1950 (ish) Carlton Flyer

Original paint colour (I think)

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It's a very nice frame and nice parts you're collecting

Just got this in the post, decided to use it as it's complete rather than the Cyclo front changer- I reckon is was more widely available in the UK in the early 50s, and as it's complete I won't have to spend half a lifetime looking for a French Cyclo band on fitting

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Any further progress?

Sadly not except brought a set of Brampton pedals I need to clean up. Will send it off to get painted in a month or so I think, still not decided on if/where to chrome or just to settle for paint and maybe get it box lined.... I notice you found one on ebay that has chrome head lugs only....I'm trying to find some GB hiduminium levers or suitable as well, keep just missing out on ebay.

OK, this has been on the slow burner for a while but starting to make progress now. Have settled on an earlier simplex font changer to match the rear, the same as above but a bit scruffier and without the stop botch in the upper body. Also got a period Brooks B17 and Reynolds girder type stem and seat post.

Aside from this, have decided to have a go at hand-painting the frame myself rather than paying for chroming and enamelling (because you know, I like a idiotically hard challenge.) Besides, if it all goes horribly wrong I can always strip it again and get it painted professionally without too much financial loss

I've been using sign writers enamel, the best quality I could find and and the best quality brush I could find.
I won't lie, it's been something of a (Messy) learning experience, but I seem to be getting the hand of it. The frame has had many copays and much rubbing down, and is maybe a bit thick but I'm fairly happy so far. Needs on more gentle rub down with 1000 wet-and-dry and then Hopefully it will be time to do the head tube in light blue enamel and apply the decals.

Let me know what you think, but be gentle please....

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Did the spray.bike thing last time, and used masking fluid to get reasonable sharpness on the lugs. This looks quite, erm, thick, in the pictures.
Sorry.

That's what I was thinking as well,I hadn't masked the head tube area yet as painting that a different colour so will do it then but the other just seems to pool around the lugs. This is brush-laquered mind. Thinking I'm going to sand off this area and then recoat it. I would point out it hasn't been sanded in these photos as the paint is not dried yet

Now I feel bad :(
The masking stuff (Vallejo) is amazing, should have used it ages ago.

No need to feel bad. I went to Art College, I'm used to people criticising my work, goes with the territory. Better to get an honest opinion than do a shit job.

I went to Art College

Me too.

I'm used to people criticising my work

Likewise. Every. Single. Day. For the last 35 years, as am a 'designer', mostly doing shit jobs. I don't care anymore (about what people think about what I do) but I do care about other peoples feelings on things they do :)

I can tell you that even with a fully equipped stove enamelling shop, an experienced sprayer and plenty of youthful (well , relatively) enthusiasm, it took us quite a few balls ups before we became even reasonably good at bike frame finishing.

I think we got there in the end, but with no paint shop the knowledge isn't that much use any more.

Incidentally, to do contrasting head and seat panels, I would spray and stove the panels in their colour up to finish standard, then mask, do the finish colour on the rest of the frame and stove, then demask, transfer and lacquer.

Ah, bit late for that sadly. Will be doing the head in blue in the next few days but brush enamelling with sign writers pain, which seems to flatten out nicely and hold a 'wet edge long enough to get a decent finish. H(having said that, I believe part of the reason I'm having trouble at the moment is the hot(ish) weather, as the paint is drying to a tacky stage far quicker than in ought to.

That said, I believe I may have hit on a reasonable technique tonight-apply the paint thick by brush,then wipe off with a paint/turps soaked rag wadded up-seems to smooth things down well enough whilst leaving a very thin layer of paint on-thereby by passing the plaint-pooling-around-lugs issues. looks ok now but will obviously have top check it over tomorrow morning when the paint is getting close to fully dry....

I've never used sign writer's paint, but I 'd say generally the warmer the paint and the paint shop, the better the result. When everything is cold it's necessary to use more thinners, which means that when the paint has 'flashed off' (i.e. the the thinner has evaporated) there is less of a covering of paint.

I have seen, but never used, a spray gun with a heating element under the reservoir. The idea was to get a better build of paint by using less thinner.

Incidentally, it's not hard to make an amateur stoving oven - essentially all you need is an insulated box with a flue and some means of heating. With basic stoving enamel, you only need to achieve a temperature of 120C and maintain it for 30 minutes. I should mention that professional ovens have explosion relief panels, so beware of that potential problem, but if we're talking about a single bike frame that has been allowed to flash off the risk of explosion must be fairly low. Just don't stand in front of it the first few times you stove - this would definitely be at your own risk!

So, some progress here. Most of the painting has been finished, I did get it to a really nice finish but then the clearcoat reacting oddly in parts, so had to do a bit of sanding back and recoating which slowed things up, especially as I had already box-lived. Fairly happy with the finish now although needs a good polish up to remove the greasy finger smudges you see on the photos. IT's not perfect, but as my friend Kasper state, Perfect is the Enemy Good, so it will do at least for now. Any final bits can be retouched if needs be after the parts are fitted.

To that end, have re-fitted the original headset and Chater Lea over-size bottom bracket, and fitted some GB brakes and levers along with a hiduminium stem and bars. The GB levers where a night mare to fit as ever, and will need some final adjustments, but you get the general picture.

Excuse the poor lighting in the photos, they were just taken in my studio last night.

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Hi @jeff80, I am late to this thread, and this excellent project. Just my 2p worth. Chrome was not in short supply due to t'war etc. My 1947 Dawes has fully chromed fork and rear quarter. I have had mine done at Hockley enterprises in Southend on Sea. £70.00 for the whole frame. I had them polish the rear quarter and leave the rest dull as it will be over painted. It is not "concours d'elegance" standard. but it was £70.00 (!)

Have been building up the bike and trying to sort out the clearcoat which reacted badly to the enamel, so have had to remove it and re-apply it after touching in the decals etc which took a bit of a battering when cleaning it off.

Have had a few glitches-gear cable not long enough, cable clips missing screws, and most annoying of all my Chater Lea oversize axle not the correct length. IT's a 1240 axle which should be right for a double, but it seems I need a 1240-1 axle, as mine only allows room for a single chainring (either that or the frame angles won't allow a double)

Still, here it is for now as it goes.....

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I have a wartime Carlton, inherited from a relative. Will post pictures in due course.
Graham Chivrall

So, three years have slipped by and I'm curious to hear if you ever solved the Chater double chainring question?

I don't think 1/8" chains were ever great for derailleur use, and although Chater doubles did exist I'm not convinced this was ever a good idea. Just the weight of one of those rings would be enough for most people!

On a brighter note, I believe that your 4 speed 1/8" Simplex would work with a 5 speed 3/32" block.

I did resolve the question and fitted the double Chater Lea but I was never happy with the build or the bike as it was and in the end I sold it on. The simplex kept slipping, I think one the the springs in it was too weak to hold it in position. I've now got no Flyers, having had 2 before.

Your right though, the weight on a double CL was rather a lot to say the least.!

This disappointing outcome is not rare. I have abandoned my 'Cyclo Bike ' project.

This one did ride fairly well, but I had two problems I couldn't solve. First - it was impossible to get the back wheel out ( to change an inner tube on rhe road for example ) without moving the derailleur. The position of this on the chainstay was very critical which meant there was a lot of fiddling about to get it to work again. Second, I could not get the Resilion brakes to work well because although I had genuine Resilion brake blocks, they were much too hard for the ali rims I was using. On the previous steel rims they were better, but not good enough, especially in the rain. I also had expensive cable problems with both the brakes and the derailleur.

I take the view that if a bike isn't practical for me to ride, I don't want to keep it just to look at.