Schwinn New World: Wheel Rust, Polishing Paint

Before heading off for Christmas, I did a couple more things on the New World project bike.

First, I rebuilt the freewheel. Basically I just took apart the freewheel bearing cups and cones. This left the "guts" of the freewheel ratchet system intact. Schwinn used a two-part system. First, there are the cup and cone bearing assemblies, then there is the ratchet system itself, which is built directly into the hub and requires special tools to disassemble.

I searched the net for information on early single speed freewheels like this but found nothing really. Second, the ratchet mechanism was functional. So what I decided to do was clean the bearings out and re-grease them, while wicking medium weight oil into the freewheel mechanism. The result is that the wheel loosened up nicely.

I also cleaned the rust and old grease from the high flange hub. I then de-rusted the rim, which took quite a lot of effort. There is a fair bit of plating loss, but everything is solid. With a little polish and hard work, it looks ok for a 1947 wheel.  The result is not all that bad:

I also took a little NuFinish Scratch Doctor car polish, which I find is plenty aggressive for cleaning up paint. My method is to rub on the paste, then let it set a couple moments to a haze, then buff off. I monitor the amount of paint removed by checking the rag frequently. I did the chainguard using this method, and it doesn't look bad at all.

Tires: Schwinn New World

The tires for the Schwinn New World have arrived. I decided on the basic Kenda 37-597 black wall tires.

For those unfamiliar, bicycle tires come in an array of sizes. Most tires are marked either in inches or as 700c (or similar). For example, you might see a tire 26 x 1 3/8, or you might see a tire 700c x 40, etc.

However, there is another way to measure tires: by ISO designation. This has quickly become my favorite way of measuring tires. Why is that? The reason is that tires marked using the other systems may be marked the same size, but actually be entirely different tires.

The Schwinn New Worlds are a prime example. The tires on the bike say "26 x 1 3/8". However, not all 26 x 1 3/8 tires are the same. There is 26 x 1 3/8 (ISO 590) and there is the 26 x 1 3/8 that is ISO 597. That 7 makes all the difference. While both tires are marked the same on the wall in terms of inches, you can't mix and match them. In this case, the Schwinn New World should take 597 sized tires, which is a special Schwinn proprietary size. If I were to buy a tire made for an English Raleigh, it would not fit this bike even if they happen to say the same in inches.

That is precisely why I've come to ISO. Tires that are nominally the same in inches are called by true, unique designations. You would see a 590 for the Raleigh size and a 597 for the Schwinn size. That makes it somewhat plain that the two are different tires.

More here from Sheldon Brown:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

Fortunately the inner tubes should be the same set.

The market for Schwinn tires is tougher than that for English type roadsters, like my Raleigh Dawn Tourist or Sports. English sized tires seem to be in every corner bike shop, but the Schwinn ones are not. I ordered my Schwinn's from a shop in Maryland. You can also get them on Ebay and on Amazon.

Schwinn New World: Removing Rust from Fenders

For the New World I'm working on presently, I'll be using the hybrid method of rust removal outlined here:

http://bikeshedva.blogspot.com/2012/10/removing-rust-from-fenders-hybrid-method.html

The twist this time is that I'm doing a series of partial soaks rather than containing water inside the fender well. Again, Oxalic Acid in a large, old garbage can is used. I check these every 30 to 60 minutes.  I am especially looking for signs the solution is pulling up paint, but so far have been fortunate in that the paint is untouched.

 I am basically soaking the fenders in sections. The reason for this is that the guards are riveted to the fenders rather than bolted. This means my options are to try to soak with the guards on, or else remove the guards by drilling out the rivets, then replacing with Riv-nuts or new rivets later. Since the rivets on these are not in bad shape, I would like to leave them

I also realize the guards are Cad-plated metal. As I noted earlier, Oxalic Acid pulls Cad plating right off the metal. That said, these guards have no real cad plating left. They are basically rusty. The soak will return them to bare metal, and then I have to weight my options of either leaving the metal bare (relic type status) or putting together a mild silver wash that will look the same as the previous Cad plating did. Either is a possibility, but for now the job is to remove the rust.

 I also employed paper towels soaked in the solution to cover other areas. Eventually, all areas will be subjected to the soak, but this gives a little head start on the other areas.

The above cup appears to be filled with urine of some sort. Instead, it is Oxalic solution interacting with the rust on the seat clamp bolt, nut and washer. Again, I realize it was Cad plated, but there really is no Cad left on these, so it's time for a soak and rust removal. I believe I will leave these bare and just treat with a little WD40 to stave off moisture.

I realize there are some people who would not employ Oxalic Acid at all on these parts due to the Cad plating issue. They would rely on a pure mechanical means of rust removal (Dremel brush, copper/bronze wool, etc). I thought about that and actually tried it, but it really did not touch the rust on some of these parts, especially the fender braces. I've actually had the braces soaking for 2 evenings now, and am just now really making a dent in the rust that was there. These braces really were rusty. However, with Oxalic Acid, they will clean up.

I think I have another evening of soaking coming. They're not quite cleaned to satisfaction yet, or at least enough to the point that I would be sure a Dremel wire brush would totally finish the job. So, one more evening, I think.