# Down the Rabbit Hole!!



## SCFlyGuy (Jul 9, 2017)

My maiden post ... sorry, it's a long one. 

I grew up in Western NY and my wife and I are spending our summers on Chautauqua Lake.  My wife is an avid garage sale afficianado and about a month ago, I picked up a late 1930's men's Roadmaster frame, fork, bottom bracket (skip tooth), and chain guard.  It was all of $5 and was garage kept with little rust.  At first, I thought of using it as a lawn ornament, but it was just too cool for that!  My objective was to begin amassing parts to put it together. 

While talking to an old classmate at a reunion, I learned he had a similar bike and he offered it to me for a great price.  What he had appeared to be a late-1930's Roadmaster Girls Supreme or Deluxe that was totally covered in rust. It is almost a complete bike (the only piece it is missing is the lens on the front light!), so I didn't think it was right to cannibalize it.  It has stayed intact for almost 80 years and it deserves to live on!!

Here's the bike after a good wash with a little gentle brushing:



 
Here's a closeup of the rust on the fender:


 

After a little research, I found 'The CABE' and the wealth of information on it.  When I took the tank apart, I found a very clean interior and batteries dated 1954!  I replaced them with D cells and I have a working horn!


 

I took a little oxalic acid solution and some very fine steel wool and brushed off a lot of the surface rust to expose a nice patina:


 

As a real newbie, I have several questions.  

1. What is the best way to continue the resurrection of the paint?   I don't necessarily want a shiny new finish, but a little more shine would be nice.  

2. Is there a tutorial on how to replace the cord on the fenders?   One side is about 90% intact, but the other was destroyed.  


 

3. What are the appropriate tires for it?   The rear is a Goodyear and the front is a replacement from Walmart (too thin - but I wanted it in riding condition).

4. Is there a source for appropriate replacement parts?   I'd like to get a lens for the front light and new handlebar grips (the coke bottle grips are in rough shape). 

Any other advice for a total rookie would be appreciated!

PS - The original men's frame that started this journey will make a nice matching set!


----------



## catfish (Jul 9, 2017)

Nice bike. Welcome to the CABE !


----------



## bairdco (Jul 9, 2017)

A simple way to clean and shine up the patina is plain old WD-40.

Spray it on heavy, let it soak in, then wipe off the excess.


----------



## rustystone2112 (Jul 9, 2017)

it's also missing the bezel that holds the lens in place and possibly the reflector  The lens is available here in the cabe services section but the bezel & reflector will be a little harder to find, they need to be for a front loader not a top loader, here is a pic. of a Delta light  if yours is a DELTA it should be stamped on the bottom. As far as brightening up the paint an in expensive way is buy a can of Scotts Liquid Gold  oil not foam and put it in a spray bottle and spray the whole bike and wipe it all down then spray it again and let it soak overnight .


----------



## halfatruck (Jul 9, 2017)

looks like it may have the optional reflector badge....


----------



## mike j (Jul 10, 2017)

Nice bike, the tires for it are 26x 2.125, they're available from numerous sources. Schwalbe & Felt make some really nice, period looking tires. If you go into the bike parts for sale section here & go back a couple of months, Joe Rappoza was selling some beautiful re-pop grips, don't know if he has any left. There were a couple of good threads on this site about the skirt lacing. They still do it a lot over in Holland, you might try researching there. Here is one I did last year, using the resources here. Good luck & have fun w/ them.


----------



## Rides4Fun (Jul 10, 2017)

Nice find!  Look forward to more pics of your effort to get her back in shape.


----------



## SCFlyGuy (Jul 10, 2017)

bairdco said:


> A simple way to clean and shine up the patina is plain old WD-40.
> 
> Spray it on heavy, let it soak in, then wipe off the excess.




Thanks for the tip!   I hit it twice this afternoon with a heavy coat of WD-40 and it looks much better.  More picture to come!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## SCFlyGuy (Jul 10, 2017)

halfatruck said:


> looks like it may have the optional reflector badge....
> View attachment 642458




You are correct!   It does have the reflector badge and the colors are strong.  


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## catfish (Jul 10, 2017)




----------



## SCFlyGuy (Jul 10, 2017)

rustystone2112 said:


> it's also missing the bezel that holds the lens in place and possibly the reflector  The lens is available here in the cabe services section but the bezel & reflector will be a little harder to find, they need to be for a front loader not a top loader, here is a pic. of a Delta light  if yours is a DELTA it should be stamped on the bottom. As far as brightening up the paint an in expensive way is buy a can of Scotts Liquid Gold  oil not foam and put it in a spray bottle and spray the whole bike and wipe it all down then spray it again and let it soak overnight .
> 
> View attachment 642447
> 
> ...




