# First schwinn to play with



## Melissamp99 (Jun 9, 2015)

Ok guys so this is what I picked up yesterday.  It's a 1968 schwinn copperton typhoon w/bendix.  It has some surface rust but is in overall good condition.  My question is this. Since there are no markings on the bendix how do I know what it is and if it is original to the bike. 


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## pedal_junky (Jun 9, 2015)

Looking pretty sporty there! Bendix Red Band is more than likely original. Your paint looks pretty good, I really like the Coppertone bikes. Congrats!


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## rustjunkie (Jun 9, 2015)

Here's some good info on Bendix hubs of this era:

http://www.trfindley.com/pgbndxhbs.html


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## Freqman1 (Jun 9, 2015)

It doesn't look like this bike has been messed with and looks original to me. Why would you think it is not original? V/r Shawn


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## Pantmaker (Jun 9, 2015)

Nice original bike. Screws and bolts all look nice and fresh...been together forever.


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## Melissamp99 (Jun 9, 2015)

Freqman1 said:


> It doesn't look like this bike has been messed with and looks original to me. Why would you think it is not original? V/r Shawn



It's not that I don't think they are original,  it's just that there is no makers mark on the rim. So I want sure what I was looking at. 

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## Melissamp99 (Jun 9, 2015)

rustjunkie said:


> Here's some good info on Bendix hubs of this era:
> 
> http://www.trfindley.com/pgbndxhbs.html



Thanks that was informative. 

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## sfhschwinn (Jun 9, 2015)

I believe almost all 60s and up schwinns came with either bendix or sturmey archer rear hubs. the front hubs were always stamped Schwinn. 50s era and below came with new departure, Schwinn approved hubs and sometimes others as well. The rims on yours should be stamped Schwinn S7 which is 26x 1 3/4. your tires look to be the originals to. If they are they will be stamped Schwinn Westwind


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## Melissamp99 (Jun 9, 2015)

sfhschwinn said:


> I believe almost all 60s and up schwinns came with either bendix or sturmey archer rear hubs. the front hubs were always stamped Schwinn. 50s era and below came with new departure, Schwinn approved hubs and sometimes others as well. The rims on yours should be stamped Schwinn S7 which is 26x 1 3/4. your tires look to be the originals to. If they are they will be stamped Schwinn Westwind



Thank you I will look on the side of the rims when I clean her up tomorrow.  

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## Melissamp99 (Jun 10, 2015)

Melissamp99 said:


> Thank you I will look on the side of the rims when I clean her up tomorrow.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk



Ok my first battle with the rust is over for the day.  I tried the foil method and lots of elbow grease.  But only some of the rust came off.  I think I'm going to have to up my  scrubber to some 0000 steel wool.  

















The arms on the fenders are pretty rusty.  As is the seat post,  which I am thinking about replacing for saftey reasons.

Tomorrow I will try some acid as well. Oh and I tried the coke trick. 

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## Melissamp99 (Jun 10, 2015)

Melissamp99 said:


> Ok my first battle with the rust is over for the day.  I tried the foil method and lots of elbow grease.  But only some of the rust came off.  I think I'm going to have to up my  scrubber to some 0000 steel wool.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Um  coke trick! Lol 

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## bricycle (Jun 10, 2015)

Acid will definately cause you to not be as concerned with the saddle and fender braces.

All kidding aside, she is beautiful already, Some oxcilac(sp) acid on the braces may help. what is unsafe re: the seat? is there structural damage?
I believe my 1965 Typhoon had a Bendix as well.


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## Melissamp99 (Jun 10, 2015)

I'm concerned with the structural integrity of the post itself.  It seems very very rusty.  

Oh and we're does one get that osilic acid? 
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## bricycle (Jun 10, 2015)

Melissamp99 said:


> I'm concerned with the structural integrity of the post itself.  It seems very very rusty.
> 
> Oh and we're does one get that osilic acid?
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk




Ox acid available at most hardware stores as wood bleach. I bought like 5 lbs of it off ebay cheaply.... Wire brush post and see whats left. I have one if you need one.


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## Melissamp99 (Jun 10, 2015)

bricycle said:


> Ox acid available at most hardware stores as wood bleach. I bought like 5 lbs of it off ebay cheaply.... Wire brush post and see whats left. I have one if you need one.



Thanks how much? 

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## bricycle (Jun 10, 2015)

Melissamp99 said:


> Thanks how much?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk




If I can find it how's $8 shipped?


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## Melissamp99 (Jun 10, 2015)

bricycle said:


> If I can find it how's $8 shipped?



Cool do you have PayPal? 



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## bricycle (Jun 10, 2015)

pm sent...


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## sfhschwinn (Jun 10, 2015)

the seat post will be fine. It is not really rusty rather the chrome is gone due to the rust that ate it off. I have ridden worse posts than that. You will be fine, it is American made high quality steel.


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## SirMike1983 (Jun 10, 2015)

Just remember that if you Oxalic acid those braces, the acid will remove whatever plating is also left on them. If you don't mind stripping them to bare metal and re-finishing, that is ok. But if you are trying to save any plating left on them, the acid will hurt, not help here.


