Saturday 5 August 2017

The First Step in my bike Restoration - Stripping the brooks saddle &


Having a quick peek at the brooks saddle I saw plenty of surface rust etc.. on the springs so I decided I would start there and strip it down.  The intention being to soak the parts in oxalic acid to remove the rust, then clean and decide if they should be re-chromed.

Surface Rust

Not looking so good

Seat off and view from the bottom

checking out how it goes together
 Notice the screws at the top, I decided straight away not to try and just unscrew them, I soaked the whole assembly in GT85 and left it to penetrate.   Getting to the bolts underneath looked a challenge but it wasn't too bad in the end.


looking down the saddle at a single bolt
 That bolt at the end looked difficult to get too, not much room for a spanner.

Stem and mounts removed

Spring removal
 This proved less than the challenge I expected, GT85 had done it's work and I used the spanner to do the work not the screw so it stayed in good condition.

 It might seem obvious but I took a photo of the saddle hooks to make sure I put them back on the right way up.
Springs
 Look at those springs all still in good condition no breaks and that nut at the end looks clean so may be easier to remove!  In the end it was easy to move that nut but very slow as I could only get it about a 1/4 turn at a time due to the clearance.
Rails
 Rails removed seem in good condition but don't know what the chrome at the ends will come out like.


All Stripped

All parts bagged and labled
 I bagged and labeled the parts, being thorough I wanted the left spring to go back on the left side etc..

Notice the saddle it is actually green but looks black due to grime and possibly the wax/leather care that has previously been used on it.  I will ask on the forum if anyone has any ideas about bringing the colour back out.
Pics of the bell stripped off

the top bell badge removed
 I love this bell it works and sounds great but needs rechroming to bring it backs to it's former glory.   I am pretty sure I can bring those grips back up to bright and shiny, surprisingly they came off fairly easily.
This is the badge from the top of the bell, they don't make them like this anymore...  I am going to make sure a good job is done on this.