Hoofddorp Barn, BSA folding Bicycle

[Alex van de Wetering]

I welded the little elegant edge into a flat, straight line, like the BSA fork and also added extra material to the top of the fork, also creating a flat surface at that end.


At first I used washers with the correct inner and outer diameter to weld to the end of the "legs". Unfortunately these washers were very thin, so I wasn't able to weld them to the fork, without the welding equipment "eating" the thin metal. So, I found some thicker washers in the garage and welded these to the forks without trouble. I welded the holes shut, so I can drill a smaller hole later on (the second washers had a slightly oversized hole).

I discussed these "washers" with Bill and they were most likely intended to fit a fender or luggage carrier. The folding Bicycle didn't have these, so BSA probably used a "civil" fork for the production of their folding bike.


Currently I am working on the frame and steering wheel. Removing the paint and dirt from the frame takes more time than I anticipated. But, I work on small section of the frame at a time and spray zinc primer in stages afterwards.

Oh. Bill was correct about the pedals. They were originally painted, but paint wore very quickly during use of the bike. I have removed the paint of mine, so the sliding system works properly.

Alex

p.s. the last picture shows a wheel I bought two weeks ago; it's 26inch and 32 spokes, just like the oiginal. The shape is also very close to original. The only thing is the rough surface on the sides of the rim.....I will try to remove a little bit of the surface, hopefully creating a flat surface again....