:46:47 GMT
Thanks guys. It is a real shame when you see bikes get in this state, with it being a Mixte I think it’s worth some effort though as they don’t come along very often.
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Post by cusqueno on Aug 14, 2020 8:14:34 GMT
Let's hope the rust isn't too deep or inside the tubes and that the stem and seat pin aren't stuck. As a 400 with the engraved tops to the seat stays it's worth saving I'd say. It's got chro-moly tubes and is a step up from the Corsair Wayfarer mixte I think.
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Jem
Viscount
?
Posts: 3,389
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Post by Jem on Aug 14, 2020 8:31:02 GMT
Great story! What are the chances of it being a Viscount? That is some pretty deep rust - I hope you can save it
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Post by brianbutler on Aug 14, 2020 17:26:55 GMT
Time to get out that new jug of Evaporust.
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Post by franco on Aug 14, 2020 20:08:19 GMT
Brian - I might try an oxalic acid bath on the frame, negate all the rust, clear coat and preserve as is. I’ll t-cut first, see if I can get rid of those old paint touch-ups which is probably ladies nail varnish.
Cusqueno - the seat tube and stem move freely, makes a change, I think there must’ve been a shortage of grease at the Viscount factory at some point because I’ve had three different models with something stuck! Thanks for the info.
Jem - I’d like to know the odds as well!
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Post by brianbutler on Aug 15, 2020 13:52:00 GMT
In keeping with the Viscount ethos, they probably made their own grease from materials at hand. You know, aerospace grease.
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Post by franco on Aug 15, 2020 21:12:23 GMT
I did a deep clean today and removed most of the components, t-cut the frame, it’s come up reasonable but the drive side has some heavy wear especially on the downtube and the forks. I took a picture but won’t bother posting it up as with the lighting angle it looks better than it is. I’ll try to get a better one tomorrow.
Most of the parts have cleaned up good, up to yet the only stuff going to the garbage is the rear rack and mudguards.
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Post by franco on Aug 17, 2020 10:20:40 GMT
So, after a deep clean, one going over with t-cut, I used a scotchbrite pad to remove the rest of the surface rust and treated the remains rust spots with Kurust. It now looks like a clean old bike with a lot of small chips to the finish, especially the forks but I’m happy with the progress. I’ve spent hours reading what other people have done with old projects to get an idea what I want to do next. It seems the general consensus is if most of the decals are in good condition then preserve as is. Locking in the history and patina of the bike (all a bit ‘hipster’, I know). Other options add more expense and trying to match this colour would be very difficult and besides that it’s peppered with small chips. Clear coating is one option, the other ive read about is boiled linseed oil (anyone tried it?). Apparently it’s self levelling, stops further oxidisation and leaves a matt shine. There’s also a product in the US called Flow Penetrol that is popular for old truck/motorbike/car restorations but struggling to find a U.K. supplier. Here’s a few close up pics. I don’t like photobombing the site so asking the admin if it’s better if I use a host in future?
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Post by wheelson on Aug 17, 2020 12:37:11 GMT
Looking much better, Franco. You're right, there are several avenues to take here. I usually have a low tolerance for paint chips. I have an old '60s Motobecane cyclotouriste that has really bad and thin paint but I'm hesitant to do anything because I has some rather nice striping and box lining. Probably a good candidate for cleaning and clear coating, but I will replace the decals, though as they are the old foil ones and pretty well trashed. One word of caution, though, about the boiled linseed oil. There was a lot of discussion lately on the Classic Rendezvous forum about using linseed oil for a spoke thread locker, and several comments were made about how rags with linseed oil were notorious for self-combusting. Anyway, keep up the good work of rescuing these classics. Best, John "wheelson"
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Post by Admin on Aug 17, 2020 14:05:38 GMT
Here’s a few close up pics. I don’t like photobombing the site so asking the admin if it’s better if I use a host in future? I didn't think there was any space left at all for the forum to host a single picture, but it seems you squeezed them on Franco! Keep doing what you are doing, and if it says 'forum full' then move over to a hosted site and embed them in here.
