# Barn find Krates



## prewarmachine (Sep 3, 2020)

Stumbled onto this 1969 Orange Krate and 1971 Cotton Picker locally yesterday. The budget was blown last week, so I guess it's just really blown now :/
I'm not well versed in stingray details. They look well equipped and just really cool. Hope it was a good purchase.


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## catfish (Sep 3, 2020)

Nice finds


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## Darthvader (Sep 3, 2020)

Very cool


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## prewarmachine (Sep 3, 2020)

I'm a bit torn on what the next step should be. I know they can clean up a lot from their current state. Would it be better to clean and remove as much rust and shine up the paint + regrease moving parts. Or just clean / grease the moving parts and make them rider's leaving the paint and chrome as found?


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## stoney (Sep 3, 2020)

I am always a believer of try to clean all as well as you can, being careful. There is usually still some room for improvement. You may not get paid for all of your time but I think more people would be more interested.


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## 1motime (Sep 3, 2020)

Look to very original and complete.  Paint should clean up better than the plating.  Lots of chrome and would be lots of scrubbing.  Try one and see how you feel at the end of it.  
Some guys enjoy that process.  It can only get better!  Have fun!


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## nick tures (Sep 3, 2020)

nice find !!


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## bobcycles (Sep 3, 2020)

Sometimes the chrome on those bike will surprise you... time to get scraping!

Boy if those 2 could talk right?  Parked somewhere (not too air tight)  at some point in time then....
forgotten!


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## 1motime (Sep 3, 2020)

Sometimes the surprise is not always as hoped.  It can only get better though!  Wasn't there a thread about scraping chrome?


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## prewarmachine (Sep 3, 2020)

I think I'm going to give them a very careful cleaning and see how they turn out. 
  The man I bought them from said he got them out of a barn..not very air tight...and they were hung up on the wall since around 1982. And he had them in his barn for several years after that.


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## prewarmachine (Sep 3, 2020)

I wish I knew how long these two have been together. At least 38 years, but I'm curious if it's been years even before that.


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## sworley (Sep 4, 2020)

Give Evaporust a try. The stuff works great and you won't get carpal tunnel from scrubbing with 0000 steel wool for hours.


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## JLF (Sep 4, 2020)

Fantastic barn find x 2!


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## prewarmachine (Sep 4, 2020)

I'll be looking into the Evaporust for these two. Hopefully they will shine up some!


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## prewarmachine (Sep 4, 2020)

Any experts maybe help determine if fenders have been swapped between bikes? I noticed black fender braces on the rear of the Cotton Picker and on the front of the Orange Krate. The Orange Krate front fender has dimples for fork legs and truss rods, but I dont see that being 1969 or 1971 from photos I'm seeing. Anybody have some insight?


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## videoranger (Sep 5, 2020)

would go the full disassemble and carefully clean each part. Pin hole rust on Schwinn chrome looks awful when it blooms out over the surface, but careful cleaning can yield some amazing results. Check some old posts on cleaning for some great ideas for chrome and paint cleaning. I recommend using Homax brand fine bronze wool on chrome as it polishes nicely and won't leave scratches on the chrome. If you have a Home Depot nearby, order on line and ship to store for free shipping. I get a couple of packages at a time as I really like the product for chrome and stainless. Works nice with chrome polish like Mothers or your favorite. Mild Oxalic acid is a favorite for lots of bike folks for cleaning rust.








						Homax Fine Grade Bronze Wool Pads (3-Pack) 123100 - The Home Depot
					

The Homax Products Fine Bronze Wool Pads (3-Pack) can be used to polish smooth, sand and strip wood and metal surfaces. The wool resists corrosion, rust and shedding. The Bronze Wool Pads are great for



					www.homedepot.com
				



Nice finds and looks like a fun project bring them back to clean coolness. They really look untouched.


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