gitaneusa.com :: View topic - Protecting paint from clamps and rings, and paint touch job

Christophe

Hi everyone. This is just my second post on this forum and i'm looking for advice.

A few weeks ago I bought a mid-70's interclub in very good cosmetic and working condition. I started cleaning it seriously, and removed the three rings that hold the rear brake cable along the top tube. After cleaning, I glued a little piece of electrical rubber tape on the inner side of each ring, to prevent them from damaging the paint.

Then I wanted to do the same with the Huret shifters clamp. I couldn't remove entirely the ring without damaging it, so I wrapped a small piece of newspaper round the down tube, slid it under the clamp then gently moved the whole thing down to the middle of the tube without scratching the paint. When on the area protected by the sticker, I could clean the tube area under the clamp and the ring itself safely.

I wanted to put a piece of rubber tape under the ring of the clamp but couldn't manage to stick it on the inner side. So I just stuck it directly to the down tube, and replaced the clamp over the tape.

So here's my question : as the glue side of the tape is in contact with the paint, is there any risk of damaging the paint as time goes by ? What would you use to protect the paint from these sorts of clamps ( shifters,derailers, etc. ..) ?

Besides, I got a few paint chips ( very few for a 30 years old bike ) and I'd like to do some paint touch job. What sort of paint do you use ? Are the ones used for cars ( Motip ) OK ?
Thanks for help.

verktyg

Welcome to the forum.

The adhesive on the tape could stain the paint a little especially assuming that the tape is black. How much damage is it going to cause? Well, that dependent on your own sense of aesthetics.

Touch up paint - think of the 5 Foot Rule. Can someone notice the touch up from 5 feet away?

What color is your frame? White and black can be the easiest colors to touch up.

You can get Testors enamel at most crafts and hobby shops in the US. With it you can mix colors to match. I've taken frames into auto parts stores to get a good color match.

Remember, the color can change when the paint dries. It can end up lighter or darker than when wet.

To test it quickly you can put a little spot of paint on a non porous surface and use a hair dryer to quickly dry it so that you can check the color. Also avoid doing paint matching in fluorescent light. Natural sunlight is best.

When doing touch up apply a number of light coats and let them dry throughly between applications. About a month later you can lightly rub out the touch up with an automotive polishing compound.

WARNING: You can drive yourself nuts trying to get it perfect! These bikes came out of the box chipped and scratched! Rolling Eyes

I do a good touch up job when I go through a bike then leave the eventual chips and scratches that the bike will get from normal riding until the next overhaul or maybe never. It's called patina! Cool

My 1969 Tour de France before:

After:

Christophe

Thanks Chas for your reply. The results of your touch paint job are amazing , i guess it would pass the 5 inches test ! Mine has just a few scratches, no large chips, and is a blue one ( what a surprise ! ) .

I've looked at the Testor availaible colours and don't seem to find one that matches. I've seen some very close metallic green-blue Motip pens at a car supplies shop, and will enter the shop with the bike as you suggest. I already did that for my main road bike and the guy stared at me a strange way.

As for the scotch tape under the shifters and brake cable clamps, it's a blue one so that it's not noticeable. I think I'll remove the one that's glued directly on the tube, and replace it with a non-sticky piece of plastic film.

BTW, my bike really looks like the 76 interclub on the catalog but for a cottered crank, with three branches and no name on it. Was a cottered Nervar crank still possible in 76 ?

Sorry no pics of this 30 years old basic and perfectly working machine, as my two years old high-tech digital camera just died .

verktyg

Christophe

Here are some lousy pics using my cellphone.

As you can see, nothing really special ! I changed the brakes for weinmann dual brakes as I use it as a commuting bike in town.

Honeycomb dropouts with Huret derailer.

And here's the cottered no-name crank.

Finally, you're right Chas : I think it's a 73 interclub.