Villiers Air Cleaner

[nzpeterb]

My 24TES is fitted with the Villiers air cleaner that is in need if re-plating.
The back half of the air cleaner body has a brass and painted badge that doesn't appear to have any method of being removed. Does anyone know how to remove the badge?
Hopefully a picture is attached.
Regards,
Peter Barnett

[John Wakefield]

Its probably glued on. Villiers Services can supply new badges at £3 http://villiersservices.co.uk/index....roducts_id=650
or the complete filter with badge for £20 http://villiersservices.co.uk/index....roducts_id=651 probably the best option as it will almost certainly cost more than £20 to re chrome original, & at the same time you will get all new innards.

[Brian Thompson]

Keep the original one.....!!!

Or.....why not just restore the original brass badge?

Soften the glue with gentle application of a heat gun and/or a suitable solvent and carefully remove it from the filter cover being careful not to bend it (it's a thin pressing so go steady and be patient.) Then give it a damn good polish with some Solvol Autosol (I've also used a fine grit rubber abrasive block to remove stubborn tarnishing), then touch in the dings with some Humbrol Green enamel paint (as used for model making and pretty tough), or just leave them as an added bit of patina on an otherwise now nice clean and shiny badge. Finally, glue back on with some Araldite, or similar petrol resistant adhesive and there you go.

I've also seen these badges with all the green infill completely removed and either nickel plated or just bare polished brass....both options looked really nice in my opinion.

Brian.

[nzpeterb]

Brian and John,

Thank you for the replies. The Villiers Services badges look like a sticker rather than a badge so will try the suggestion to remove the existing badge first. The sticker will be the fall back option if it all goes bad.

Regards,

Peter.

[nzpeterb]

Job complete

Well in the time between my posts I have the badge off.
Used a hot air gun. The first sign of success was the smell of the melting glue then once I could wiggle the badge back and forth used a scalpel blade to run around the badge edge and job done.

Thanks for the continued advice as I work through the bike.Still many jobs to do but making progress. I have all the frame parts sand blasted and now being painted. I have rebuilt both wheels with new bearings, and a new front rim. They are the aluminium hubs but would be the heaviest wheels I've ever handled. Still have the brakes to do and need to make the new swing arm pivot as had to cut the old one up and use a press to get it out.

regards,

Peter.