# '47 Hex Tube



## Freqman1

Slowly bringing the Hex Tube back to life (last pic is as bought). Most everything is cleaning up pretty decent but won't be perfect which is ok with me. I'm not going to do any re-chrome or restore the seat so it will have a little character. The concessions I will make are restoring the headlight (not shown) and I may swap out the drop centers for some new ones. I may be able to save the Pharis snakebelly tires for display but they can never be ridden. Notice the unique hex bracket for the chain guard. I have the main part of the fork at the machine shop being repaired--the head tube was actually bent pretty good. I hope to have this one together shortly. More to follow. V/r Shawn


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## Obi-Wan Schwinnobi

Freqman1 said:


> Slowly bringing the Hex Tube back to life (last pic is as bought). Most everything is cleaning up pretty decent but won't be perfect which is ok with me. I'm not going to do any re-chrome or restore the seat so it will have a little character. The concession I will make are restoring the headlight (not shown) and I may swap out the drop centers for some new ones. I may be able to save the Pharis snakebelly tires for display but they can never be ridden. Notice the unique hex bracket for the chain guard. I have the main part of the fork at the machine shop being repaired--the head tube was actually bent pretty good. I hope to have this one together shortly. More to follow. V/r Shawn




Nice!..... Nice snake bellies.... Are you gonns use them?


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## tailhole

super cool!  WOW!


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## Freqman1

Obi-Wan Schwinnobi said:


> Nice!..... Nice snake bellies.... Are you gonns use them?




The tires have some issues and are not suitable for riding. I think they can be repaired for display though so I'll probably try to turn them for a few $$ when I go to MLC. V/r Shawn


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## island schwinn

looking good so far.i hope mine turns out as nice.


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## Freqman1

This is a bike I have wanted since before even collecting bikes. I saw one years ago in the now defunct Stone Mountain Auto Museum. There were a lot of bikes in there that have since been scattered to the four winds but the Hex Tube stuck in my mind along with the '20ish HD. So what year is yours? Post up some pics of where your at with it. V/r Shawn


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## bike

*I soo wanted to buy the bike*

first it seemed it was in AZ and then in the midwest- would not send decent pictures and I did not feel comfortable bidding- oh well.
Congrats on a great bike!


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## THEGOLDENGREEK

Very nice bike!


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## bike

*A since passed GA collector Frank Baker had a lot of bikes*



Freqman1 said:


> This is a bike I have wanted since before even collecting bikes. I saw one years ago in the now defunct Stone Mountain Auto Museum. There were a lot of bikes in there that have since been scattered to the four winds but the Hex Tube stuck in my mind along with the '20ish HD. So what year is yours? Post up some pics of where your at with it. V/r Shawn




and I believe some were on display at Stone Mountain- never got to go there.


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## Sped Man

You are very lucky, your bike looks awesome. If you decide to sell that chain guard PM me  I had to ask...


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## island schwinn

i haven't made any progress on mine.i found an almost nos pedestal light and have a rear rack being repaired.i checked a few areas under the crust and the chrome might be ok with the exception of the chainguard.


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## Freqman1

looks like yours is pretty nice as well. The light is a tough piece to find and mine has a repo top on it so I'll be hunting the rare aluminum top. I have heard of someone considering reproducing this piece in aluminum-not John but we'll see. So what year is your bike-'47 as well? BTW Sped the only way the chain guard ever gets sold is with the bike and I don't see that happening for quite a while! I will keep an eye out for you though and let you know if I come across one. I still thnk you could get yours rechromed for less than $100 which I'm pretty sure is cheaper than what an original will cost. V/r Shawn


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## Sped Man

Freqman1 said:


> looks like yours is pretty nice as well. The light is a tough piece to find and mine has a repo top on it so I'll be hunting the rare aluminum top. I have heard of someone considering reproducing this piece in aluminum-not John but we'll see. So what year is your bike-'47 as well? BTW Sped the only way the chain guard ever gets sold is with the bike and I don't see that happening for quite a while! I will keep an eye out for you though and let you know if I come across one. I still thnk you could get yours rechromed for less than $100 which I'm pretty sure is cheaper than what an original will cost. V/r Shawn




Rechroming is expensive around here. I was quoted $600 for four pieces. Which translates into $150 each piece. Individually it will be more. I only know of one place in Chicago that chrome plates. There are probably more. Finding a good chrome plater is hard. Some do crappy work. Hopefully someone will repop these guards out one day. Thanks for looking for me. I appreciate it. We SilverKing Hex Tube owners have to stick together.