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Post by franco on Aug 17, 2020 18:56:23 GMT
Thanks John. I read about the rags being combustible when using BLO, if I go that route I’ll throw them in a bucket of water or the garden incinerator. Not sure if clear coat will key properly without some light sanding and the paintwork has already took some abuse. I imagine it will give a tougher long lasting finish than the oil though, there doesn’t seem to be much info on how durable that method is. Thanks Admin. I’ll have a look into an external host, I used to use Photobucket but they introduced fees which I thought were quite expensive. Link
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Post by brianbutler on Aug 17, 2020 23:32:59 GMT
Linseed oil cures by oxidation instead of drying, so it generates heat. Linseed oil is boiled to eliminate air bubbles that can spoil the finish on surfaces. There, now that they are written down, I won't have to remember these important facts.
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Post by franco on Aug 18, 2020 19:47:29 GMT
Thanks Brian, I think. Still unsure which way to go. All the parts have cleaned up nicely, need to do the wheels next. The freewheel is an odd one, old Shimano and no visible remover splines. Unless they are hidden underneath the locknut The teeth don’t look worn so it may be good to go with a clean up.
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Post by lighthousejim on Aug 18, 2020 22:21:47 GMT
Hi Franco,
The freewheel might be an early Uniglide freehub. Mrs LHJ's AX18 Mixte has one, and looking at the rear hub in your Flickr album, I can't see the bulge for the bearing inboard of the flange.
Jim
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Post by franco on Aug 19, 2020 6:13:23 GMT
Thanks Jim. I’ll add a more detailed picture to the album once I start cleaning the wheels.
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Post by cusqueno on Aug 19, 2020 14:30:49 GMT
Hi Franco, The freewheel might be an early Uniglide freehub. Mrs LHJ's AX18 Mixte has one, and looking at the rear hub in your Flickr album, I can't see the bulge for the bearing inboard of the flange. Jim Probably early UG as you say Jim. I had one on my first Viscount (bought from new), which was a standard frame 400. Fine as long as they keep working but devils to work on if they go wrong and the hub bits don't match the slightly later UGs. On mine the freewheel mechanism fell to pieces and jammed so I had the interesting effect of a geared fixie. Strange riding.
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Post by franco on Aug 19, 2020 19:11:07 GMT
Hi Franco, The freewheel might be an early Uniglide freehub. Mrs LHJ's AX18 Mixte has one, and looking at the rear hub in your Flickr album, I can't see the bulge for the bearing inboard of the flange. Jim Probably early UG as you say Jim. I had one on my first Viscount (bought from new), which was a standard frame 400. Fine as long as they keep working but devils to work on if they go wrong and the hub bits don't match the slightly later UGs. On mine the freewheel mechanism fell to pieces and jammed so I had the interesting effect of a geared fixie. Strange riding. Possibly more fun and games with yet another Freewheel then..
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Post by wheelson on Aug 19, 2020 20:31:33 GMT
Probably a UG freehub. If so, the sprockets come off as a set, held on by the small high gear thread-on sprocket (remove with a couple of chain whips). The cluster of sprockets is held together by three through hex head screws. Easy to change gear ratios if you have spare sprockets. I have a few spare hubs and sprockets BUT I'm here in Pennsylvania USA. If anyone is desperate and "across the pond", we'll give it a go as far as shipping. That goes for any of my hoarded Lambert, Viscount, or whatever parts. If in need, ask. Best, John "wheelson"
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Post by franco on Sept 2, 2020 15:43:30 GMT
Been completely held up on this project with work and having no room in the sheds to do it. Finally moved some unused stuff up to the lock-up today so should see some progress this weekend, weather permitting.
I’m at the stage of coating the frame once I’ve cleaned the bearings out, going to try BLO simply out of curiosity.
