Ron Posted January 12, 2018 Author Share Posted January 12, 2018 Well not by the 20th, that's for sure, maybe on your next trip to this island. In the meantime you best get some practice in on Jan's. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdbikemad Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Jan, many thanks chap for the info on the RE centre stands........very useful ! Cheers ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdbikemad Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 On a personal basis, probably along with many others, I really appreciate these progress restoration blogs............so thank you Ron for this.............it gives us all inspiration and ideas................. I wish I had done this with my recent restorations of the James ML and WD Flea, although saying that I could provide a reasonable "blog" by photos I took during the build................. I am one of the privileged few to have seen our Uncle Ron's bike collection, and it is hugely impressive too...........he never mentions the WD vehicles in there too, but in fairness the old duffer is getting on a tad........Lol............. But our Ron has got a rather impressive workshop facility that enables him to produce these magnificient results for our delectation..........Ron has worked very hard all his life, and now in retirement he reaps the rewards of all that hard work.............he also never mentions the fact that he does all of this often single handed, and is too proud to admit he is disabled following a serious motorcycle crash a few years ago now that has made one arm problematic................. Sorry Ron, but you are a true hero and inspiration to so many people in the WD bike movement..........I've known you for many years, my wife Vee loves you to bits and I hold the utmost respect for you.........always serving others and sharing your collection........a true friend and honest man.............(sorry to embarrass Ron but you know you deserve it.......:-)......) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy1960 Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 30 minutes ago, wdbikemad said: On a personal basis, probably along with many others, I really appreciate these progress restoration blogs............so thank you Ron for this.............it gives us all inspiration and ideas................. I wish I had done this with my recent restorations of the James ML and WD Flea, although saying that I could provide a reasonable "blog" by photos I took during the build................. I am one of the privileged few to have seen our Uncle Ron's bike collection, and it is hugely impressive too...........he never mentions the WD vehicles in there too, but in fairness the old duffer is getting on a tad........Lol............. But our Ron has got a rather impressive workshop facility that enables him to produce these magnificient results for our delectation..........Ron has worked very hard all his life, and now in retirement he reaps the rewards of all that hard work.............he also never mentions the fact that he does all of this often single handed, and is too proud to admit he is disabled following a serious motorcycle crash a few years ago now that has made one arm problematic................. Sorry Ron, but you are a true hero and inspiration to so many people in the WD bike movement..........I've known you for many years, my wife Vee loves you to bits and I hold the utmost respect for you.........always serving others and sharing your collection........a true friend and honest man.............(sorry to embarrass Ron but you know you deserve it.......:-)......) Ron's blushing now....! Oh no ...its the wiskey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted January 13, 2018 Author Share Posted January 13, 2018 Aw shucks Steve, love you too! Whiskey Andy? It's medicine! Dulls the pain don't you know. Jan, God bless Royal Enfield for their illustrations. They are so easy to spot know that we know! My own WD/C from contract C8136 must have had a replacement. I won't be changing it as I remember what a heave it used to be on my previous WD/C. Even Ben's bike had been fitted with a lifting handle by a previous owner. Maybe this and the history of them breaking is why they got shortened. Ron 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
79x100 Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 As so often with this sort of research, the art is in knowing which questions to ask. Finding the answer is a lot easier then ! I don't know Enfields specifically but this sort of improvement wouldn't have been held back to wait for a contract change...and on Nortons at least, the printers reference dates on spare parts listings usually pre-date commencement of delivery - they were at the least typeset before production began. According to Jan's lists, C8136 production ran from 5/6/1941 to 21/10/1941 and C8732 commenced at 27/10/41. It would be a surprise if the later stands had not been fitted to some or even all of C8136 for which the parts book would have gone to the printers in early 1941. It would certainly be wrong on a BEF bike though ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted January 13, 2018 Author Share Posted January 13, 2018 I'm happy with that Rik. Especially as my illustrated parts lists covers 4 contracts C7182-7890-8136-11463 and shows the early stand for all of them. I've cleaned up the stuff for electro/chemical blacking. (I can't remember what process they use, but they will advice the best) and no doubt they will chemical or acid dip clean them too......Always a good idea to take a picture and print a copy with any parts going to the platers. Ron 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted January 15, 2018 Author Share Posted January 15, 2018 Ben has done a great job of sorting out the box of shitty fasteners and ancillaries I sent him. We'll see what his plate shop makes of it all. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
