Handling Imperfections, New and Old

The 1940 New World project continues. Every project has its challenges, sometimes through years or use, shipping damage, or even manufacturing defects.

Let's take a look at a manufacturing defect inherent on these pre-1945 New World bikes. These bikes have wire fender braces, which was typical for that time. Less typically, the braces are mounting by drilling and screwing through them rather than holding them in brackets. This represents a mixture of English style (wire braces) and American style (drilling and riveting the braces) construction.

At the factory, it appears that the process was very simple - shape the wire brace, then stamp it where it needed to be flat. No extra material seems to have been added to the spine where it would be drilled for the rivet. The result is a weak spot where the rivet hole was placed.

 

An old break... Which Still Should be Fixed

Above you can see what happens to these braces. When this particular brace was drilled, the hole was a little off-center, leaving very little metal on one side. When the rivet was stamped into place, it cracked the thin side of the hole. This particular brace was carefully removed from the fender without any harm, so this break seems to have existed since 1940, when the bike was assembled. 

The basic solution here will be to either weld or braze the crack back together. A more permanent solution would be to weld or braze additional metal around this area to strengthen the brace. The solution will probably require a fair amount of grinding and shaping the joint, then some re-drilling of the hole (hopefully more on-center this time). These braces are notorious for cracking or totally breaking right around this rivet hole. 

Schwinn ultimately (and wisely) replaced this style of brace with their heavy-duty type fender braces shortly after WWII ended. The later braces are much, much stronger than the pre-1945 types. Although the wire braces is simple, and in some ways elegant, the later braces are much more practical.  The higher-end Continental of the late 1940s used wire braces that were held in place by brackets (no drilling of the wire), which worked much better.

Wire bracket-wire braces on a 1947 Continental

 

The decision whether to fix an old imperfection is a judgment call. Sometimes these imperfections are just cosmetic, so nothing need be done (or should be done, for sake of originality). 

The decision is usually a bit clearer with new injuries to the bike. 

Cracks - not terrible, but should be fixed just the same...

The above photo shows cracks from stress and shipping damage. These pre-1945 New World fenders use slotted-and riveted brackets. A slot is cut in the fender, the bracket is inserted and then riveted into place. Later New Worlds used external brackets riveted to the surface, without cutting the fender. Again, the later solution is the more robust even if not quite as elegant and low-profile. 

In this case, we can see the origins... the bottom of the bike box broke open and the bike was delivered upside down, with all the weight resting on the top of the fender. The box was open as you see below. The mechanized delivery systems can be rough on these old bikes... I'm just lucky the entire bike arrived without anything major missing from it.

A Worrying Sight on Arrival...

 

In this case, the cracks can be brazed or welded and smoothed. If these cracks were not near the bracket or in a weight-bearing area, they could be mended using sheet metal perpendicular to the crack, and JB Weld epoxy.

My approach to these newer imperfections is to fix them, even if cosmetic. I don't mind "honest wear" or something that came with the bike when it was made, but I have a dislike for shipping damage, abuse, or neglect injuries to the bike. All of this kind of work goes into refurbishing an old bike, particularly an 85+ year old machine such as this one.

New Project - 1940 Schwinn New World Tall Frame

 My thought of "downsizing" the collection has so far been thwarted by the arrival of some very interesting bicycle projects in winter 2025-26. The latest arrival is this 1940 Schwinn New World three speed bike. 

 

As-found - but it all has to start somewhere...

One of the fun aspects of the old bike hobby is seeing the outline of a nice bicycle while still "in the rough". In other words, you can see the potentially nice bicycle while looking at the project in its dusty, unwashed, unrefubished state. In this case, I can see the outline of a classic, early American-made utility bike with a desirable taller frame of 23-inches. This particular bike was located in the basement of a long-standing bike and sports/ice hockey (another fun pastime - see here for some previous hockey fun I had) shop just outside of Chicago, Illinois (they were featured on NBC's "Today" show a couple years ago - see here). The seller was a very nice, helpful shop owner. I wish we still had shops like this in my neighborhood...

I've already started on this bike. I have it totally disassembled in my workshop and washed-up. I've begun removing cleaning up the paint and removing rust. I've sourced a few period replacement parts. I have singled out the front fender for some crack repair (spot welding and grinding probably) and one of the braces for crack repair (spot weld, drill, smooth probably). This bike has quite a distance to go, but I am already seeing a great deal of potential for a classic, pre-war Schwinn utility bike ready for riding season 2026.

This bike joins two other recent acquisitions: a WWII era Raleigh Dawn Safety Tourist, and a 1949-50 Schwinn New World already in excellent shape. And here I started winter 2025-26 thinking I would be "downsizing"... so much for that... With all these nice bikes around, I hope riding season 2026 has a lot of good weather.

