# Paint Removal Dilema



## GenuineRides (Jul 20, 2009)

I have a dilema, I picked up a '65 Stingray frame painted campus green, and I can see in the bottom bracket cups area that it was originally lime green.  Now I have heard from several old Schwinn bike shop owners that the factory would re-spray frames based upon what they had more demand for at the time.  So this could be an original '65 lime with great paint underneath, but underneath a campus top coat and silver under coat (maybe even another primer?).  Do I remove the top two layers, and how, effectively?  Can it even be done?  Is it worth the risk?  I guess if I really needed a lime '65 I could repaint this frame at probably less time and cost.  Am I compromising the value considerably by repainting rather than trying to strip it?


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## JLarkin (Jul 20, 2009)

The way I see it you already have a repainted bike.  Repainted at the factory, repainted somewhere else, documented, etc., still the same end result.  You could spend weeks, days, hours wet sanding the top two coats off but what guaranteed results would you have after all that hard work?


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## militarymonark (Jul 20, 2009)

synthetic reducer these are my results


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## akikuro (Jul 20, 2009)

*will it work on chrome plated parts?*

Hi Patrick
Would this work for removing paint from chrome? i have a torrington stem that was painted silver- i can see the chrome underneath and want to take it off without damaging the chrome

tks


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## militarymonark (Jul 20, 2009)

same stuff but use it with steel wool it takes the paint off faster and rust at the same time


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## GenuineRides (Jul 21, 2009)

Does the reducer work well on enamel paints?  It seems everyone used to paint their bikes at home with house paint, some basic oils, maybe even lates.  How do you prevent the paint from pentrating the next coat?


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## zagar (Aug 1, 2009)

*2 cents*

just my 2 cents on this one. This would have not been a factory repaint. Unless the frame was laying around the factory 2 years. Campus Green did not come out until the 67 model year.


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## GenuineRides (Aug 1, 2009)

*paint info.*

You're right, thanks for your input, I wondered about that too.  So I went to an old Schwinn store owner friend of mine and asked about custom paint.  His store has been around since the 1940's.  He started working there in 1970 and eventually ended up owning it.  He said they could really order anything they wanted at any time, if you were willing to wait.  Especially if you were a member of their "500 Club" (500 bikes sold per year), this store was at that level.  I asked about the years.  He showed me his red mini twinn (1968 only).  They never made that model in red, and it was factory red for sure, vintage oxidation, scratches, yellowed decals and all.  I said what's up?  The kicker is he ordered the frame in 1970, when he started working there, and built it as a parade bike in 1970, years after they discontinued that model.  The factory had some frames laying around that didn't sell.  This one happened to be a campus green one resprayed silver base then red (you could see on the wear on the chainguard).  So it is feasible that the factory had lime frames hanging around from 1965 that did not sell, because I guess the color wasn't that popular, that was then sprayed campus green later, maybe 1967 when tath color took off.  The campus green on my fraame is definitely factory and old, or some dad owned a body shop in the late 60's and exactly duplicated campus green with base coat and ordered factory decals to replace them also.


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## sensor (Aug 1, 2009)

akikuro said:


> Hi Patrick
> Would this work for removing paint from chrome? i have a torrington stem that was painted silver- i can see the chrome underneath and want to take it off without damaging the chrome
> 
> tks




just regular lacquer thinner will work the fastest for that(ive gotten plenty of chainrings that were slathered in housepaint that cleaned up really well.....)just soak a rag let it sit for a minute and start wiping it off
id only do this for unpainted parts i.e. chrome/nickle plated it will destroy original paint!! go with military monarks stuff for paint on paint


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