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Sept 2, 2020 18:40:18 GMT
As a lifelong resident of the dry American West I am always amazed at how things corrode in other parts of the world; if kept out of the weather, bare steel has little or no rust. I have bare frames that have hung in my shop for several years with no signs of corrosion. I have never had rust in a car; on the downside, we do have a lot of sun damage. I am looking forward to your progress on the Mixte. Yes paint it something nice! I built this Univega Mixte for my wife. When I painted it, she choose the color combination. I am very pleased with the result. Of course, I am disappointed that she doesn’t ride it. My dream of us riding together on a bike path never materialized. Nevertheless, it was a fun build.
Cheers Jim
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Post by franco on Sept 2, 2020 20:06:37 GMT
That looks good Jim! I like how the brown cables and leather match the decals. Are those leather handlebar grips the ones that lock at one end? I bought some a while back but they turned out too long for the bike they were intended for. Might be an idea for this Mixte if I go with swept back bars.
I’m not going to bother refinishing it, just going to preserve the original finish, decals and the battle scars. Unless something has some kind of sentimental value or potential high resale value I can’t justify spending a lot of money on it.
To add, I have aspirations of getting my missus out on a bike but I don’t think it’s going to happen. Although she did see the appeal of it seeing couples out riding during lockdown.
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Sept 3, 2020 15:08:35 GMT
That looks good Jim! I like how the brown cables and leather match the decals. Are those leather handlebar grips the ones that lock at one end? I bought some a while back but they turned out too long for the bike they were intended for. Might be an idea for this Mixte if I go with swept back bars. I’m not going to bother refinishing it, just going to preserve the original finish, decals and the battle scars. Unless something has some kind of sentimental value or potential high resale value I can’t justify spending a lot of money on it. To add, I have aspirations of getting my missus out on a bike but I don’t think it’s going to happen. Although she did see the appeal of it seeing couples out riding during lockdown. Nope, the grips do not lock at one end. I had the decals made at Velocal and was able to pick a color that was close to the leather parts. I used the same grips on a step through bike I built for my late niece. She had a terrible fight with cancer and I built the bike for her to ride during her recovery (her house adjoined a bike path). It broke my heart when the day I delivered the bike, the cancer took her. She choose the color, Robins Egg Blue, her favorite. Her sister now has the bike which (after not being able to look at it for six months) rides it (on a regular basis) with her daughters in honor of my niece.
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Post by franco on Sept 3, 2020 19:29:24 GMT
Sorry to read that Jim, that’s a sad story.
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Sept 3, 2020 21:44:20 GMT
Sorry to read that Jim, that’s a sad story. Thanks, life is a blessing but parts of it can be sad. I wanted to show the color scheme and grips. I didn't want to throw water on the thread. I now look at the bike with fond memories of my niece. I may even paint a bike in the same color scheme for myself!
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Post by franco on Sept 5, 2020 13:05:08 GMT
A bit more progress today and more pictures added to the album www.flickr.com/photos/37459551@N08/albums/72157715530713717The frame is as clean as I can get it, it’s had three lots of t-cut/polish and several scrub downs. A bit disappointed with the forks and I do have a chrome set I could replace them with, but I’ll see how the bike feels and rides first before I commit to using them. Here is the boiled linseed oil applied, it looks like it’s been clear coated but smells like a cricket bat The container recommends 24 hours setting time but that’s on timber, with metal being less porous I’ll give it longer. How durable the finish will be is anyone’s guess, having said that there are some respected bicycle mechanics using it on YouTube so I’m hoping it will be fine. The freewheel is a Shimano 60, if I need to remove it, is it the version with the highest cog screwed on and it just lifts off or is there more to it? I’ve not come across one of these before!
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Post by dracco on Sept 7, 2020 15:25:53 GMT
Ooooh wonderful: a bike that smells like a cricket bat. My two favourite sports in one!
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Post by franco on Sept 7, 2020 16:45:00 GMT
Ooooh wonderful: a bike that smells like a cricket bat. My two favourite sports in one!
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