(True) Patina Bell

[Miq]

I've been riding around for a while with a period correct bell that looked great. Unfortunately, it liked to continuously ring. I had gotten used to riding with a finger or thumb resting on it, but any time I needed to use that arm off the bars, it would jingle away.

@SirMike1983 got a great looking bell for his sweet 1930's Phillips that seemed to be a possible fit for my 41 New World. The bell is an Origin8 Time Clock bell. It has a brass finished bell and stainless steel striker. The parts that hold the striker and attach the bell to the bars are yellow chromate finished. The bell sounds great, and rings for a long time, but doesn't ring at all unless you strike it.

It is styled like an old bell, but since it is newly manufactured, it is bright and shiny. My 1941 New World is a rat bike. It has a lot of wear and corrosion visible on it and a bright shiny brass bell just didn't look right. I spent some time this week trying to age the bell to look more appropriate on my bike.

I took the bell dome off the assembly and soaked it in a pyrex dish of pool acid. I wanted to remove any lacquer or clear coat on the brass. What actually happened was I removed ALL the brass finish and revealed a shiny copper bell. This bell is made in Japan and is offered by other brands. This one sold by Crane Suzu is obviously made in the same factory and shows the true copper bell:

I mixed up a solution of white vinegar and salt (a lot), and spent a few days trying to age the copper, I sprinkled the dome with the solution and let it sit in a glass cup inside a plastic bag in the sun. It was SLOWLY starting to get some color, but I could see that it would take weeks to get something close to aged enough. I broke out the propane torch today and sped thing up a bit.

I sprinkled all the parts including the striker and mount with the vinegar and salt solution then brought them up to a high temperature using the torch. The copper bell aged nicely and I sprinkled it a few more times while I torched it. The striker and mount also aged well. The yellow zinc turned gray and the stainless striker got hot enough to slightly bubble and blacken the surface. I'm sure all kinds of dangerous noxious fumes were created from this and I stood up wind as I watched it age 78 years in a matter of seconds.

After the parts cooled, I gave them a good bath and dried them. A coat of synthetic car wax and soft buff made them look perfect on my bike. One thing to note, the spring steel looses some "spring" when you heat it with the torch. It still rings fine and works great, but the spring also seems to have aged a bit...

I'm sure there are easier ways to achieve a similar look, but this is what I did.

My left arm is finally free!!

 

[SirMike1983]

I like those bells a lot. They're fairly easy to work on, have a vintage look, and make a nice sound. I've had 3 or 4 people on the bike trail mention they liked the sound of the bell, which is good praise. Another nice feature is the bell comes with a rubber sleeve to grip the handlebars while protecting the plating on the bars. I think they're a good buy. The sound is close to a mantle clock or maybe one of those old elevator cars.

 

[1motime]

That is now a beautiful bell. Good job with the chemicals. I wouldn't call your bike a rat. Just has a lot of well earned patina. I might copy your idea.

 

[Shawn Michael]

Nice. how about a shot of the whole bike that matches?

 

[Allrounderco]

I like this idea. My wife has a similar bell on her bike, and thinks it's too loud

 

[Miq]

I like those bells a lot. They're fairly easy to work on, have a vintage look, and make a nice sound. I've had 3 or 4 people on the bike trail mention they liked the sound of the bell, which is good praise. Another nice feature is the bell comes with a rubber sleeve to grip the handlebars while protecting the plating on the bars. I think they're a good buy. The sound is close to a mantle clock or maybe one of those old elevator cars.

The rubber sleeve is great. You can snug up the mount but still adjust it without it moving on it's own. Not scratching the bars is nice too. It's a great bell for $12.

I like this idea. My wife has a similar bell on her bike, and thinks it's too loud

You can somewhat control how loud this bell is by how hard you make the striker whack it. Like SirMike said, it sounds kind of like a clock.

Nice. how about a shot of the whole bike that matches?

@Shawn Michael Ok, this is pre-patina bell.

That is now a beautiful bell. Good job with the chemicals. I wouldn't call your bike a rat. Just has a lot of well earned patina. I might copy your idea.

Thanks @1motime! I appreciate your kind words. I don't have a negative connotation associated with rat. I don't want to star a $hit-storm about restored vs refurbished vs air'ed up and ridden, but I want to clear up what I mean by my bike is a Rat Rod Bike. I don't go to a lot of car or bike shows, but I've seen a lot of vehicles, so this is my own uneducated view of Rat Roddery.

The “rat rod” philosophy elements I was trying to carry on were:

1. It’s supposed to be fast as hell. Put as much effort into making it fast and almost none into how to make it look new. It’s a rod. Wiki: ‘Rat rods often appear unfinished and, at most, primer-only paint jobs are applied; satin, or matte, black and other flat colors are also common. "Natural patina" (the original paint job, with rust, blemishes, and sometimes bullet holes, left intact); a patchwork of original paint and primer; or bare metal, in rusty or oiled varieties, with no finish at all are some of the other finishes that may be used—such finishes honor the anti-restoration slogan that "it's only original once"’. And “Early low-budget hot rods were often long term "works in progress" and as such final finishing treatments (such as metal prep, paint, and trim) remained in the future, and the Rat Rod imitates this aesthetic.” My bike cranks like it is brand new and flies on pumped up tires.

