Little project for a skilled fabricator ....

[tigler]

Quite a strange item !
I have a Vincent (of motorcycle fame) Lawn Mower that I'm restoring
The mechanicals and refinishing I have no problem with but the handle that the mower is pushed with is too rusty to recover so I would like to have a new one made ! My welding skills aren't adequate to achieve the standard of appearance and some parts would need fabrication equipment.
I'll post some pix later , but although fairly simple it does incorporate the fuel tank , quite advanced for the time , 1950's !

Would anyone be interested in taking it on , paying job , but sympathetic rates ?!!

 

[tigler]

It's just over a mtr long and the main tube is about 6cm diametre.

 

[Chipper]

Doesn't look too bad really? Could chop the bracket and make a new one, blast the rest / soak in something to de-rust the inside. Poss do the fuel treatment thing with acid/resin etc. It'd be nice to keep the original thing going. Dunno. Just doesn't look too far gone, unless the insides are a mare...

 

[zzr1200]

Quite a strange item !
I have a Vincent (of motorcycle fame) Lawn Mower that I'm restoring
I'll post some pix later , but although fairly simple it does incorporate the fuel tank , quite advanced for the time , 1950's !

A 500cc or 1000cc V2 Lawn Mower.......nowt to be ashamed about that..............................

 

[Robotstar5]

Lawrence of Arabia on a lawnmower doesn't really work does it?

 

[hotrodder]

All pretty simple apart from the 'handlebar clamp' and filler neck. Got the petrol cap? What diameter are the 'bars (thinking sourc of new clamp/replacment grips)? Majority of bicycle handlebars are 25.4mm at the stem clamp/22.2mm at the grips IIRC though there are some oddballs ...

 

[tigler]

*chuckle* The notion of a 1000cc v twin lawnmower has a compelling allure !!
This , however , is powered by Vincent's 75cc multi-purpose industrial 2 stroke engine.
The mower is a great little thing with a cast alloy deck , horizontal rotary blade and fully adjustable for cutting height with one knob !!!

The handle is worse than it looks and it wouldn't be possible to successfully remove all the rust pitting without it being apparent when repainted. I want to do a concourse job on this , they are very , very rare and it deserves my best efforts.

 

[tigler]

All pretty simple apart from the 'handlebar clamp' and filler neck. Got the petrol cap? What diameter are the 'bars (thinking sourc of new clamp/replacment grips)? Majority of bicycle handlebars are 25.4mm at the stem clamp/22.2mm at the grips IIRC though there are some oddballs ...

Don't have the filler cap unfortunately , may be able to find one to use as a pattern though , that neck is going to be tricky.
Bars probably won't be a problem , I can get some bent to pattern.
Finding the correct imperial sized tube might be an issue for the column and tool holder.

 

[Chipper]

No-one else thinks it's saveable? High-build primer would sort pitting no problem. Should see the brackets I've just rescued... very rough, now flat as a flat thing.

 

[hotrodder]

My first instinct was that'd it be salvagable but no idea of the wall thickness from photos i.e. might be paper thin in spots now. Gotta be worth blasting/dipping though even if the vast majority is too far gone...

 

[tigler]

From my own experience of motorcycle restoration I would say it's beyond reclamation.
Problem is that it was painted in a thin metallic silver paint so using anything too thick would look wrong. Also , some parts would be impossible to reach in order to remove pitting or be filled. The tube is quite thin walled.

 

[pedrobedro]

It looks like you could make one from exhaust pipe and bike parts but the hard part would be the filler cap. Are you looking for an original cap to fit to it as per the concourse ethic ? If not you could put a threaded piece to take a fabricated or standard fitting cap from something like a header tank or another lawnmower tank.

 

[wyn]

Are the tank joints brazed ?

That bottom one looks pretty free of corrosion...would you use the same joining methods to keep it authentic ?

Just found a pic and they do look pretty good.

 

[tigler]

Pretty sure it's all welded , but I'll have a closer look. Preserving originality is my priority as these are so rare.
The one in those pix has been modified a bit ! The filler cap is incorrect , colour scheme has been enhanced and a few other details.
The filler neck is a pressing but I was thinking that a new one could be turned ?

 

[wyn]

The filler cap is incorrect , colour scheme has been enhanced and a few other details.
The filler neck is a pressing but I was thinking that a new one could be turned ?

The fillerneck on yours does look like the cap should be held on by friction and not like the one in the pic.

 

[pedrobedro]

The one in the picture looks like a bike tank cap, Monaco style.

 

[tigler]

Yeah , that is a non original cap.