Fender Rolling 101

[SJ_BIKER]

EXAMPLE #6
Minor chipping in paint on the ivory paint.

Ended up with minor paint chip/lift on one of the light holes.otherwise not bad at all.

 

[NBHAA]

I wonder if the Pfaff roller was actually made by them or if the balance wheel was just robbed from one of their sewing machines. If I were going to fabricate one, that's surely what I would do.

View attachment 1909707

View attachment 1909708

Almost all of the the original Pfaff Bicycle Fender Roller Tools known in this hobby today came from Leon Dixon. Period. They had nothing to do with Pfaff Sewing Machines.

I bought out the original bicycle fender tool manufacturer who had all of their remaining stock at a bicycle W-D warehouse in the Seattle, Washington area. It was owned by the same man who owned local shops then known as "Angle Lake Cyclery." I bought the entire stock and took it to Southern California. This was in the early 1970s.

I couldn't GIVE these things away at $12... NOS in the box for years! I first had about 150 units in original brown cardboard boxes that took up a good part of an upstairs bedroom. I still had perhaps 25 of these left when I was burglarized in 2001 and they were all robbed... including my personal use tool. Leaving me with none... after all that.

Years later, people were crediting others with having somehow "discovered" these tools. They didn't discover anything. Many imitated this tool and had luck selling them.

Someone asked in this thread why there was a grid on the drive wheel. Use one and you would immediately know. It was to get traction on the underside of a fender in order to pull it through the straightening process.

The Pfaff roller die wheel (the little hourglass barrel) was actually too narrow and too deep a draw to work on the biggest Schwinn, Shelby and some Monark fenders. In many cases, it did more damage than good. I had a machinist lathe-turn extra die wheels for me to do bigger fenders. I also had fender dollies and press tools (one you used in a vise) I got in the Detroit area during the 1950s-1960s. I was already straightening dented vintage bicycle fenders in 1969.

I would buy a fender roller today– including one of my originals...

Leon Dixon
National Bicycle History Archive of America
(NBHAA.com)

 

[buickmike]

I too would buy one ,but I would be using it as an English wheel, my apologies Leon . The Schwinn fenders are pretty good in returning to OG shape. They used good materials in most parts of the bike. How about restore on CWC fenders .

 

[SJ_BIKER]

Almost all of the the original Pfaff Bicycle Fender Roller Tools known in this hobby today came from Leon Dixon. Period. They had nothing to do with Pfaff Sewing Machines.

I bought out the original bicycle fender tool manufacturer who had all of their remaining stock at a bicycle W-D warehouse in the Seattle, Washington area. It was owned by the same man who owned local shops then known as "Angle Lake Cyclery." I bought the entire stock and took it to Southern California. This was in the early 1970s.

I couldn't GIVE these things away at $12... NOS in the box for years! I first had about 150 units in original brown cardboard boxes that took up a good part of an upstairs bedroom. I still had perhaps 25 of these left when I was burglarized in 2001 and they were all robbed... including my personal use tool. Leaving me with none... after all that.

Years later, people were crediting others with having somehow "discovered" these tools. They didn't discover anything. Many imitated this tool and had luck selling them.

Someone asked in this thread why there was a grid on the drive wheel. Use one and you would immediately know. It was to get traction on the underside of a fender in order to pull it through the straightening process.

The Pfaff roller die wheel (the little hourglass barrel) was actually too narrow and too deep a draw to work on the biggest Schwinn, Shelby and some Monark fenders. In many cases, it did more damage than good. I had a machinist lathe-turn extra die wheels for me to do bigger fenders. I also had fender dollies and press tools (one you used in a vise) I got in the Detroit area during the 1950s-1960s. I was already straightening dented vintage bicycle fenders in 1969.

I would buy a fender roller today– including one of my originals...

Leon Dixon
National Bicycle History Archive of America
(NBHAA.com)

150 units????¿?????¿????¿??????????????¿??¿?
Wonder where they are now. That's a good amount. Do you remember any distinct markings or serial numbers on them?

 

[SJ_BIKER]

EXAMPLE #7
This tip is more for those stubborn areas where the fender roller can do more damage than good but it has to be addressed. This part is kinked out and I use a Craftsman adjustable wrench that doesn't have much play so the tool can grab the metal good.
Only use the adjustable wrench at the folded area. Any higher and you'll leave a nice raised area (stretched metal ..oof) above the work you are trying to fix. With one hand you hold the outer fender edge and with the other you push down on the tool that is gripping the metal going beyond the actual line of the fender edge as it will kick back some due to memory in the metal. Focus on one area at a time and check your work. With any luck you'll fix one area only to discover other areas that need attention such as you'll see here with the yellow arrow. Fun stuff guys and gals.

