Skeeve Posted January 22, 2009 Posted January 22, 2009 I figure if there's a flat, pot metal version of the right design: And a pewter version of a different design altogether: How much further out into terra incognito can a CURVED version of the RIGHT DESIGN IN PEWTER be?! Quit searching for the unattainable, buy the right design in flat, carve a wooden block to the right curvature [or take a mold of the front of your fairing], set the buckle in the mold face down & smack the back of it with a hammer already!
Guest ratchethack Posted January 22, 2009 Posted January 22, 2009 More of a smithy than a hunter are you, Skeeve? smithy with hammer Now I'm a bit of a smithy myself, if occasional reliance on the "bigger hammer" technique qualifies me. But I figure since I've got a taste for venison here, best stay on the trail o' the prize stag (especially while the trail's getting warmer) than dine on muskrat whilst the stag falls to the hunter with a little patience! "The Nuge" bags another nice 10-pt. buck But o' course, that's just me.
Dan M Posted January 22, 2009 Posted January 22, 2009 Here's a place that makes them in pewter. Can't find a Guzzi but they'll put a photo on it for you. Just a thought, you may want to have one made with a pic of an XGF so you can enjoy seeing her with bugs in her teeth. http://www.beltbuckleshop.com/page/belt/CTGY/photo
Guest ratchethack Posted January 22, 2009 Posted January 22, 2009 OK, got a dead-nuts bead on one that's the closest to my spec's yet from Mt. Hay, Qld., Oz: It's pewter, has the right general overall layout, and has wot appears to be a slight single-dimension curve. But it's "rough hewn" arteest's interpretation's a little too crude to my eye. . . Nope, I reckon I'll back off on the trigger and wait for just the right one. . . No interest in riding behind just any old tarted up junk from the recycling heap, y'unnerstan'. . . OH, my! -- No offense intended to the Fine Arteests at Aradon Fine Pewter in Mt. Hay, Qld!! I'm sure it'd make a simply fabulous belt buckle -- which is, after all, it's entire raison d'être!
sullvarni Posted January 25, 2009 Posted January 25, 2009 The trail continues to get warmer! There's fresh trail sign, including blood. This means it's taken a substantial hit and it'll be slowing down. We'll soon have it skinned and roasting over a spit. From deep in the FleaBay shrubbery of far-flung Barry, The Vale of Galmorgan, United Kingdom, I've managed to flush this one out: Not pewter (it's a CNC job in British aluminium) -- but definitely CURVED (possibly compound curved at that?), and otherwise mighty close! I bought one of these,nice buckle but scratches real easy which gives it the lived in look,as an aside can any one tell me where to get touch up paint for Guzzis,"IE" 2002 V11 Le Mans,colour is called Champagne silver i belive,thanks in advance. Sullvarni.
DeBenGuzzi Posted January 25, 2009 Posted January 25, 2009 OK, got a dead-nuts bead on one that's the closest to my spec's yet from Mt. Hay, Qld., Oz: It's pewter, has the right general overall layout, and has wot appears to be a slight single-dimension curve. But it's "rough hewn" arteest's interpretation's a little too crude to my eye. . . Nope, I reckon I'll back off on the trigger and wait for just the right one. . . No interest in riding behind just any old tarted up junk from the recycling heap, y'unnerstan'. . . OH, my! -- No offense intended to the Fine Arteests at Aradon Fine Pewter in Mt. Hay, Qld!! I'm sure it'd make a simply fabulous belt buckle -- which is, after all, it's entire raison d'être! youre too picky, get that one sand it a little, add some red paint in the background and you got what you want, just takes a lil on your side, shouldn't you be familiar??? you do own a guzzi, owner side refienment is expected, I think its printed in the manual actually
Guest ratchethack Posted January 25, 2009 Posted January 25, 2009 You're absolutely right, DeBen! Wot was I thinking?? After all, I reckon the "rough hewn" and "crude" character are perfectly in keeping with the "Last o' the Mohicans" Guzzi heritage, and the "Locomotive of Euro-motos" character o' the V11 itself, not to mention the obligatory personal effort to make it right! This one fits all my original spec's -- but wot's most important is that it spared me the gross indignity and perpetual risk of dealing with FleaBay. I just pulled the trigger with PayPal. It'll be up to 10 working days delivery by tramp steamer from Oz at $18.38 USD ($24.50 AUD) + shipping. Anyone interested can order here: http://www.australian-native.com.au/produc...2c940cd8b2884d9 Thanks to all for the input.
Orson Posted January 27, 2009 Posted January 27, 2009 Any ideas on a source? Many TIA! Anacortes Brass Works will custom make brass belt buckles to your specifications. Maybe a v11lemans group buy is in order?
mike wilson Posted February 2, 2009 Posted February 2, 2009 For both pewter and aluminium, rub some ordinary household soap over the object. It can then be held in a gas flame until the soap turns black. Let it cool normally. You should then be able to press it between a suitable pair of formers to give you the curve you require.