2. You can have a cool vintage vehicle without needing to spend thousands of $$$ on a RESTORED “hot rod” bike. It is exactly like the origins in the car world. Owning a hot rod (vintage bike) is not just for Drs and lawyers. If you can fabricate and refurbish, you can have your own rod too. I love seeing the truly mint restored bikes and don’t have anything against collecting them. It just isn’t for me. Here’s a quote from wiki on Rat Rods “The rat rod's inception signified a throwback to the hot rods of the earlier days of hot-rod culture—built according to the owner's abilities and with the intention of being driven”. And “intended to remind people that hot rods were supposed to be accessible. They were supposed to be a hoot to build and drive.” I've loved getting this bike rolling again with my own hands, and riding it every day makes it even more priceless to me. But I don't freak out when the kickstand gives out or a pedal scrapes the pavement. This bike is meant to be ridden.

3. Rat Rod thinking has evolved over time. People also consider adding non car/bike parts to the designs and mix and matching different beat up bike part together into an original creation. “Frankenbike” I see coined a lot for this. When I had the 60s seat on my bike, that would fit this idea. I’m not that into it, but I like seeing some of the cool creations people make.

My grandfather was the original owner of my 41 New World. He was into making rat rod vehicles his entire life. Here's a rat Ford he built to go to the Grand Canyon before there were roads or vehicles suitable to get there.

Hard to say he wouldn't approve of how his bike looks now.

 

[Phattiremike]

I love what you've done to get the aged look. Your bike is sharp!

Mike

 

[bikemonkey]

The rubber sleeve is great. You can snug up the mount but still adjust it without it moving on it's own. Not scratching the bars is nice too. It's a great bell for $12.


You can somewhat control how loud this bell is by how hard you make the striker whack it. Like SirMike said, it sounds kind of like a clock.


@Shawn Michael Ok, this is pre-patina bell.

View attachment 1081525



Thanks @1motime! I appreciate your kind words. I don't have a negative connotation associated with rat. I don't want to star a $hit-storm about restored vs refurbished vs air'ed up and ridden, but I want to clear up what I mean by my bike is a Rat Rod Bike. I don't go to a lot of car or bike shows, but I've seen a lot of vehicles, so this is my own uneducated view of Rat Roddery.

The “rat rod” philosophy elements I was trying to carry on were:

1. It’s supposed to be fast as hell. Put as much effort into making it fast and almost none into how to make it look new. It’s a rod. Wiki: ‘Rat rods often appear unfinished and, at most, primer-only paint jobs are applied; satin, or matte, black and other flat colors are also common. "Natural patina" (the original paint job, with rust, blemishes, and sometimes bullet holes, left intact); a patchwork of original paint and primer; or bare metal, in rusty or oiled varieties, with no finish at all are some of the other finishes that may be used—such finishes honor the anti-restoration slogan that "it's only original once"’. And “Early low-budget hot rods were often long term "works in progress" and as such final finishing treatments (such as metal prep, paint, and trim) remained in the future, and the Rat Rod imitates this aesthetic.” My bike cranks like it is brand new and flies on pumped up tires.

2. You can have a cool vintage vehicle without needing to spend thousands of $$$ on a RESTORED “hot rod” bike. It is exactly like the origins in the car world. Owning a hot rod (vintage bike) is not just for Drs and lawyers. If you can fabricate and refurbish, you can have your own rod too. I love seeing the truly mint restored bikes and don’t have anything against collecting them. It just isn’t for me. Here’s a quote from wiki on Rat Rods “The rat rod's inception signified a throwback to the hot rods of the earlier days of hot-rod culture—built according to the owner's abilities and with the intention of being driven”. And “intended to remind people that hot rods were supposed to be accessible. They were supposed to be a hoot to build and drive.” I've loved getting this bike rolling again with my own hands, and riding it every day makes it even more priceless to me. But I don't freak out when the kickstand gives out or a pedal scrapes the pavement. This bike is meant to be ridden.

3. Rat Rod thinking has evolved over time. People also consider adding non car/bike parts to the designs and mix and matching different beat up bike part together into an original creation. “Frankenbike” I see coined a lot for this. When I had the 60s seat on my bike, that would fit this idea. I’m not that into it, but I like seeing some of the cool creations people make.

My grandfather was the original owner of my 41 New World. He was into making rat rod vehicles his entire life. Here's a rat Ford he built to go to the Grand Canyon before there were roads or vehicles suitable to get there. View attachment 1081526

Hard to say he wouldn't approve of how his bike looks now.

Great post - thanks for your time in sharing everything!