Mudguard Stays

[Orgasmatron]

Does anyone know where I can purchase 3/4″ x 1/8″ steel flat bar to make up my mudguard stays? There is a lot of 20mm x 3mm bar on Ebay, but this is slightly wider and thinner than the original stay and, I assume, not as strong.
Chris.

[charlie weeks]

Hello

Is this any good ? 181161656721 on Ebay

Charlie

[Richard Moss]

It’s GFS, which is gauge plate. An easily harden-able carbon steel that’s normally produced to quite fine (manufacturer qualified) dimensional tolerances. Used for applications where it’s very hard wearing capabilities are necessary, cutting tools, fixtures, wear strips, precision packers etc. It isn’t hardened when you get it and therefore it is drill-able and machine-able but it’s not very ductile and I would imagine significantly more susceptible to fracture through vibration in an application such as a mudguard stay than mild steel. I’m sure you could make a GFS mudguard stay but it’s not really the right stuff for the job, I would say. Very tempting for many applications that it’s not really suitable for due to it’s nice precise finish, like using silver steel for wheel spindles.

A quick ebay search came up with this: 111544428342

Good luck!

[BRIAN MARSHALL]

It shouldn’t be 3/4″ by 1/8″ strip anyway….
It should be 5/8″ by 1/8″ on vintage Flying Squirrels, TT Replicas, and Sprint Specials. ( I have encountered 3/4″ by 1/8″ stays on ‘works’ bikes. and SOME TT Reps) The really correct stuff has rounded edges, not sharp 90 degrees, and it is not BMS (Bright Mild Steel), but Rolled Strip. The right stuff carries black “Mill Scale” when bought new. If it is getting hard to find in our ruddy metric age I had better try and find some and put it ‘in stock’ !! However 16mm x 3mm or 3.5mm is unlikely to be noticed, especially when layers of primer, undercoat, and gloss paint are added !
Brian

[Orgasmatron]

Thanks for the replies everyone.
I managed to find the correct rounded edge imperial size at a local supplier (he has been hidden away for years on a farm on the edge of Coulsdon, so has all sorts of imperial bar in stock).
The size on my 1930 TT Rep is definitely 3/4″ x !/8″ as it was riveted to the original mudguard.
Unfortunately, I selected bright steel, as I assumed that it would look better when painted (I don’t suppose that it will make much difference though).
Now the question is, how do I form the section(s) to fit under the mudguard?
I imagine that, originally, a former was used to press the bar into the correct profile to fit the mudguard.
Chris.

[BRIAN MARSHALL]

I have used specialists in the past to make the ‘bridge’ sections, after having to throw away my failed attempts, despite me having oxyacetylene gear ! One guy in particular, Andy Newton from Strelley, Nottingham, seems to have the knack of making them by eye, without a press tool. The difficult bit is the double kink where the bridge emerges from under the mudguard, then steps out so as to give more clearance between tyre and the stay.

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