Guest ratchethack Posted February 2, 2009 Posted February 2, 2009 Thanks for the tinsmithing expertise, Mike. This sounds much like annealing steel sheet. Any danger of getting pewter hot enough to melt with a gas flame whilst doing this? I presume your procedure followed by "gentle" beating with a large-head rubber hammer over a form of the desired compound curve would work as well as pressing between forms without risk of cracking the pewter?
mike wilson Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 Any danger of getting pewter hot enough to melt with a gas flame whilst doing this? I presume your procedure followed by "gentle" beating with a large-head rubber hammer over a form of the desired compound curve would work as well as pressing between forms without risk of cracking the pewter? Ignore my inane gibberings of half-remembered schooldays. Pewter does not work harden to any serious level. You can work it directly and it will actually become more pliable if it is worked more. It will be at its least pliable when it is freshly cast, gradually becoming softer (all of this is relative, of course) as it ages. I suppose a Guzzi buckle would be as soft as pewter gets......
Guest ratchethack Posted March 4, 2009 Posted March 4, 2009 UPDATE Another little Winter project completed. Though it wasn't very far away to start with, to more closely match the compound curve of the fairing, I worked it cold over a portable air tank with a heavy rubber mallet. It took 3 coats of matching "red frame" Guzzi red to cover the black it came with (see post #22). I came around to the idea that the rough "arteest's interpretation" and the weight of the thing somehow seems to fit "the locomotive of Euro Sport Bikes". As I'd hoped, I also thought the natural pewter color picks up nicely on the Guzzi silver. That's about as close to "bling" as anything this Guzzi will ever see. Thanks again for the help, Gents.
dabore84 Posted March 4, 2009 Posted March 4, 2009 UPDATE Another little Winter project completed. To achieve a compound curve that matched the fairing, I worked it cold over a portable air tank with a heavy rubber hammer. It took 3 coats of matching "red frame" Guzzi red to cover the black it came with. I came around to the idea that the rough "arteest's interpretation" and the weight of the thing somehow seems to fit "the locomotive of Euro Sport Bikes". I also thought the natural pewter color picks up nicely on the Guzzi silver. That's about as close to "bling" as anything this Guzzi will ever see. Thanks for the help, Gents. Very nice, I like very much! Too bad I don't have a fairing, now I have too settle with being jealous. I always liked the logo in the 1200 sport and other models.
sullvarni Posted March 11, 2009 Posted March 11, 2009 Gents! Please forgive if this belongs in the classifieds, but it looks to me like it wouldn't get proper visibility there. I've recently completed a complete DIY "re-do" of my formerly busted-up Stucchi quarter fairing in semi-satin black, and it looks positively stunning buffed and waxed (If I do say so), but now, to my eye, it also looks positively NAKED. Wot I decided I've GOT TO HAVE is a PEWTER (NOT BRASS!) "Moto Guzzi with Eagle" belt buckle up-front and center on the fairing, above the headlight. I searched the Web pretty extensively until I got nauseated looking at all the garbage tchatchkis. Wot I've got in mind is a PEWTER version of THIS, with the Guzzi name and eagle on that nice, DEEP RED field: Oh, and if that ain't quite enough of a CHALLENGE, it can't be a FLAT buckle! NO, NO! -- It's got to be one o' those compound curved buckles, which would -- in theory -- be a pretty close match to the curve of the fairing. Any ideas on a source? Many TIA! Why on earth would you want to put something like that on your Guzzi fairing?are you going to use a six inch nail to!no offence intended,just seems a little over the top,if you could somehow intergrate it into the fairing then it might look ok but a big lump of metal sticking out"Not" As an aside i just purchased a Guzzi belt buckle off ebay,was a old brass one 1977 it says on the back,who knows. One other thing while i'm here does anyone know where i can get touch up paint for Guzzi's specif'ically 2002 Le Mans,i think the colour is called Champagne Silver,thanks in advance. Stu. ps, i've also got a curved buckle but it's cheap and shiney,or was till i sanded it down,i got it from the UK.
Guest ratchethack Posted March 11, 2009 Posted March 11, 2009 Why on earth would you want to put something like that on your Guzzi fairing?are you going to use a six inch nail to!no offence intended,just seems a little over the top,if you could somehow intergrate it into the fairing then it might look ok but a big lump of metal sticking out"Not" Stu, see photo, post #27 (that's 2 posts above yours). Substantial? Certainly. Robust? Stout? Yes, yes. But "over the top?" I rather think not, but that's just me. . . . . .and when it comes to stuff like this, I'm very much an ANTI-over-the-top kinda guy. . .
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