 

[Schwinn Sales West]

I'm more of a hammer and dolly guy, though if anyone has a roller for free I'll take it.

I made a dolly for fat Schwinn fenders from a piece of tubing the right size.

View attachment 1910069

View attachment 1910070

Nice collection of dolly's.

I agree with making some of your own special tools. I have used old car leaf springs to make tools, good steel, heat to bend, and grind smooth.

I must say that my body hammer and dolly shelf never has looked that organized.

John

 

[SirMike1983]

Great thread, many good suggestions.

When working with any "thin metals" the biggest issue will be returning the original shape without further stretching the metal. The previous advice of working the area slow and steady, taking only "small corrections" at a time is very important. After it has been over worked, over thinned, stretched, it's had to put the Genie back into the bottle. They make hard nylon hammers for hammering metal that will help prevent stretching and marring. Every time you hit the inside of the fender with a common "ball peen" hammer you are creating a small, stretched circle that will add to your problems. It's much easier to fix a dent, than it is to correct a "previous owners" screwed up attempt.

I have a bead roller with the factory supplied crank. I can see why you would want to change to a large wheel instead of a crank for power. It gives you greater control and the handle is never "out of position", the circular wheel is always in your sweet spot.

John

It's one of the most experience-heavy jobs because you need to have a feel for when you're trying to do too much at once, over-working metal, working the wrong area, etc. An experienced hand with the dolly/block is better for the job than a newbie with a roller. An experienced guy with a roller is great too. A high-end or rare set of fenders is not the time to try out that new wonder tool you've bought and want to test for the first time. The most important thing is to know when not to push it and to know your tools. That's true of many things, but this job in particular can punish mistakes.

There are guys who can do wonders even with super-light aluminum road bike fenders and those who can mend celluloid fenders. I have no idea how some of them do it so well. I find steel and stainless to be a challenge sometimes, let alone some 70 year old piece of celluloid that needs to be mended.

 

[Schwinn Sales West]

It's one of the most experience-heavy jobs because you need to have a feel for when you're trying to do too much at once, over-working metal, working the wrong area, etc. An experienced hand with the dolly/block is better for the job than a newbie with a roller. An experienced guy with a roller is great too. A high-end or rare set of fenders is not the time to try out that new wonder tool you've bought and want to test for the first time. The most important thing is to know when not to push it and to know your tools. That's true of many things, but this job in particular can punish mistakes.

There are guys who can do wonders even with super-light aluminum road bike fenders and those who can mend celluloid fenders. I have no idea how some of them do it so well. I find steel and stainless to be a challenge sometimes, let alone some 70 year old piece of celluloid that needs to be mended.

Completely agree, it's the knowledge of how to use the tools that matter.

These techniques have been learned "the hard way" over decades of repairs. Sharing the ideas, the do's and the don'ts are the only way the new guys will learn how to make the repairs without making the same mistakes we made doing the job the first time. The beauty of The CABE is the varied experience, and everyone's willingness to share experiences that makes it a great resource center.

Thank you to everyone that contributed to this "how to" thread and other "learning threads" on the CABE.

John

 

[NBHAA]

150 units????¿?????¿????¿??????????????¿??¿?
Wonder where they are now. That's a good amount. Do you remember any distinct markings or serial numbers on them?

If you re-read the posting, I started with 150 units in the early 1970s... before there was a hobby. As I said, I brought these down to SoCal from the Seattle area and these were all the manufacturer had left.

All of these rollers I had were painted gray with gold decals. All were sealed in brown cardboard boxes. And as I said, I had about 25 left when my buildings were robbed... and this was over 20 years ago.

Where are those 25 now? Good question. But you can be sure...somebody knows.

As for using a Crescent wrench on straightening fenders, In addition to roller and dollies, I always preferred vice-grips and "duckbill" pliers used in stained glass work. Most people have no idea what "duckbills" are. Perfect for flattening ripples on fender edges.

Leon Dixon
National Bicycle History Archive of America
(NBHAA.com)

 

[49autocycledeluxe]

"" I always preferred vice-grips and "duckbill" pliers used in stained glass work. Most people have no idea what "duckbills" are. Perfect for flattening ripples on fender edges""