You're correct.  It is a Delta light.  I'll be on the lookout for a bezel and lens. 

I didn't have any Liquid Gold around, so I went with WD-40.  


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## SCFlyGuy (Jul 11, 2017)

catfish said:


> View attachment 642708




That is an impressive display of head badges!   Is that a personal collection or from a museum?   Here's the reflector head badge on mine.  It's in nice shape.  







Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## SCFlyGuy (Jul 11, 2017)

I've spent the last couple of days continuing to tweak, tune, and scrub.  The original Troxel seat has been epoxied back together.  Today, I cleaned the wheels and added new rubber.  She's starting to come around!





I think the next project will be to replace the skirt guard.  Since the original clips were pretty roaches out, I got some number 7 fishing snap swivels and attached them to the fender holes:




I cut off the barrel swivel and it leaves nice fresh clips to thread through:




My wife taught macrame classes in the late-1970's, so I'll be employing her for that task.  

I am already thinking about a next project ... hence the 'Down the Rabbit Hole' title.  


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## gkeep (Jul 11, 2017)

SCFlyGuy said:


> I've spent the last couple of days continuing to tweak, tune, and scrub.  The original Troxel seat has been epoxied back together.  Today, I cleaned the wheels and added new rubber.  She's starting to come around!
> 
> View attachment 643215
> 
> ...




Great project!
It looks like the skirt guard was made of hard laid cotton seine twine using the standard fishermans netting knot. Here's the stuff you want if you are looking to reproduce those with that same weight of material. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DKA39J...t=&hvlocphy=9031977&hvtargid=pla-312822708438.
It can be dyed with coffee, tea, whatever to give it a nice natural aged look, or shellac, varnish, just like an old boat.

Your really bringing it back to life. An oxalic acid/wood bleach soak for the seat frame could take clean up that rust on it.
Here's my favorite post on the wonders of oxalic acid. Then a nice rub with some quality carnuba car wax!
http://thecabe.com/forum/threads/tell-me-about-oxalic-acid.96980/#post-624432.



Have fun! I'm looking forward to seeing that part of the country next month on vacation! Doubt I'll be flying home with a nice bike like that though...

Gary


----------



## SCFlyGuy (Jul 11, 2017)

gkeep said:


> Great project!
> It looks like the skirt guard was made of hard laid cotton seine twine using the standard fishermans netting knot. Here's the stuff you want if you are looking to reproduce those with that same weight of material.
> 
> Your really bringing it back to life. An oxalic acid/wood bleach soak for the seat frame could take clean up that rust on it.
> ...




Thanks Gary.  I'm not sure whether I'll reproduce the existing skirt guard knots or knot.  I might see what I can find at the craft store.  That's a rainy day project!

Good point on the seat frame.  I've used oxalic to clean the rest of the bike and the seat does need some TLC.  

It's a beautiful time to visit Upstate NY.  Here's the view my wife and I have every night!  The bike isn't always out on the dock, but I couldn't resist!!








Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## SCFlyGuy (Jul 14, 2017)

Bathed the seat frame and pedals in oxalic acid and got a lot of the rust off.  I also did a little reskirting to get it rideable for the weekend.  




Here is a close-up of the skirt guard.  I used burgundy and orange hemp (coated in beeswax) to match the colors of the frame.  I used fishing swivels to provide a tie-off point.  It made things easier and I like the way it turned out.  It's far from perfect, but this was my first attempt.  




The next job is to figure why the horn only works intermittently.  Not sure is I have a balky switch or a bad battery connection.  

As always, comments or suggestions are welcomed!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## saladshooter (Jul 14, 2017)




----------



## fordmike65 (Jul 14, 2017)

Looking good!!!


----------



## SCFlyGuy (Jul 14, 2017)

saladshooter said:


> View attachment 644464




Thanks saladshooter - I note that the original equipment was a 'two-toned corded' material.  I'm wondering how the original weaving was done?   I haven't been able to find a pattern or a tutorial.  


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## szathmarig (Jul 14, 2017)

Here's a bike just like it on eBay, but way over priced. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1938-ROADMA...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649


----------



## rusty.kirkpatrick (Jul 14, 2017)

Dang, that patina is perfect. Good work bud.


----------



## vincev (Jul 14, 2017)

Oxy bath will make it stunning.


----------



## SCFlyGuy (Jul 15, 2017)

szathmarig said:


> Here's a bike just like it on eBay, but way over priced. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1938-ROADMA...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649




Yikes!!!   I guess the $25 I paid is looking better and better!!!!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## THEGOLDENGREEK (Jul 15, 2017)

Bike came out awesome looking good!


----------

