Refinishing a bicycle - I'm refinishing an old, black Western Flyer bicycle I found a few weeks ago. At first I was just going to replace the tubes, otherwise it was serviceable.

But once I took the wheels off and brought my eyes close up to the parts, it occurred to me that it wouldn't be too much work to overhaul it into a sharp classic.

I was wrong. The project has kept expanding. Every time I come across a new problem, it entails buying a new tool, replacement parts or supplies. I've been working on it, on and off for a couple weeks. It's become a joy and a mini-seminar on craft.

At first, I stripped all the screws, bolts and ball bearings and soaked them in kerosene to get the gunk off. I had the kerosene left over from the winter, so it was no problem. Smelly and slippery, but it works.

Then I realized the chain was old style and I needed to buy a Park master link tool, to get it off the bike.

A lot of the rust was thick and old - an Internet search showed me that white vinegar was the mundane, mystery solvent.

So I bought a jug for a buck and change, and soaked everything after the kerosene did its job on the grease. The rust comes off, but each part has to be scrubbed and wiped down, or the rust comes creeping back.

And when it comes to the wheels - which have rust on the inside of the rim, that entails using a 3" brush, dipping it in the vinegar, then scrubbing one section at a time.

Simultaneously, I had decided to strip the frame, fork and fender finish, because it was encrusted with road grime and bubbled paint. That led me to buying a 3/8" drill and a wire wheel.

The stripping process is slow going - you have to get the grime, the paint and the undercoating before you hit metal. Since I don't have a bike stand, or even one of those Black & Decker wonder benches, I have to hold the part with one hand while working the drill with the other. The first day I woke up with gnarled fingers and a case of what my mother calls, "buh-sytis."