# Gramp's Firestone Vagabond... ID and repair questions.



## DJ Bill (Oct 26, 2013)

Recently I was able to return to the old place and found my Grandpa's old bike he used to commute from Allendale, NJ to the train station on.. From what I can tell he was commuting in the 40's and 50's on it, then in the 60's he took it to the local bike shop so it could be rehabbed for use biking around with us kids in tow on our new Schwinns. So, it has a few Schwinn parts, notably the grips and possibly the bars. 
    In the late 70's I was the big biker in the family and rode my Suburban everywhere, but occasionally rode Gramp's bike as well. I remember it riding pretty nicely for an old single speed and it wasn't very heavy at all. Unfortunately a wheelie attempt snapped off the fork  right at the lower bearing, and it got relegated to the junkpile. 

 Fast forward to today, and it is time to give the poor thing some attention, and at least make it rideable again. Gramps is long gone, but having his bike in the family is pretty cool. I'd like to keep as many original pieces on it, even the Schwinn grips, and derust with something that doesn't totally destroy what little original finish is left. I have a lathe now, and I believe I can make a strong repair of the fork by machining an insert to replace the original stub from the fork base, and welding it in place instead of the original pin that was there. 

    Here are a couple of pics. With the broken fork it is all balanced in place for the shot, which is why things don't look exactly right.










The headbadge says Firestone Lightweight Vagabond. ( Googling that name gets me some totally different and newer bikes.) 

Can anyone narrow down the year and actual maker of the bike? It has a Mesinger seat with a black leather cover that is toast...Where to get a new cover?

Any thoughts on how to best derust and yet preserve the paint that is left, which is a dark green with gold striping. ???


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## Stinky_Sullivan (Oct 27, 2013)

If the rust is very fine, oxalic acid works great without harming the paint. You would need a container to hold the piece you're treating. A kiddie pool works great. Oxalic acid crystals are cheap on eBay. Keep animals away from it though. One method that works for ALL rust is molasses. Mix 9 parts water with 1 part molasses. Lets the parts soak in the solution. Check YouTube for video's if you have any doubt about this method. It does take time though. Typically 2 weeks but it will remove ALL RUST. I've never heard any claims that it harms paint.


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## DJ Bill (Oct 27, 2013)

I found the bike on Nostalgic.net in a 1941 Firestone catalog.  I still do not know who actually made the bike but found out it is a cream colored pinstripe.. and it is the standard Vagabond model. 

http://www.nostalgic.net/bicycle323/picture1336

I'll do a search for the oxalic acid method. Thanks!


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