Session 6: Sanding

It's been some time since my last post, i've been sidetracked with other things. I'm going on holiday next week, but will try and keep doing a bit when I can.

I wrote to the BSA owners club a few weeks ago, but managed to send them the front lug casting number instead of the frame number, which was a bit of a rookie error. I corrected the problem, and they have replied with the following information:

"I can confirm that a machine with this frame number was despatched as a 250cc C15 Sports Star 80 to W L Lewis and Sons Ltd, Weybridge, Surrey on the 5th December 1961. It was finished in Black.

It still retains its original motor."

This begs the question as to why the colour was changed from black to red, but that is a question for another day.

Black paint peeking through the red

I have started sanding the battery cover as a test piece, to repaint it. I am using 240 and 320 grit wet and dry paper, wet, to remove any traces of rust and to smooth the outside. While sanding, I got another indication that it used to be black, as the original paint started to show through. There are small pockmarks of rust all over the cover, so I have been scraping around them, to ensure all the rust is visible, before sanding it off.

My setup: cover, paper and water.

Inside

Outside

These pictures show the battery cover before I started sanding, for reference. The inside is very rusted, and will probably all need sanding off. The outside has lots of small pockmarks, but is largely fine.






This is an intermediate step, where I have started to expose and sand off the rust.






I have finished sanding the outside, and will start on the inside tomorrow. I have smoothed it all out, and got rid of any trace of rust. The picture below shows the finished product, and confirms that the bike was originally black.

The outside finished.