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## Sped Man

Freqman1 said:


> Slowly bringing the Hex Tube back to life (last pic is as bought). Most everything is cleaning up pretty decent but won't be perfect which is ok with me. I'm not going to do any re-chrome or restore the seat so it will have a little character. The concessions I will make are restoring the headlight (not shown) and I may swap out the drop centers for some new ones. I may be able to save the Pharis snakebelly tires for display but they can never be ridden. Notice the unique hex bracket for the chain guard. I have the main part of the fork at the machine shop being repaired--the head tube was actually bent pretty good. I hope to have this one together shortly. More to follow. V/r Shawn





My chainguard also came with this unique mounting bracket.


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## Freqman1

Seriously Sped I would check around. Have you tried to get a quote from Proctors Metal Refinishing, Muskegon, Mi, 1-800-383-4277? Another place to try would be Custom Plating Specialist, Brillion, WI, 920-756-3284. I think if you stripped and cleaned the guard it could be plated for under $100 if it doesn't need any serious straightening or repairs. V/r Shawn


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## Sped Man

Freqman1 said:


> Seriously Sped I would check around. Have you tried to get a quote from Proctors Metal Refinishing, Muskegon, Mi, 1-800-383-4277? Another place to try would be Custom Plating Specialist, Brillion, WI, 920-756-3284. I think if you stripped and cleaned the guard it could be plated for under $100 if it doesn't need any serious straightening or repairs. V/r Shawn




Shipping cost would kill me. The odds of the post office losing it isn't worth the grief. I have to find someone close to me.  Right now, I am not in a rush. Eventually one will turn up. If not then I will consider rechroming it. I am getting use to the red chain guard  It adds a bit of color to a normally all chrome looking bike. Don't you think?


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## island schwinn

Freqman1 said:


> So what year is your bike-'47 as well?




i'm not sure what year mine is.i asked the question on here a while back and never got an answer.the bottom plate says model 48 on it,but the serial number is hard to read.


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## Freqman1

Is your rack like mine or is it the cheese grater? I believe the '48 had the cheese grater rack. V/r Shawn


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## jkent

Shawn,
I have joined you guys in the Hex community. Worked out a deal with Mike on this Hex. Now I just have to wait for the arrival.
Any idea on the front fender light? Original or not? I have never seen another one with a light like this.
JKent


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## prewarbikes4sale

The light is not original. Not sure of make


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## Freqman1

jkent said:


> Shawn,
> I have joined you guys in the Hex community. Worked out a deal with Mike on this Hex. Now I just have to wait for the arrival.
> Any idea on the front fender light? Original or not? I have never seen another one with a light like this.
> JKent





Congrats Joe! Like Mike said the headlight is not original. See the pic that Island Schwinn posted. That would be the light you would want to hunt--no easy feat! If you can find a pedestal light for a steel bike they can be modified. The tops and mounting base are reproduced in a high quality resin--see Ebay which means you just have to find a suitable donor body. V/r Shawn


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## bike

*perhaps the "pedistal"*



prewarbikes4sale said:


> The light is not original. Not sure of make




that this incorrect light is sitting is correct- hard to tell


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## Freqman1

I believe it is but would need a better pic. Revision--After looking closer I believe it is correct but mounted backwards on the fender. V/r Shawn


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## island schwinn

Freqman1 said:


> Is your rack like mine or is it the cheese grater? I believe the '48 had the cheese grater rack. V/r Shawn




i got the bike without a rear rack,then i bought one like yours on ebay.then another member told me it was the wrong one.so i found a cheesegrater on ebay and bought it.it didn't fit and had the frame mounted legs.spedman bought the rack i thought was wrong and i've since picked up another earlier rack.i guess you could call it the rackaround


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## jkent

I got the Hex Tube today. 
I have 26" triple step wheels on front and back but the back hub is a Morrow Skip tooth hub. 
The front sprocket is not skip tooth. By looking at the pictures of other bikes the front sprocket is right but the rear hub has been changed. I was hoping I was going to be able to ride it today  Guess NOT! 
What should I do? can I just change the cog on the rear hub or will I have to change the whole hub?
Also looking for an Original seat that still has leather on it.
JKent


