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

74 CYCLE REPAIRING dusted out, and finally wiped over with a linen rag and a little turpentine. Immediately after the work has been finally wiped over, apply the first coat, starting, in the case of a cycle frame, at the fork ends, inside the back forks and stays, thence to the down tube, top and bottom tubes, and finishing off at the head. Sufficient enamel should be taken up on the brush to cover properly and to work freely without drag- ging. If applied too freely it will be likely to “ ribble,” or lumps will form on the lower parts in the stoving. When thoroughly coated, hang at once in the stove out of the way. The first coat should be hung the opposite wa> to the finishing coat—that is to say, a cycle frame should be hung head downwards with the first coat, and fork ends downwards with the finishing coat, so that any surplus enamel likely to form lumps when stoved hard will be on the under side. In hanging the work, arrange it so that no tube hangs quite horizontally. Stove for one hour at 380° F., leaving the ventilator open for the first five minutes or so after lighting the gas and closing the stove. Carefully hang the work up with the wire hooks or rods running across the top of the stove, without any scraping movement. If the work requires shifting, lift it gently, and do not slide it along the rod. The less handling the work has after being finally wiped over the better—in fact, some enamellers use a glove to avoid the moist hand coming in contact with the work. Close the door slowly, so as not to create a draught or dust. After the first coat has been stoved hard, it should be rubbed down with powdered pumicestone and water until