Yep. Real brass. India can still make anything in metal. They haven't jumped on the plastic bandwagon just yet.
Hi from the UK - INDIAN Board Tracker tribute, my first build
- Thread starter PeteMcP
- Start date
That is a very cool looking thing. I've gotten many cast brass items from India myself. Most are extremely inexpensive, shipped quickly and cheaply, and as a bonus are often covered with a hand-stitched fabric bag! Always a very interesting experience. My only issue is that mechanical items, such as brake levers, are not always the best casting quality and parts are not necessarily compatible from one to the next.
WELDED FRAME READY FOR COLLECTION...
Got a call from welder Paul at lunchtime today advising Build No. 3's completed frame would be ready for collection mid afternoon. Problem was, my wife Jen's old work pals were all scheduled to pay her a home visit from lunchtime onwards. I needed to be there with her, so we postponed picking-up the frame until Monday when I'll combine frame collection with a hospital visit to discuss the results of an MRI scan on my shoulder. Was looking forward to re-assembling the bike this weekend - but having friends over to help make Jen's dementia a little more bearable was always going to be the winning option.
Update showing frame pics to follow sometime on Monday...
Got a call from welder Paul at lunchtime today advising Build No. 3's completed frame would be ready for collection mid afternoon. Problem was, my wife Jen's old work pals were all scheduled to pay her a home visit from lunchtime onwards. I needed to be there with her, so we postponed picking-up the frame until Monday when I'll combine frame collection with a hospital visit to discuss the results of an MRI scan on my shoulder. Was looking forward to re-assembling the bike this weekend - but having friends over to help make Jen's dementia a little more bearable was always going to be the winning option.
Update showing frame pics to follow sometime on Monday...
FRAME BACK FROM WELDERS. TANK NOW PAINTED...
Collected the frame from welder Paul after he finished-up TIG-ing the various water-jet profiled alloy fillets and motor mounts to their locations. What a killer frame! Been prevaricating whether to paint the frame RAL Mint Turquoise or black - but I'm so impressed with the neatly welded result I'm seriously wanting to polish this aluminium frame rather than paint it.
While the frame was away, I took the opportunity to prime, paint and clear-coat the tank, air filter's shroud and fenders. Really pleased with the RAL Opal Green and Black colour combo, set off with a gold pin-stripe and those lovely polished alloy trim strips. So pleased in fact, I can't bring myself to contemplate my original plan to patina this tank. My longed-for patina'd finish will have to wait for another build. Right now I'm just waiting for the paint to cure sufficiently before I add the Gnome Rhone decals to the tank sides.
Hastily shot some pics in between rain showers today to show how it's coming along. (Alloy trim strips yet to be added to the tank's left side).
Collected the frame from welder Paul after he finished-up TIG-ing the various water-jet profiled alloy fillets and motor mounts to their locations. What a killer frame! Been prevaricating whether to paint the frame RAL Mint Turquoise or black - but I'm so impressed with the neatly welded result I'm seriously wanting to polish this aluminium frame rather than paint it.
While the frame was away, I took the opportunity to prime, paint and clear-coat the tank, air filter's shroud and fenders. Really pleased with the RAL Opal Green and Black colour combo, set off with a gold pin-stripe and those lovely polished alloy trim strips. So pleased in fact, I can't bring myself to contemplate my original plan to patina this tank. My longed-for patina'd finish will have to wait for another build. Right now I'm just waiting for the paint to cure sufficiently before I add the Gnome Rhone decals to the tank sides.
Hastily shot some pics in between rain showers today to show how it's coming along. (Alloy trim strips yet to be added to the tank's left side).
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Hi Pete,
Wonderful colour choice and the polished strips finish it off perfectly. It isn't the finish that distressed finishes are made of.
Steve.
Wonderful colour choice and the polished strips finish it off perfectly. It isn't the finish that distressed finishes are made of.
Steve.
Thanks Steve. The glossy finish I ended up with on this tank surprised me. I only painted it Fri/Sat so it's not yet fully hard. I haven't even polished it yet.
Been spraying using rattle cans for decades and never thought I'd get this close to such a nice finish.
