beech333

Well, I was quite satiated with a different set of purchases, which remained well within my preference for bikes. Besides, without the competition, what would be the fun?

bibliobob

bibliobob, a nice Mercian will certainly be welcome! I will identify you through it I have a few Rudge... maybe I did buy one from you, what part of town?

Rogers Park. Black Rudge, without the "hand" chainring. Nearly two years ago, I believe. I sold it simply because I don't tool around the immediate neighborhood and instead tend to stick to 10 to 40 mile rides. And, I needed to finance the Echelon/Cherubim purchase.

Ivandarken

bibliobob, yes, I remember. The sad part is... I cleaned it all up and never rode it once. It's in my stable waiting for me to do something with it. I should probably sell it to someone who will ride it.

bibliobob

How many 3 speeds are you up to? I'd offer to buy it back if I hadn't just bought the Mercian. In any event, hope to see you out for a ride sometime.

SingeDebile

I wouldnt repaint it... it looks beautiful

just put a nice coat of butchers wax on it when your done cleaning it

Ivandarken

Bibliobob- Yeah! Like you're going to stop buying bikes now!!!

SingeDebile- Paint!?! They would revoke my CV status!

NormanF

It needs a stripping down, powdercoat and original period decals. The bike should look awesome!

cudak888 

POWDERCOAT?

That said, it looks pretty intact as-is; green is a bit of an issue though. Looking forward to seeing how it cleans up.

-Kurt

Ivandarken

Ok, now we are just getting SILLY.

Ivandarken

Kurt, the green is applied over the blue and might have even been hand painted. Although it appears uneven due to age, I think it looks wonderfully vintage and original. Once the blue is cleaned and shined, and the green is carefully cleaned as best as it can be without being compromised- it will show it's vintage very well as an antique bike.

Powdercoating a 1937 bike would be awful! The value in an antique bike so old is to look into the past and see what the true paint texture and color were at the time. ANYBODY can have a shiny new looking bike... just buy a new bike.

NormanF

Its steel and it needs to protected against rust. We're talking about a complete restoration. Its been done all the time. Nothing wrong with being faithful to the original.

cudak888 

That's called paint. Folks seem to have forgotten what it is.

-Kurt

Ivandarken

Respectfully, I am not going to attempt a complete restoration to it's original state... merely a gentle cleaning and stabilization to both preserve the finish and to make it road worthy for light "parade rides".

Fortunately the frame is in good overall shape, and none of the parts such as the seat post were frozen. The chrome has a great deal of flaking and oxidation, but no terrible rust. I think that the frame can be left pretty much as it is, the missing paint has not allowed rust so I think that the original primer or whatever treatment that was given is far superior to what I would get with a sandblasted frame.

I will keep it stable. The next one in line can decide what to do with it when I am gone.

NormanF

Alright... in my opinion when it comes to vintage bikes exposed for a long time to the elements, there is value in saving them for the next generation. I take care of mine, so its not an issue.

Wogster

Your right, it's no use saving original paint when the frame rots out from under that paint. What may be difficult though is matching the paint, in 1937 nobody cared about things like lead in paint, and the environmental effects of finishes, so an exact match with the original may be difficult. I think the key though, since you have the original paint now, is to use that for colour matching. I don't think powdercoat would work well, but a good modern paint in original colours probably would, although a base coat / clear coat would need more base coats, before a single clear coat.

clubman 

A complete restoration would involve a thorough professional repaint, replate and reproduction of decals. The $1000 you spend on that restoration would add nothing to the value of it as a collectible. BTDT
Oxidation can be halted with a little TLC.

It's only original once...Ivandarken is walking (riding) the correct path.

bibliobob

And how. Just say no to powdercoating vintage bikes. Looks like garbage.

Clean, polish, wax, enjoy.

cudak888 

Very good. That said, I'm rather interested to see how that fragile green paint comes out. It's application is very much part of the bike's character.

I see no frame rot - Ivandarken should have a nicely preserved - if delicate - original example when he's done with it.

-Kurt

Ivandarken

I appreciate everyones thoughts. I'm sure there is a lot of experience here.

I think Clubman is correct with the cost/benefit of a "professional" restoration.

There is no worry about the frame rotting out... the condition is not bad at all. Some people can't stand things not in perfect condition. The worst thing you can do to antique furniture is to refinish it, but some people can't live with scratches.

Excellent point, cudak, about the character of the green paint application. I could not put it better myself.

Norman, show us some before and after photos of your restorations. I think it would be instructive to see what you are talking about.