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## Big Moe (Jun 10, 2015)

It looks like you got a nice Schwinn to start with. Congrats Melissa. A Schwinn is always a good place to start and yours looks pretty good.


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## Melissamp99 (Jun 11, 2015)

SirMike1983 said:


> Just remember that if you Oxalic acid those braces, the acid will remove whatever plating is also left on them. If you don't mind stripping them to bare metal and re-finishing, that is ok. But if you are trying to save any plating left on them, the acid will hurt, not help here.



I did not know that about the acid eating the paint off. Thank you for stopping me.  

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## Melissamp99 (Jun 15, 2015)

So will the acid step the chrome? Or damage aluminum rims? 

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## SirMike1983 (Jun 15, 2015)

Melissamp99 said:


> So will the acid step the chrome? Or damage aluminum rims?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk




You're going to use a "diluted" form of Oxalic Acid that is not as strong as the deck bleaching mixture. It should not be a threat to chrome. In fact, it is one of the better methods for removing rust from chrome parts. Some people see the acid "pulling up" or "flaking" chrome. What is really happening is that rust has gotten under the chrome, and the oxalic acid is attacking the rust. The chrome falls off because rust has gotten under it, not because the acid is attacking the chrome. This is generally an issue only with very badly off pieces. Chrome parts in fair or better condition often respond very well to acid treatment. 

Do not subject aluminum to Oxalic Acid- it can dull and pit aluminum parts. The same goes for CAD plated and galvanized parts- do not subject them to acid as it may damage the surface. 

Painted steel parts should be dipped with caution and close monitoring for paint loss. Many painted parts respond well, but some respond poorly depending on the composition of the paint and primer at hand.


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## Melissamp99 (Jun 15, 2015)

Thank you very Much for the info! 

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## Melissamp99 (Jun 15, 2015)

I am soaking a rim right now.  It is cleaning up nicely. But I can feel rough specs of rust on the rim. Am I not soaking it log enough or is this what happens? 

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## SirMike1983 (Jun 15, 2015)

The soak can take awhile if you have a lot of rust. Every so often, I take a copper or bronze bristle brush and gently brush the rust patches to help the process along. Remember if the rust went through the plating to the base steel, you will have a rough spot permanently. Oxalic acid removes surface rust and will clean out pitting, but the actual loss of plating from years of rust is permanent unless you re-plate.


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## Melissamp99 (Jun 15, 2015)

Ok great thank you.  

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## Melissamp99 (Jun 15, 2015)

Oh what will this do to the sprocket? 

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## SirMike1983 (Jun 15, 2015)

Melissamp99 said:


> Oh what will this do to the sprocket?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk




If the sprocket is chrome plated, it will respond the same as the other chromed parts. I don't have too many Schwinn sprockets from the 1960s, but the ones I have from the 1940s responded well enough.


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## Melissamp99 (Jun 15, 2015)

But what if it's not? I'm not sure if I went to far with the dip or not. But I got some spots that look like silver when it tarnishes. 

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## StevieZ (Jun 15, 2015)

I have a schwinn for you lol


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## Melissamp99 (Jun 15, 2015)

StevieZ said:


> I have a schwinn for you lol
> 
> View attachment 220229



For me?! You shouldn't have!!! 

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## SirMike1983 (Jun 15, 2015)

When the parts come out of the dip, rinse them with cold water and scrub them a bit with a soft cloth to make sure the acid solution is gone. Then dry them out and polish with Simichrome or similar polish as needed.


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## Melissamp99 (Jun 15, 2015)

I did that. But in one of the rims I have spots where it looks tarnished.  The first batch of acid dip I made was kind of strong.  But then I read one of the guys post on here and diluted it down.  Is it possible to damage the chrome with this stuff? 

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## Jeff54 (Jun 16, 2015)

Melissamp99 said:


> I did that. But in one of the rims I have spots where it looks tarnished.  The first batch of acid dip I made was kind of strong.  But then I read one of the guys post on here and diluted it down.  Is it possible to damage the chrome with this stuff?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk




No, the acid is not strong enough to hurt chrome, nor steel in short periods of time, Aluminum and zinc are softer metals and susceptible to etching though. 

Also, after you've dipped rims, this is something most forget, Schwinn rims are formed from tubes and have breathing holes inside the edges of inner rim. There's no way to clean out the acid once you've dipped them so,, dipping them for a while with a neutralizer of baking soda and water is a good idea. Otherwise, nightmares, years later, of rust eating from the inside to out may come true. 

It took me 3-4 days, soaking sections at a time, 24-36 hours per section,   to get this rim clean, with a 1 tablespoon to 1 gallon oxy mix. There is black pitting on the rim that's unavoidable as, the rust had already come through in those places. 

View attachment 220317



Personally, I don't understand why you're going through that much trouble on your rims though.. Even after dipping rims you'll need to be polishing them with as much effort as you would have needed on yours before dipping.. Those rims are not that bad. 

After dipping my rim and where it's now clean and shiny, that's only after the first stage of polishing, post dip with aluminum foil. It's not going to clean up much more but to complete this process I'll need two more phases; fine polishing and then sealing the pitted areas. Plus I have not neutralized the acid on the 2nd photo, yet. 

