Somebody at Hitchcock's said "the stripe was a decal
on the originals. If so, then don't worry about painting, just buy
the decal. " Can anyone else confirm if this advice from Hitchcock's was
accurate?- "Bob Cram"
Yes I can confirm that the red stripe is a decal. I got mine from Burton
Bike Bits.
"Anders"
Hi Guys
Ross Thompson did my series one tank 5 or 6 years ago,. He will do a first rate job.
I tried the decal on my Series 2 tank and it didn't last. Gasoline spill made it wrinkle and lift. I ended up having Terry Smith of T&D Impex, the Canadian Bullet importer paint it on. That was 3 years ago and it's still perfect. If you try the decal, I'd clear - coat it to save it from a gas spill.
Also don't forget that the front mounting flange with the bolt hole is painted black.
Have Fun!
Don in Niagara Falls.
I can vouch for Ross as a tank restorer as well. He's done over a dozen tanks
of many types for me over the past 10 years, and he is a master.
Several of the tanks he did for me looked completely un-repairable
when he started, and were perfect when he finished. A great
guy, and always very busy.
You can reach Ross at:
RR#1 Ailsa Craig (such a name!)
Ontario, Canada
N0M 1A0
(519) 232-4708
Web: http://www.execulink.com/~rosst/
Email: rosst@execulink.com
Ross tends to be booked for months, but waiting is very worthwhile.
I've seen the "paint stripe decals" that are available, and
they are in a word, pathetic. This said, I don;t think they
were original ... if they were, maybe it was for a short period
until the shortcomings became evident.
My memory is fading, but I'm sure the nearly new Series II
I had back in 1970 had a painted stripe, and the stripe in
my current Series 1A was most definitely original, and painted
on.
Let me caution you about painting the stripe on the chrome
tank. I had mine re-painted by a local friend and craftsman
using urethane; a beautiful job. However, the heat of the
summer sun was such that the paint started shrinking, and
the edges of the paint begin to lift from the chrome and crack.
May have been not enough adhesion to the chrome, or maybe
the paint and primer thickness was too great.
"gREgg"
I have a series 1A as well and see evidence that it was painted. I recently rechromed the tank and bought the decals, though don't see how:
1) they can wrap around the front of the tank without wrinkling, and
2) they'll never stay on given exposure to gasoline.
I figure if if its going to be done properly that painting is the way to go.
"Dave"
What other bikes have chrome tanks with paint on them? That would give me a starting point to ask some local folks.
BSA Victors, chrome and yellow paint?.
Lots of the older BSAs had paint over chrome. I did my own search and
didn't find a lot of useful info on the web. But here's what I did
find.
1) The best info seemed to be in the Brit-Iron archive. If you go to
their archives search engine and type in "paint over chrome" it brings
up a list of good messages on the topic. Essentially, it seems to
suggest that you need to tape the tank up to where you want to paint,
then rough up the chrome surface of the section to be painted as best
you can with something like emery cloth. Then paint. The URL for the
search engine is:
http://listserv.indiana.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=brit-iron-l
2) This site isn't about painting over chrome, but had an interesting
piece on a very tough topcoat that can be applied to chrome to protect
it even further. The site is, and what follows that is the information
on the product at that webpage. You'll have to scroll down to find it.
http://www.por15.com/primer_topcoat_clearcoat.html
"GLISTEN PC
A Brilliant Two-Component Clear Coating
Glisten PC is a High Gloss, Rock Hard, Water-clear topcoat designed for
spray or brush application over all metal surfaces, including highly
polished aluminum and chrome surfaces. Glisten PC will not leave
brushmarks, and will dry in less than one hour, but will take 3-4 days
to reach maximum hardness.
When Glisten PC is first dry to the touch, it will appear to be very
soft. Avoid touching it for several days until it becomes hard and
tough. Accidental contact could damage the surface before full cure has
taken place. Like many other coatings, Glisten PC is a MOISTURE-CURED
coating, which means it is strengthened by exposure to moisture. It
will never crack, chip, peel, or yellow, and is very flexible as well.
IDEAL USES: As a protective coating on aluminum wheels, chrome bumpers,
marine railings, chrome or aluminum covers, grills, handles, ornaments,
lights, etc."
3) Since SRM does a lot of BSA restoration, I checked out their site at
http://www.srm-engineering.com/_data/srmservices.htm
All I found was:
"Rechroming Petrol Tanks
Since the vast majority of BSA twin petrol tanks have paintwork applied
over chrome this presents us with certain difficulties. Many tanks have
suffered some sort of damage, ie dents, corrosion etc, and the finish
of the chrome is often tarnished or pitted. We therefore offer a repair
and rechroming service. To successfully rechrome any tank it must be
totally stripped of all remaining chrome and nickel, at this stage any
repairs can be carried out by our experienced panel beater. The tank is
then polished to a mirror finish prior to chrome plating. Once plated
the side panels are masked and the tank prepared for maximum adhesion
of the paint. to follow. During the paint process one or more
pinstripes can be skillfully applied around the edge of the chrome.
Petrol tanks can be painted in most colours or matched to an original
BSA colour. We also repaint tanks from other makes, ie Triumph, Norton,
etc."
"Bob Cram"
Hi, have enjoyed all the discussion on the tank restoring, mine
was painted not to long ago and it looks fab.
Rick Brown who
restored the bike is well respected in the pacific northwest and i
can get his phone number if anyone wants it, he did the painting
if anyone wants a picture send me an email
ccpb@w...
cheers
"Clive"
Hi All
I believe that in addition to abrasive treatment, an Etching Primer
is also required, but maybe that goes without saying.
That paint strip on the tank shown on the photo, never lost it's edge
or surface. It was topped off with several coats of clear lacquer.
Still looks the same actually. Regarding the decal glue on tank
strip, scratching, sun, fuel would all eventually ruin it.
Whether it
was painted on some year models and not on others remains an
interesting question, which I'll add to remaining questions in the
knowledge base.
It would be of interest for those who want to stay
100% original, rather than decorating with cartoons.
Cheers "Royal"
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