These toolish things
We started fitting the new Renovation Spares mudguards to Lewis’s Excelsior this month, but we also needed to address a problem I had noticed – the front forks were solid. Often caused by the front axle squeezing the fork bottoms out of parallel, removing the wheel didn’t help so we took off the forks again.
Initially it looked like it was just that Lew had been a bit over-zealous with the paint, making the sliding tubes tight in the bushes. Wire-wheeling away the paint freed one side, but not the other – and closer inspection revealed a tiny dent in the outer tube that was obstructing passage of the fixed bush on the sliding tube. This was a bit tricky, as it was about six inches up the inside. I tried putting a round steel bar in the vice and using it as an anvil by sliding the tube over the top and hitting the outside of the dent with a flat hammer. That dealt with the dent and reduced the problem, but the fork was still notchy. We won’t find new tubes, so now what?
Luckily, I was recently given an old flexible drive and with a Dremel grinding tool in the socket we were able to get far enough up inside to smooth the problem area and get it working properly. Phew!
And speaking of free tools, I was delighted to receive these BSA spanners (above) in a parcel from Mr Talbot of Leigh in Lancashire. He said he was ‘loath to throw them in the scrap’. I’m very pleased he didn’t – they are destined for a home in my 1928 Beeza’s tool box. Thanks very much!