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Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Company http://www.aircraft-spruce.com/ There are many similarities between aircraft and bicycles; both must be lightweight as well as strong. While there are no companies I know of selling small quantities of exotic materials for people who build their own bikes, there are companies like that who offer stuff for people who build their own planes. Aircraft Spruce and Specialty is one of the best I’ve found. You can buy small amounts of aircraft-grade steel, stainless steel and aluminum tubing. You can also get almost any composite material from them. They have the more common fiberglass cloths, including the uncommon unidirectional weaves. They also have Kevlar, Graphite, and other exotic fabrics. They have resins you’ve never heard of, and fasteners you’ve never seen before. They also have the kind of tough two-part paints aircraft need and bikes could use. I’ve used them as a source for all sorts of odd stuff, like microballoons and other lightweight surface fillers. Their mail-order service is really fast. Go to their website to order their huge, educational catalog, which cost $5 the last time I got one; refundable with the first $50 order. JimW. |
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Gordon’s latest bike haul. See anything you like? A good source of old bikes and parts- Gordon T. Bradbury gbradbur@dia.net I have actually obtained two old ballooners from Gordon. He goes around and buys them up in his area in North Dakota. He recently bought up the entire stock of an old bike shop-something like 48 in one swoop. He’s got bikes out the wazoo. And he sells them cheap. I’m not going to tell you what he charged me for my pair of project bikes; he may have gotten sharper since this summer, and may be selling them for more realistic prices. He’s a great guy, and deserves it. In my dealing with him, he was perfectly honest in his description of the bikes, and even sent me photos to choose from. It’s easy to find pseudo-BMXs, and 10-speed tourers cheap; but neat old balloon-tire babies are another matter. The ones I got from Gordon were beat-up and covered in the customary bad housepaint, but they would have cost twice as much if I’d found them at a flea market in my area. Even with UPS charges, I made out like a bandit. If I’d thought of it, I’d have asked Gordon to strip them down to the frame. Not being a restorer, I usually replace everything but the frame. Gordon sells old parts, also, and maybe someone could have used the chainguards, fenders and stuff. I’ll think of it next time. JW |
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Great Paint! I’ve been using Krylon paints for over thirty years. In most of that time, I’ve lived in the middle of big east-coast cities, this is not exactly the best place to find an auto parts store. During one of my film expeditions to SoCal, I’d come away with a set of Krylon color charts, including their Dupli-Color line of car touch- up paints. I saw that they had some nice colors in metalflake, including blue, my daughter’s favorite color. I called Krylon to find out if there were any sources in Manhattan. No dice, although it’s in NAPA stores in the ‘burbs. I had an idea; I called Burbank Paint and Hardware Co., source of the color charts, in Burbank, CA. I talked to a nice guy named Mark, who’s in charge of Sales there. Telling of my dilemma, I asked If they could ship me some. He told me that they didn’t carry the Dupli-Color line, but could get it if I wanted six cans. As that’s how many cans I’d wanted, I agreed instantly. We did the credit-card thing, and a few days later it showed up. I immediately stripped and primed the Killer Swan frame, which was simple as Krylon metalflakes don’t require any special undercoating. I sprayed several wet coats of the stuff on, and it looks fabulous. It looks kind of like a powdercoat finish, except slicker. It doesn’t have that heavy-glitter look of a bass-boat gelcoat, because of having to squeeze through a spray-can tip. But it’s got a nice metallic sheen to it. Swan’s paint’s had about a month and a half of cure time to harden-up. Pretty soon, I’ll polish it. Bet it looks like a million bucks. At NAPA stores, or Burbank Paint & Hardware Co. 818-845-2684, ask for Mark. 6 cans for $36, includes shipping. JW Return to Cover Page |
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