Fasteners

What is the concensus on fasteners for restoration? I am not talking about AMA caliber rules, but in the past I have used stainless fasteners for appearance. It absolutely drives
me nuts to have nice paint, polished metal, etc. with all the bolt heads turned brown in six months.

Critics of stainless fasteners cite torque values, stretch Vs tensile strength. I don't build alcohol burning drag bikes so I am not concerned about that.

How do you guys handle this issue or non-issue? Is there a product to put on hardware to prevent the normal oxidation? Stainless? Who cares?

I like the fasteners made by Beard Machine. They are correctly cad plated and look great. If a person wanted too, I guess they could use a satin clear coat on them, because cad doesn't stay perfect forever. I have seen some sweet Indians, with everything perfect, but the owner skimped on nuts and bolts with hardware store crap; the bike winds up looking shitty. It doesn't cost that much more to use correct stuff than for the small savings attained by using cheap hardware...Bones

Stainless can also be cadmium plated which confounds why the purists of the AMCA thinks that a stainless finish on say spokes is acceptable for a correct restoration. Why not hardware too...... not!
Then again, If correctly made the upgrading of materials I consider fine so long as the finish is indistinguishable from original if the part is visible.
Want to use ss, go for it, just plate it if you want it to look right!

if the bike is going to be used, then stainless for durability of finish, in my book. If people are going to whinge about it, let 'em build their OWN bike any way they like. Showbikes and competitive 'conkers' bikes are a different matter

[Pa]

Critics of stainless fasteners cite torque values, stretch Vs tensile strength. I don't build alcohol burning drag bikes so I am not concerned about that.

Stainless can be had in as many grades of strength as any other steel materials. Pa

I was NOT aware of that Pa.

45Brit- My project was a weathered incomplete (stripped) flattracked chassis that I am building a motor for. Since no sane person would attempt a Smithsonian caliber build given the circumstances,
I do intend to "take some liberties" that may offend the 100 point club. No offense to them, but there will be incorrect fasteners, trim options, plating/finish, etc. If I end up with a rideable bike that reflects the time & effort put into it I'll be happy. You made a comment on another board about old locomotives/granfather's axe...Am I correct that the axe may have had a handle and/or head replaced & that's what that term represents?
That was a great piece you wrote on North African theatre as well.

[Pa]

Critics of stainless fasteners cite torque values, stretch Vs tensile strength. I don't build alcohol burning drag bikes so I am not concerned about that.

Stainless can be had in as many grades of strength as any other steel materials. Pa

Yes but most plain Jane hardware stores carry only the mild grade of stainless. Seek out industrial suppliers for the others.

I use stainless from the hardware store and spin-grind the markings off with a bench grinder. 20 years later they still look great and come apart! If you glass bead the stainless it looks so close to cad that if anyone says something, they are Too Close to your Motorcycle!

all a bit off topic, but..... I do know quite a bit about the North African theatre, it's something of a study of mine. My father and two of his relatives served there, for one thing. I also know the terrain, having worked on pipeline projects in Tunisia and Algeria. I also speak fairly fluent French. The Anglo-American invasion of North Africa in 1942 ( Operation Torch ) was an extraodinary and very bold act which achieved great political and military success, pioneering the way for the Normandy campaign two years later.

Last paragraph got to political. Pa

So, did they use stainless fasteners in"Operation Torch"??
Robbie

I really don't know.

Operation Torch is little known, which is a great pity as it was a hugely ambitious undertaking, representing a very successful exercise in international co-operation. It did a great deal to pave the way for both the Normandy campaign and the US amphibious campaign in the Pacific.

Claer enamel on the heads of your hardware will protect the finish.

Man, Indianut was right on the money. I ordered good grade stainless fasteners & ground off the marks...ran it through the blast cabinet and it looks like CAD! Frame came back from the painter last night, I am really motivated but too broke to get anything big done...

Jerry

http://www.nainmotorworks.com