Prepare the area. Remove any old silicone from the work area. This can be done with a utility knife. Any contaminants like oil and grease could prevent the silicone from bonding so clean the area thoroughly with alcohol...
Remove any hardware. You may want to paint this, but do after separating it from the wood so that eveything gets full coat of paint...
Aluminum is much easier to weld when the work is already much hotter than room temperature. When welding thick pieces of aluminum, welding without preheating can lead to a very weak, shallow bond...
Routinely lubing your bike chain will improve its performance and prevent it from wearing out early. Choose a lube that’s right for your bike based on the conditions you’ll be riding it in...