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## Freqman1

I don't believe the wheels are correct.  I believe they should be standard drop centers. Mine has a ND front and the early (first year?) Bendix rear. These were all 1/2" pitch. The seat on mine (original) is not leather but some sort of synthetic material in a dark red/black pattern. I am hunting one of the acorn nuts for the springer and one acorn nut for the front axle. I have all the chrome cleaned, re-laced the front wheel to a better rim (still need to do rear), need to finish restoring the headlight, and finish the frame polish before I'm riding but it should be a beauty! V/r Shawn


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## Sped Man

jkent said:


> I got the Hex Tube today.
> I have 26" triple step wheels on front and back but the back hub is a Morrow Skip tooth hub.
> The front sprocket is not skip tooth. By looking at the pictures of other bikes the front sprocket is right but the rear hub has been changed. I was hoping I was going to be able to ride it today  Guess NOT!
> What should I do? can I just change the cog on the rear hub or will I have to change the whole hub?
> Also looking for an Original seat that still has leather on it.
> JKent




JKent post some photos! Sounds like you will be in the market for a rear hub. My suggestion is to pick up a ND 2 speed setup. Either that or a Bendix 2 speed manual hub and use the ND shifter and pulley. The cheaper route would be the Bendix 2 speed manual hub. I swapped out my hub for the 2 speed manual version. With a few modification you will be up and running within a day or two at an affordable price.


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## Freqman1

Actually it sounds like you're in the market for a new set of wheels. In the mean time you could just switch out the rear sprocket which would be the cheapest and easiest option. V/r Shawn


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## Sped Man

Freqman1 what have you done so far to the bike? Is it assembled yet? Did you replace the gooseneck? Please post updated photos! Inquiring minds want to know and see


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## prewarbikes4sale

*Desriable wheels*



jkent said:


> I got the Hex Tube today.
> I have 26" triple step wheels on front and back but the back hub is a Morrow Skip tooth hub.
> The front sprocket is not skip tooth. By looking at the pictures of other bikes the front sprocket is right but the rear hub has been changed. I was hoping I was going to be able to ride it today  Guess NOT!
> What should I do? can I just change the cog on the rear hub or will I have to change the whole hub?
> Also looking for an Original seat that still has leather on it.
> JKent




You should offer the triple step wheels up for trade for plain drop center wheels. Those wheels are desirable. Mike


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## Freqman1

Sped Man said:


> Freqman1 what have you done so far to the bike? Is it assembled yet? Did you replace the gooseneck? Please post updated photos! Inquiring minds want to know and see




Right now I'm polishing the frame. All the chrome shined up pretty good and I'm re-lacing a new set of rims with the old hubs which have been cleaned/serviced. The fork is still at the machine shop-should pick up Weds. I'll post up a few pics this evening of where I'm at so far. V/r Shawn


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## Sped Man

Freqman1 said:


> Right now I'm polishing the frame. All the chrome shined up pretty good and I'm re-lacing a new set of rims with the old hubs which have been cleaned/serviced. The fork is still at the machine shop-should pick up Weds. I'll post up a few pics this evening of where I'm at so far. V/r Shawn




Tell us how are you polishing up the frame? What are you using? Are you doing it with a machine or by hand? What product are you finding that works best for polishing the frame? 
Sped Man


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## Freqman1

*Latest Progress*

Ok so I'm doing the things I mentioned a couple posts back and attached are some pics of where I'm at. My main focus right now is re-lacing the wheels and polishing the frame.

Polishing the frame-how I do it: 
As many of you know these frames were clear coated at the factory. Over time places get worn or nicked and oxidized. The first thing I did was strip the clear coat with a paint remover and thinner. Next I started with a 220 wet sand (all sanding was done wet) on only the areas where there was a nick, scrape, or gouge. A couple of these were too deep to remove but will not be very noticeable when polished. Next I hit the whole bike with 400. For some reason the clear stayed on the tubes pretty well and I could have probably got by with 800 but it was just easier by the time I hit the trouble spots to do everything. Next I went to 600, 800, 1000 and finally 1500. Expect to spend some serious time with your bike if you do this! I'm sure there are a number of good aluminum polishes but I like Mothers mag polish which I do by hand first and then finish with a buffing wheel last. I intend to use Johnsons paste wax to seal it. I've seen this used on polished steel parts and it hold up pretty well. I'm sure some of you have access to better tools or materials and you could skin this cat any number of ways. Also if you have a really nice frame you can go to a finer grit right away and save a lot of time.

