Re: [CR]Clear Coating to preserve Patina

(Example: Framebuilders:Bernard Carré)

Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 06:49:58 GMT
To: wheelman@nac.net
Subject: Re: [CR]Clear Coating to preserve Patina
From: <brianbaylis@juno.com>
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

Ray,

The first thing is there are hundreds of different situations any given project can fit into. There are some instances where Imron clear is the best answer for preserving the VALUE of the bike. The begin with, we are talking lightweight bicycles here, not valuable antiques worth tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. The reality is that most bikes are worth no more than about $3000 here in the us. The percentage of exceptions is very small. Some of those are even inflated values for various reasons. Currently the market is flat and will probably stay stable for a long time. The actual primary value of any of these bikes is measured by it's ridability, in my opinion. Originality is always king. Some "old soldiers" must be left alone and intact; while others must have better protection to be a frequent rider without deteriorating prematurely. It is also possible to "romance" the finish of Imron to whatever dullness you like the look of or think is proper. I have two Masis (both Specials) that had no clear left over the decals, which were beginning to oxidize and fade away. There were a few small spots of paint rubbed off and small chips in a few places. No rust though. I touched up the paint with a brush and clear coated it. Blended it in during the clearcoat I put over the whole frame. The lightest two coats that would produce a perfect gloss, which means a consistant film thickness. Bake twice. Rub to desired sheen with compound. Done. Both of my bikes show the original petina and discoloration of the original paint, but it is now sealed in time and no one can tell by looking at it that they have Imron on them. I ride both of them often, and even rode one on the epic "rain ride" several weeks ago. No worries. Just keep it waxed with Lemon Pledge. The important is to be careful which bikes you do this way. Since I plan to keep and ride these bikes for the rest of my able days; I want them to remain intact as historical reference for original graphics, schemes, and colors. There are no hard fast "always" or "never" rules in this game; although those who sincerely care about these old crates adhear to an unwritten code regatding how to treat each bike. Opinions vary somewhat, but I think the best ways are often clear and obvious. This isn't really a money game. This a game of passion towards classic bikes and cycling while riding them.

Brian Baylis
La Mesa, CA


-- wheelman@nac.net wrote:


Wow! where do I start on this one. Clear coat to protect patina. To me that is like taking the Mona Lisa and covering it with some clear Krylon. I understand the desire to preserve things they way they are but clear coating is not always a good answer. I have done some amatuer furniture refinishing and I can tell you one thing. If you were to clear coat a good piece of furniture to preserve the patina you just reduced it value to one tenth of its original. Now here comes my personal preference, a good wax job with a good quality wax beats clear coat every time. Yes it is more work and has to be done more frequently but it does preserve the bike patina without putting a permanent polyurathane condom over it. Now I have a few bikes with clear coat and here is one thing that does not get discussed. Clear coat over older and newer paint looks good for a time. After riding a bike with this treatment for a while you begin to notice blistering where you may have kicked up a stone. Right now I have a beautiful metallic forest green frame with a clear coat and it has this darn half inch blister that just looks awful. This was a factory clear coat treatment. The base color paint is just fine but the clear coat just lifted in that one spot. I am also not a big fan of the wet look paint job. I know Imron is the preferred paint today but give me that old enamel or lacquer any day. Probably the worst thing I have ever seen is a circa 1915 bike restored and painted with Imron black. It just looked awful like it was caught in a time warp.

Ray Homiski
Elizabeth, NJ