Shiny Bits: C-Record Jewelry

Jack Gabus (Silk Hope) asked about components for the upcoming Kvale build. Below is the rear derailleur. I believe the Campagnolo Corsa Record, or C-Record as everybody calls it, came out in '85, maybe '86. This one, without the embossed Campy shield and with the cutout on the roller guard, would probably be from the late '80s. Anyway, close to that time frame. As we discussed earlier, there are lighter derailleurs and maybe better functioning derailleurs, but in my opinion, non prettier. Lets face it, we will put up with a lot of shortcomings for a little beauty. I got this one from Miguel Booth. It was mildly scratched and scraped, though particularly nice for a twenty-year-old "user". Either Miguel didn't ride the bike much or he is very careful.

The first thing I did was hit it with Heavy Duty Easy-Off oven cleaner to remove the anodized coating. This is nasty stuff, the primary ingredient being sodium hydroxide (lye) and requires rubber gloves and common sense. It's best to do it with ventilation or step out of the room for five minutes after spraying it. After ten minutes or so, rinse with water which will neutralize the lye. I prefer to do it with a series of short soakings - too long and it can turn black and etch the aluminum.

I stripped it down to dull aluminum and filed out the scrapes, then sanded it with a series of ever finer wet sandpaper. When it was smooth I buffed it with Simichrome metal polish. After it was polished the shine showed some sanding tracks and I re-worked those spots. There are still some thin scratches that are deep. It could be better, but at some point, pretty good is good enough.

The old Campy rollers were the color of grease. Why change them to a light gray that always looks dirty? I may replace them with some trick red sealed-bearing rollers. We'll see how it looks mounted on the bike.

(After looking at the photos blown up, I think I'll be doing a little Simichrome time.)  (done, no more pictures)