The thing I wanted to be careful of, and why I did so much by hand, was that I didn't want to loose the crispness of the edges on the hex tubes which could happen if you get aggressive/careless with power tools. Hopefully only one more set of in progress and then final pics. 

Notes about pics; notice the seat and the pattern-not leather, last pic is of 600 with light polish on head tube. Should shine up quite a bit more when finished. Lastly the light you see has a repo top and the main part is from a steel early postwar bike that I will modify (where lines are drawn) to be correct for the Hex Tube. I will do a separate post when I restore the light. V/r Shawn


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## Sped Man

Freqman1 said:


> Ok so I'm doing the things I mentioned a couple posts back and attached are some pics of where I'm at. My main focus right now is re-lacing the wheels and polishing the frame.
> 
> Polishing the frame-how I do it:
> As many of you know these frames were clear coated at the factory. Over time places get worn or nicked and oxidized. The first thing I did was strip the clear coat with a paint remover and thinner. Next I started with a 220 wet sand (all sanding was done wet) on only the areas where there was a nick, scrape, or gouge. A couple of these were too deep to remove but will not be very noticeable when polished. Next I hit the whole bike with 400. For some reason the clear stayed on the tubes pretty well and I could have probably got by with 800 but it was just easier by the time I hit the trouble spots to do everything. Next I went to 600, 800, 1000 and finally 1500. Expect to spend some serious time with your bike if you do this! I'm sure there are a number of good aluminum polishes but I like Mothers mag polish which I do by hand first and then finish with a buffing wheel last. I intend to use Johnsons paste wax to seal it. I've seen this used on polished steel parts and it hold up pretty well. I'm sure some of you have access to better tools or materials and you could skin this cat any number of ways. Also if you have a really nice frame you can go to a finer grit right away and save a lot of time.
> 
> The thing I wanted to be careful of, and why I did so much by hand, was that I didn't want to loose the crispness of the edges on the hex tubes which could happen if you get aggressive/careless with power tools. Hopefully only one more set of in progress and then final pics.
> 
> Notes about pics; notice the seat and the pattern-not leather, last pic is of 600 with light polish on head tube. Should shine up quite a bit more when finished. Lastly the light you see has a repo top and the main part is from a steel early postwar bike that I will modify (where lines are drawn) to be correct for the Hex Tube. I will do a separate post when I restore the light. V/r Shawn





Nice job with the top tube. I am glad you were able to purchased the lower pedestal light base from a CABE member to replace the one you have. I was about to contact you when I noticed that you rang in for the kill. You were right, it does take a long time to polish but it is definitely worth the time and effort. Your bike is going to look fantastic when done. If you need help polishing that chain guard PM me.


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## Momo

Looks great, Shawn. How many hours do you have into the polishing process?


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## Freqman1

Momo said:


> Looks great, Shawn. How many hours do you have into the polishing process?




I'm figuring somewhere between 15-20 by the time its all said and done. V/r Shawn


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## island schwinn

it's coming out real nice.
i broke down and greased the hubs and rode mine this weekend.what a cadillac.can't wait to see more pics of progress.i need the inspiration.


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## Freqman1

*Light Resto*

I started the light restoration today. I started with a repo top, a repo lens, and a base and body from a steel frame early post war Monark that was rotted in front. Using the top I marked where I would cut the body and did this with a tin snips and finished with a small grinder. Next I drilled the rivets and took the guts out because I'm going to make this functional. Next I polished the bottom and then applied some JB weld to the bad side. All I have left to do is find me a headlight reflector and paint the body. V/r Shawn


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## jkent

I have been keeping an eye out on ebay for one of the repop light covers and I still have not been able to find one.
Anyone know who it is that sells them?
How to contact them?
Thanks, JKent


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## Freqman1

*Frame Polish*

So I finished the frame tonight and will start this week putting the bike back together and hope to do a check ride by the end of the week unless life gets in the way! V/r Shawn


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## RustyK

Wow that is pretty!


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## Momo

Wow... I already though it looked amazing but that is exponentially better that it was in your Feb 18 post. Fine work.