I order/buy custom-mixed paint from an outfit in Ireland via UK eBay and I guess the secret is the clear coat supplied with the basecoat. Super-easy to spray. Best tip I ever learned was from a YouTube vid I watched where the guy demonstrated how to 'chase a wet edge' during each horizontal pass with the can. Since I mastered that, the glossy finish I'm able to achieve - straight from the can, without cutting compound or polishing - has improved no end.
Been spraying using rattle cans for decades and never thought I'd get this close to such a nice finish.
I order/buy custom-mixed paint from an outfit in Ireland via UK eBay and I guess the secret is the clear coat supplied with the basecoat. Super-easy to spray. Best tip I ever learned was from a YouTube vid I watched where the guy demonstrated how to 'chase a wet edge' during each horizontal pass with the can. Since I mastered that, the glossy finish I'm able to achieve - straight from the can, without cutting compound or polishing - has improved no end.
REAR SUSPENSION TRIANGLE PAINTED...
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Your bike is really looking KOOL, Really AWESOME!..........Curt
Mmmmm, bike porn. Can I have some alone time with it? Really clean build, bet it rides like a dream. Wonder what your top speed will be?
Hi Pete,
I was wondering if you were using rattle cans. When I was spraying I used a 50% overlap with each pass. That is 50% of the spray went on the wet part and the other half went on the dry part.
The bike is looking fantastic.
Steve.
I was wondering if you were using rattle cans. When I was spraying I used a 50% overlap with each pass. That is 50% of the spray went on the wet part and the other half went on the dry part.
The bike is looking fantastic.
Steve.
What a beautiful bit of work just as is in these photos! Could be hung on a wall as a piece of art...
Would like to thank everyone following this thread for the encouragement and kind words.
These last couple of weeks I've tried to press-on with getting this build as close to being completed as possible before I have to back-off and start packing for our imminent relocation to Spain. With a scheduled time to vacate our UK home in 7-8 weeks, (sooner if poss.,) that time has come. What with packing everything up, organising car sale/purchase, pet trans-shipment, splitting my Backwoods Miniatures business into three parts and handing over the reins to three separate purchasers, all while simultaneously caring for my wife Jen, I have enough to keep me busy 24/7 right now. (Jeez, wondering how I found time to squeeze-in Build No. 3!)
Bear with me if things go quiet on the bike building front for a while. I hope to pick up this thread and say 'Hola' when the move is done. Will still be logging in to check progress on other forum member's projects I'm following.
These last couple of weeks I've tried to press-on with getting this build as close to being completed as possible before I have to back-off and start packing for our imminent relocation to Spain. With a scheduled time to vacate our UK home in 7-8 weeks, (sooner if poss.,) that time has come. What with packing everything up, organising car sale/purchase, pet trans-shipment, splitting my Backwoods Miniatures business into three parts and handing over the reins to three separate purchasers, all while simultaneously caring for my wife Jen, I have enough to keep me busy 24/7 right now. (Jeez, wondering how I found time to squeeze-in Build No. 3!)
Bear with me if things go quiet on the bike building front for a while. I hope to pick up this thread and say 'Hola' when the move is done. Will still be logging in to check progress on other forum member's projects I'm following.
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Pete I'll miss your posts but understand that life comes first and in a hurry at that. Safe journey and much joy along the path. Post a few landscapes of Espana when you're settled in...Rick C.
Hello Pete.
Hoping your pending move goes smoothly and effortlessly. For once I'm not envious of what your doing.
Steve.
Hoping your pending move goes smoothly and effortlessly. For once I'm not envious of what your doing.
Steve.
Spent all day clearing-out my office/workshop and its loft yesterday in preparation for the new owners turning it into a sun lounge. (In Northumberland? - Good luck with that...lol).
After settling Jen down to bed at 11pm, I snuck back downstairs and decided to burn some midnight oil applying the tank decals and brass faux oil cap to Build No. 3's tank. Shot these pics early this morning before getting back to the business of more box packing...
After settling Jen down to bed at 11pm, I snuck back downstairs and decided to burn some midnight oil applying the tank decals and brass faux oil cap to Build No. 3's tank. Shot these pics early this morning before getting back to the business of more box packing...
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