Retro Carbon / Alloy Bonded frames

[FINNEY1973]

Evening all,

I 'd like to ask people's initial thoughts on the following please...

I'm in the middle of building up a TVT, but it's slightly different from the usual TVT 92 frames. It doesn't have the TVT stamps on the seatlug or pressed into the chainstay. It is possibly a Look produced frame badged as a TVT? Not sure.

All the lugs on the frame are factory painted and quite frankly I don't like it visually. TVT's should have the shiny alloy lugs and that's what i'm looking at doing. Plan is to Nitromors the lugs after masking off the main tubes and get them nice and shiny. I'll leave the tubes as is for the time being, may look at getting them sprayed at a later date.

So to the question - will Nitromors seep into the 'joins' to the tubing and weaken the glue, thus destroying the integrity of the frame? Are there any other methods to strip the lugs that would be more appropriate to the end result i'm trying to get?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[gavr]

Re:

will Nitromors seep into the 'joins' to the tubing and weaken the glue, thus destroying the integrity of the frame?

Undoutedly it will weaken glues - modern Nitromors is methanol/acetone and it's not as agressive as the old formula with metyhylene chloride but not good...

 

[FINNEY1973]

Re:

Sounds like no paint removal chemical will work then? Only option is to sand by hand and hope it doesn't turn into a dogs dinner?

 

[Midlife]

Can you not get it media blasted? Should remove the paint without a problem. The tubes can be masked off so protected

Shaun

 

[FINNEY1973]

Re:

Certainly an option Shaun if I can seek the right assurances that the process will work without causing damage. Given that I want the main tubes painting it would make sense to have it all done in one fell swoop - could be expensive :facepalm: hence looking at getting the lugs done by my goodself (a lot of self doubt in my ability to get the result I want though and hence the question as to using chemicals to strip the paint from the lugs)

 

[Jonny69]

Absolutely DO NOT use paint stripper! This is coming from someone who works with composites on a day to day basis!

 

[FINNEY1973]

Re:

I had a hunch it would be a no-no, simply wanted it confirming. Could be a very slow journey this one, might easier to find another frame and move this one on.

 

[Midlife]

Blasting with Aluminium Oxide / Glass / Acrylic Beads etc is pretty common

What size is the frame?

Shaun

 

[FINNEY1973]

Re:

I just need to find someone fairly local and have a chat with them, this is one of 5 frames I want sorting with new paint or chrome or whatever. There's a company in Leicester I should go & chat to.

It's a 55 square from memory Shaun, right on the limits of me fitting it, another reason I didn't want to throw a load of cash at it :roll:

 

[stringfellow1946]

Some close up detailed photos of your frame would be helpful.
As far as I know there are 3 versions of the TVT
None engraved Head & Seat lugs (TVT HR)
Engraved Head & Seat lug (TVT HM) 20% stiffer & used by Lemond Delgado, Indurain, etc
& I have seen some with a normal engraved Seat lug BUT NO head lugs, just a one piece head tube, in carbon. ( I think this was probably the last version of the TVT)????

The early LOOK TVT made frames had a different seat lug & brake bridge to the TVT"s & the LOOK KG86 I have also has LOOK embossed on to the rear dropouts, & TVT embossed on the chainstays.
Check the photos in these links to my bikes
Lemond TVT HM https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wbyn1aum1sp7 ... gz8Ca?dl=0
LOOK KG86 https://www.dropbox.com/sh/q3ip4n0py1tg ... 2cxQa?dl=0
TVT HR https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yajk4ruiuizf ... wMlNa?dl=0
TVT Low Pro https://www.dropbox.com/sh/omna2qebf4f0 ... 97-Da?dl=0

Hope this is of some help??