Capt. Kirk

I recently bought a 1960 Dunelt (stamped 60 on the SA hub). Two questions:
1. It has an interesting color scheme...Silverish highlights on top of red on the top/down tube and fork. One friend said that it was just faded, but I'm doubting it because there is pinstriping on top of the silver and it is too uniform to be sun-faded. Can anyone tell me if this is the original paint scheme?
2. The fenders seem to be correct, but maybe they are from a different year... But the fender supports seem too big for the frame. The rear supports are bent and the front supports make the spacing between the tires and fender uneven. Are they supposed to be that way? I can tell that it is a Dunelt fender because the fender badge (which is missing) was there at one point and the mark that it left behind resembles a dunelt fender badge.

P.S. I know the chain guard is wrong. Clubman hooked me up with the correct one and I will be replacing it.

Any help would be appreciated..
Thanks,
Kirk

nlerner

My guess is that silver is an undercoat and the red the top coat. I had a Hercules from this era with that same sort of top coat fade. On the fender stays, originals likely got replaced at some point with ones that are too long!

Capt. Kirk

It could be under coating but there is definitely red pin striping on top of the silver and its very uniform. If it was all red at one point then the pin striping wouldn't show.

Do you know if they sell shorter fender supports?

nlerner

So maybe the silver is the top coat?!

I don’t know if you can by those struts, but if you have the tools, it’s easy enough to shorten the ones you have and bend the end to form an eyelet.

OTS 

I'm with nlerner on this one. I think your bike was red and it faded. Those areas that are silver are areas that would have been affected by sunlight. Notice the bottom of the tubes aren't faded.
Your pin striping paint may have been a different consistency or made up of a different pigment base or a totally different type of paint altogether.
Google images of 1960's Dunelts and you will see red ones, I didn't see any silver ones.
I think that red bikes were prone to fading because of the iron oxide used in the paint but .........
Just my opinion.
I like your project and look forward to your vision and results.
Best wishes

clubman 

This looks like a Birmingham frame with a Raleigh fork. There was mix and match componentry around 59/60 when Raleigh Ti took over Dunelt and it's inventory. @juvela mentioned this in the Dunelt chain guard thread.

I think that frame had white mudguards to match the headtube, I had a '59 with that scheme

Hey Kirk, got a CU of headbadge?

3alarmer 

...during this period of time, Raleigh used a color on Dunelt 3 speeds that was sort of a faux chromovelato. Some Carlton bikes showed up with it too. It came in variations , but the Dunelt's I've seen were all red ones. Carlton also used a green. If you Google search "flambouyant" (or maybe just "flamboyant" paint schemes for British bikes, you should be able to pull up some images. I had a Dunelt 3 speed in that color in the late '50's (early '60's ?) as my childhood "English Racer". They were a little cheaper than the full fledged Raleigh Sports, but sold by the same dealers.

The difference in these from a real chromovelato finish is that they are not chromed, rather first primed, then color coated with either silver or gold (some sort of metallic color), then sprayed out with a semi transparent color coat over that.

It's the same way you paint cars in various "candy" colors, like "candy apple red". Here is an unfaded Carlton Catalina that is pretty much the same paint color...flamboyant red. But this one might be gold metallic overcoated with red. I'm not sure. If you have red striping showing, it's probably because it's a different paint they used for striping (i.e. not transparent).

3alarmer 

3alarmer 

https://on-the-drops.blogspot.com/2017/

3alarmer 

Stripped

Self etching grey primer

White primer over that, then silver

Red transparent enamel.

...final coat after all the colors and details are in place is 2 part clear urethane in a can, from the auto paints store. (Or Amazon)

Capt. Kirk

Thank you all. There is so much to learn..
You all are probably right. Once I clean up the bike I'll take better pictures of it and resend. This'll be my Sep/Oct project.

I don't think I will repaint it because i like the patina. It's a unique look with the silver and red. As you mentioned I've only found pictures of red dunelts, not silver/red and also I can't find another 1960. I'm thinking it's somewhat rare because it's a transition year (mentioned in the chain guard post) . The grips are also not white or maybe they're just very dirty but they almost look a bit greyish.

My friend also thought that the fenders were not the same color as the frame. I'm kinda liking the white fender with white wall tire look.. at least for now. I also thought shortening the fender braces. I may give that a go when I start on the bike.

Live long and prosper 🖖
Kirk

I_like_e_bike

I think this fender is a different time from the frame, the fender should have been replaced

Capt. Kirk

I'm leaning towards that conclusion also. Thanks. The guy I bought it from said he had a couple Dunelts. I'm thinking he swapped parts to make one complete one.

clubman 

If you show us a pic of the head badge, 'we' may be able to source one. I picked a beat, rusty Dunelt out of the trash and suspect it's pre-war. So I bought a bent-fork '59 Dunelt for parts, not unlike yours. I ask about the badge because there's at least 4 metal versions.

Capt. Kirk

Here's a Close Up of the headbadge

clubman 

That is indeed a Birmingham frame and a little unusual as Raleigh swapped out the head badges to read Nottingham or England at the bottom. My '59 had England on the head tube and Birmingham on the mudguard badge.

I think this is what you want but I'm not sure it's available.

Capt. Kirk

I hate when work interferes with my hobbies...

Just caught up with the thread. Thanks for educating me on the history of this bike. So it seems the frame may be pre Raleigh and the previous owner used it as a donor bike and mismatched components like the chain guard.

Does your '59 fork look like mine with hollow corners? And does your front mudguard have the indentation for the brakes?

clubman 

The fork (bent and long gone) did have the Raleigh 'thimbles' and yes, the mudguards are formed for both brakes and the badge on the rear.