On Prized Possessions

Possessions are just 'stuff'; things that will likely be pawed and dickered over by the rag-pickers at some future estate sale. But I ain't dead yet. And there ain't no glory in regret.

Favorites tend to be fluid. I love my garden and my old Bulldog garden tools (Clarington Forge since 1780). I love the Native American tools and projectile points that the Old Man and I picked up walking fields when I was a kid.

One of my prized possessions is this bicycle, a 1948 M. Bonvicini. Earlier I documented the process of having replacement decals made. Link here.

Over 70 years the decals have melded into the paint, and part of the finish on the offside of the downtube panel has been scraped to bare metal. This really necessitates the panel being repainted. Also to match the existing front stub fender, the reproduction fenders require the outside to be painted the soft green of the frame, the center ridge left polished aluminum - with a very fine dark blue pinstripe at the color break. 

Pinstriping has become a dying art, but I reached out to Jeff Bock in Ames, Iowa who does really top-drawer paint work. Thursday evening I received his response.

"This is a VERY COOL bicycle! I'd be thrilled and honored to work on it for you. Although, achieving an exact match on that flamboyant teal will be a serious challenge. What color were the fenders? I'm thinking that the soft green won't be an easy match either. I looked at the decals. It appears that Mr. Salmon did an amazing job."

So now I have to find time to remove all the components - to disassemble the entire bicycle and get the frame and fenders down to Iowa City.

Obsessively yours,
Gunnar