Cycle Repairing and Adjusting
With a Chapter on building a Bicycle from a Set of Parts

CYCLE ENAMELLING AND PLATING 67 mainly on the smoothness of the finished surface of the work to be coated ; the very best of enamelling will look poor if applied to a rough surface. Therefore, the higher degree of finish that is put on the work before enamelling, the better will be the ultimate result. After the final polishing, dust and rub over with a clean piece of linen rag dipped in turpentine, and after that do not handle the tubes with the bare hand, but wrap some paper round a convenient part for handling. If a very highly finished, glass-like appearance is required, as seen on new high- class machines, the work must be hand polished after the final coat ; but this will, pf course, be charged extra for. It is not every enameller who can undertake hand polishing, as it is generally done by women who do nothing else ; but most large firms will do it if specified for. Precautions.—Precautions must be taken that the threaded parts, such as the inside of the bracket, lubricator holes, etc., do not get filled up with enamel, as this will be found very troublesome when re-assembling, especially if taps are not available with which to clean out the threads. Wooden plugs or corks should be screwed into these parts to keep the enamel from getting in. Another item which may be overlooked is that when the pin and nut which hold the top of the back stays to the seat lug are removed, there is no support for the back forks, and it may happen if the frame is roughly handled that this part may get badly strained and out of truth, so it is as well to fit a dummy pin and nut in this part to prevent this. Re-assembling the Parts.—When the parts have been received back from the enamellers and platers and