Ultrasonic Cleaners - A Few Tips

 

Modern, ultrasonic cleaners offer the ability to clean parts using vibration, water, and heat to clean and de-grease parts. This kind of work used to be completed with chemicals such as paint thinner, mineral spirits, etc. and scrubbing. Ultrasonic cleaners allow you to use a water-based, less toxic cleaner and let the machine to more of the work. You'll still have to do a little scrubbing and drying by hand, but the machine does a lot of the cleaning work.

I've used ultrasonic cleaners for bike parts for about 15 years now. I started with a small machine made by Lyman and eventually moved to a pair of larger machines made by Vevor. The Lyman was a good machine, but on the small side and limited to a 6-minute timer.  The Vevor machines I use are not bad: they have the features I like, though I will admit they're somewhat inexpensively built. The metal used is of a fairly thin gauge. But I have had good luck with them so far. There are probably many other brands that would work well. These machines allow you to put parts in to clean while you work on other tasks in the shop.

Here are a few pointers for working with ultrasonic cleaners:

• Get a machine with a long timer - preferably a 30-minute timer. Some ultrasonic cleaners look nice from the outside, but the timer only runs in 5 or 10 minute increments. For really dirty parts, you'll want to run it longer - probably 20 or more minutes. My cleaners have 30-minute timers and that has worked well. Sometimes it takes two or three 30-minute cycles if something is really dirty. 

•  Get a reasonably large machine. Small cleaners seem to be cost-effective, but you'll find they struggle to handle heavier cleaning loads. Also, you'll probably find you use more capacity than you think you will use at first. I have a 6 liter cleaner in my upstairs shop and a 10 liter in my basement shop. These are considered medium-sized cleaners. They will handle a completely dismantled Sturmey Archer AW hub (including the shell) in one fill, but just barely. It sounds like a lot, but once you start putting dirty parts into the basket, you'll find yourself using more space than you expected at first.

• Get a machine with easy-to-read settings and large-ish buttons. Garage and basement shops sometimes have iffy lighting. Large buttons and displays help you get the machine set up correctly.

• Get a machine with a good drain valve. Manual dumping works for small machines, but medium and larger machines should have a good, sturdy ball valve so you can drain the machine without having to lift and dump. It's also a plus if the valve has a threaded pipe end so you can directly pipe the water into a waste basin. 

• Get a machine with a good basket having rubber feet. The basket does more work than you think, especially when it's fully loaded with parts. Rubber feet help reduce wear against the tank bottom.

• Get a couple of good, mini-baskets to hang in the main basket. Small, wire mesh baskets are available to put inside the main basket. These hold small parts such as screws, spacers, etc. Get a couple sizes of these hanging, opening baskets so you can put small parts into the machine. The main basket is only for medium and lager parts.

• Get a machine with a heater and a thermometer. Heat makes a big difference in washing parts. Get a machine with a heater and a thermometer. You can custom set the heat level to the part you are cleaning.

• Get a machine with a sturdy, easy-to-access on-off switch. Some machines have large, flip switches on the back that make it easy to quickly see if the power is on to the machine, and easy to turn off in a hurry. 

• Follow the directions carefully. These machines need a certain minimum amount of water to function correctly. Make sure you know how much water you must add. It helps also if there is a max-fill line so you don't over-fill the machine. 

• Wipe-out the machine after each use. Very dirty parts will cause gunk to build up in the bottom of the machine. After draining, make sure you wipe out gunk on the bottom. Be careful - the machine may still be hot. 

• Work up a routine with your cleaning solution. After awhile, you'll get a feel for cleaning solutions that work. I use a mixture of water and Simple Green cleaner. I also spray parts with Dawn Power Wash dish soap and let them sit a few minutes before putting into the tank. You don't need harsh or toxic chemicals to wash. 

• Always shut down the machine fully when leaving it unattended for long periods. I don't recommend putting wash in and then going to the grocery or hardware store. Stay close by while the machine is working and on. If you have to leave, shut down the machine and return to work later. You don't want a fire or electrical problem while you are away. 

• Be careful of hot parts. Parts will be warm or even hot when they come out of the machine. Don't burn yourself on the parts or water. Do not use flammable chemicals in the cleaner. Stick with water and a household type cleaner such as dish soap, Simple Green, etc. A little citrus or purple de-greaser can be added to the mix for very dirty parts. Stick with water-based cleaners that are not too harsh to handle. Also, be careful of painted parts in the machine. Some paint finishes may become compromised by heat and cleaner. Check on the parts periodically to make sure they are not losing their finish.