It looks like you're going through over kill on yours because, by the time you're finished, those rims will most likely come out the same as if you had used a soft brass brush and a good polishing compound. 

BTW the seat post is zinc plated. You do not need to replace it "For safety concerns" It's good thick steel and no where remotely close to rusting to dust, just give it a good cleaning with brass brush. Or if too much zinc comes off steel wool and seal it.


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## Melissamp99 (Jun 16, 2015)

Thanks for the advice.  Unfortunately years of working with my hands puts me in too much pain to do a lot of scrubbing.  So I'm dipping to help cut down on the scrubbing process.  I have already neutralized the rims and put one coat of Polish on them.  They look great!  Thanks 

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## Jeff54 (Jun 16, 2015)

Melissamp99 said:


> Thanks for the advice.  Unfortunately years of working with my hands puts me in too much pain to do a lot of scrubbing.  So I'm dipping to help cut down on the scrubbing process.  I have already neutralized the rims and put one coat of Polish on them.  They look great!  Thanks
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk




Ya think?

Trust me on this thought, I do not do any polishing or scrubbing that I don't need too, but with some Naproxen, (generic for Advil)  I do what I gotta,  no more than I must. [grin]

View attachment 220339


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## Melissamp99 (Jun 16, 2015)

Better Living through good drugs! Lol

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## Artifex (Jun 16, 2015)

*Rust Remediation*



Melissamp99 said:


> Ok my first battle with the rust is over for the day.  I tried the foil method and lots of elbow grease.  But only some of the rust came off.  I think I'm going to have to up my  scrubber to some 0000 steel wool.
> Tomorrow I will try some acid as well. Oh and I tried the coke trick.




There are so many threads about rust it's overwhelming.  I think I have read them all, and watched most of the videos on Youtube.   My favorites are using bronze wool, not steel wool, with some polishing (or maybe rubbing) compound, with Simichrome or Nevrdull to finish polish.  Detractors of steel wool claim it leaves almost-microscopic scratches and I tend to agree with them; bronze wool shouldn't and it's not overly expensive.  I have heard so many miracle stories about oxalic acid with amazing before and after pictures that I am going to give that a try, but have not done so yet.   Where the rust has damaged the finish and you just want to neutralize it I _can _recommend "Ospho" which you can get at any Ace hardware store. Antique car guys swear by this stuff and I have found it very effective. 

I agree with others - the coppertone paint is always cool, especially on a larger frame like this.  Yours looks very nice - congratulations!


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## Melissamp99 (Jun 16, 2015)

Thanks I am soaking a rim right now that is off of my first love.  My columbia. In kinda scared as the rust is coming off, but if looks very dull.  The  turtle wax rust remover and Polish sucks so I think I will try that Simichrome stuff allot of the guys talk about.  I'm hoping my rin shines up nicely.  I can say this about the results from  the  oxalic acid. That stuff works pretty dam good at removing the rust. But as I am a rookie at this, I'm not sure when to pull the rim out.  Guess is a learning process. 

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## Joshua_Alynn (Feb 2, 2016)

Here is my '68 Typhoon! Awesome bikes!


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## keith kodish (Feb 2, 2016)

nice bike! red band,rbi bend rear hubs were correct for a standard one speed schwinn in the '60's. one of the easiest hubs to rebuild,and one of the best hubs ever built,in my opinion. i recommend TR-3,made by blue magic,a resin glaze,for cleaning up the paint. won't screw up the decals,chain guard lettering,too. good luck,and enjoy,Keith


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## juanitasmith13 (Feb 3, 2016)

Melissamp99 said:


> Ok guys so this is what I picked up yesterday.  It's a 1968 schwinn copperton typhoon w/bendix.  It has some surface rust but is in overall good condition.  My question is this. Since there are no markings on the bendix how do I know what it is and if it is original to the bike.
> 
> <br />
> <br />
> ...




Red Bands were used until early 1970s when Bendix manufacturing was moved to Mexico; the Mexico brake was similar inside but hub had knurlled bands instead of a Red Band. LOOK at your brake arm; it should say: RB2. That was the brake for your bike, used from about 1965 to about 1972...


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## juanitasmith13 (Feb 3, 2016)

Melissamp99 said:


> Ok guys so this is what I picked up yesterday.  It's a 1968 schwinn copperton typhoon w/bendix.  It has some surface rust but is in overall good condition.  My question is this. Since there are no markings on the bendix how do I know what it is and if it is original to the bike.
> 
> <br />
> <br />
> ...


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## keith kodish (Feb 3, 2016)

juanitasmith13 said:


> Red Bands were used until early 1970s when Bendix manufacturing was moved to Mexico; the Mexico brake was similar inside but hub had knurlled bands instead of a Red Band. LOOK at your brake arm; it should say: RB2. That was the brake for your bike, used from about 1965 to about 1972...



actually,the bend rb2 was used all the way back to '63,f.y.i....


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## vincev (Feb 3, 2016)

Enjoy the bike.Lookin good.


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