79x100 Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 I wouldn't replate those dull chrome top levers. they're pristine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted January 15, 2018 Author Share Posted January 15, 2018 Well Ben can inspect and pull them if it's not too late. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted January 15, 2018 Author Share Posted January 15, 2018 In the meantime I've been working on the mudguards. Stripped to bare metal, some panel beating to the lower edge of the front guard and a couple of unnecessary holes welded up before a coat of Jenolite overnight, followed today with some real heavy coats of primer to act as high build before W&D. The mud round the French area where the bike was ridden, sets like Tarmac. Ron 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdbikemad Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 I've always had very mixed results in trying to replicate the "Parkerised" or "Cosletised" black finish on nuts, bolts and studs...............the original finish was the result of economy and cheapness, and in the case of the WD durability of finish was never a concern...................... The original instructions were that fasteners so finished were supposed to be regularly protected with a film of oil...............but even in today's far more relaxed times I have personally found it a challenge to keep the blackened fasteners on my W/NG from acquiring a film of corrosion........very infuriating, time-consuming to rectify and just generally annoying..............I'm now thinking of replacing all so affected fasteners with plated items as I'm fed up of having to regularly attend to them to prevent corrosion............. I have tried various blackening methods, including "gun blue" and also chemical treatment as used in military badge-making to darken metal insignia, etc, but none have proven capable of staying of the rust..........even damp air over the winter months caused corrosion................ I'm now at the point of buggering the entire lot off in place of durable plated fasteners, original or not................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
79x100 Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 Norton (and prior to that Sturmey-Archer) gearboxes has blacked fittings long before wartime economy. I suspect that it was a realistic alternative to nickel and they simply didn't update when chrome was introduced. It has the advantage of not flaking. There is never much danger of a Norton box not having a protective oil film ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted January 16, 2018 Author Share Posted January 16, 2018 My plater has mentioned various forms of electro or chemical blacking and I think he mentioned "zinc black" or something for my application. But I'll go there tomorrow and report back. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rewdco Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 Very interesting to see the pictures with all the plated parts, all the parkerised parts, all the nuts, all the screws... You're doing a great job Ron! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted January 16, 2018 Author Share Posted January 16, 2018 Cheers Jan. As a distraction from the drudge of stripping mud and paint and something more mechanical. I fitted the rebuilt magdyno today. Timed up with the head off to make life easier and I also adjusted the tappets. Ron 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
79x100 Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 A brass magdyno identification plate ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted January 16, 2018 Author Share Posted January 16, 2018 Well it is the mag that Ben removed from the bike, so you must have seen it Rik. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted January 16, 2018 Author Share Posted January 16, 2018 Here is the plate. January 1944 ????? Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rewdco Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 Ah, yes, indeed, we noticed this when we collected Ben's bike. The magneto is one of the few parts that isn't original on this motorcycle. It is a Royal Enfield mag (slack wire advance), and the build date (January 1944) indicates that this magneto most probably comes from a contract S/1546 WD/CO. Approximately 2.000 of these were used by the post war French army. The army sold them in the late 1950's, and parts and complete WD/COs are still "plentiful" in France... Jan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 As I look now, all the pictures have disappeared?? Anyway I took the stuff for blacking to the platers and they advised the following. Chemical Black will easily rub off Manganese Black Sulphate will need constant oiling to preserve Zink plate with black passivate is the toughest and the one I've gone for. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted January 18, 2018 Author Share Posted January 18, 2018 Oil bluing the ends of the fork spindles with heat and quenching in old engine oil, prior to reassembling the forks........Laters! Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niels v Posted January 18, 2018 Share Posted January 18, 2018 How hot do you get them ? And isn’t there a risk of making them brittle with that process Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted January 18, 2018 Author Share Posted January 18, 2018 I just make the very tip hot, just before it goes red. I hold the spindle in my bare hand, so nothing is that hot.It's worked well for me in the past. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niels v Posted January 18, 2018 Share Posted January 18, 2018 Sorry for my ignorance, but what is the purpose? As a corrosion inhibitor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.