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## Sped Man

I like, I like....I like that chainguard


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## Sped Man

Freqman1 said:


> So I finished the frame tonight and will start this week putting the bike back together and hope to do a check ride by the end of the week unless life gets in the way! V/r Shawn




Looks great but you didn't tell us what products you used to get it like that. Did you just use wet/dry sandpaper or some product like Never Dull? Did you use any wax after sanding it? Just curious. Did I mention I like that chain guard?


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## Freqman1

Sped Man said:


> Looks great but you didn't tell us what products you used to get it like that. Did you just use wet/dry sandpaper or some product like Never Dull? Did you use any wax after sanding it? Just curious. Did I mention I like that chain guard?




Hey Sped see post #33. Mothers mag polish and Johnsons paste wax as a sealer. You can give up on the guard--the only way anyone gets that is if I ever cut loose of the whole bike. Trust me it would be much cheaper for you to send yours out and have it re-chromed! V/r Shawn


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## Freqman1

Ok its starting to look like a bike! I still need to service one pedal, service the chain, true the wheels, and finish restoring the headlight. I'm also still missing the acorn nut for the springer. Until I can find the proper one I'm gonna hit some hardware stores this weekend just to find something so I can ride it. V/r Shawn


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## stoney

VERY NICE Shawn, one of my favorite bikes. About 12 years ago I saw one of these at Copake, super polished with a Monark Twin motor and chromed tank on it. Price was $5500.00. ( I had the cash on me) Don't know if that was too much money back then but I have been kicking myself in the balls ever since. Can't wait to see yours finished.


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## Iverider

That may be the most luminescent bicycle I've ever seen! Well done Shawn!

Can't wait to see it with tires on the ground.


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## DonChristie

WOW! That looks amazing! Looks like chrome!!! What a process you detailed! Nice work! Someday, someone, somewhere will wonder how it got so pretty!


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## island schwinn

SWEET!!!!! and inspiration to get going on mine soon.right now i'm having too much fun riding it and telling anyone who asks it's story.i only hope mine comes out half as nice.


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## Freqman1

Well I'm still hunting the acorn nut for the springer but I have one on and I actually rode it about a mile just to make sure everything was good--smooth ride but the seat is hard as hell. May have to send that one to Bob for a little padding! First pic is how it was when I picked it up. V/r Shawn


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## Sped Man

It looks great! Heck the frame looks good too


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## island schwinn

i rode mine in san francisco today and it was real popular with all the bike folks.i showed pics of yours and told them i could only hope it would clean up like yours.


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## Freqman1

island schwinn said:


> i rode mine in san francisco today and it was real popular with all the bike folks.i showed pics of yours and told them i could only hope it would clean up like yours.




It will-you just need to show it a little love! V/r Shawn


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## rollfaster

*Beautiful hex frame Shawn*

You're bikes are all great.you lucky guy you! Rob.


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## Freqman1

57 spitfire said:


> You're bikes are all great.you lucky guy you! Rob.




Thanks Rob but luck is only a small part of it. A few of my bikes, including the Hex Tube, took a lot of work to make them presentable. Having some really great friends and acquaintances here on the CABE and elsewhere pays off too. V/r Shawn


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## MaxGlide

*that is beautiful....*

I found one on SAn Fran craigslist and it wasn't complete but got a great deal on it.... also worked for HOURS polishing it... Have the proper Lobdell seat now... still looking for rest of parts...

I love riding her and she gets lots of compliments. Random people will even stop and take a pic of her when she is inconspicuously locked to a bike rack.


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## Sped Man

MaxGlide said:


> I found one on SAn Fran craigslist and it wasn't complete but got a great deal on it.... also worked for HOURS polishing it... Have the proper Lobdell seat now... still looking for rest of parts...
> 
> I love riding her and she gets lots of compliments. Random people will even stop and take a pic of her when she is inconspicuously locked to a bike rack.
> 
> View attachment 145708




Very nice looking Hex Tube! With a few parts you will have one awesome bikes. Congrats on the find! Maybe we can combine forces and convince Freqman1 to sell us his rack, chainguard and fenders. Are you game? I have dibs on the chain guard though


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## Sped Man

Here is a photo of my Hex Tube. It is slightly modified. It weighs about 60Ibs without accessories 180Ibs with


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## peddlepusher

*Infor re: handlebars*

Hi there.  

I'm working on what is likely my one and only bike project.   I have a hex tube that my grandfather won in a theater raffle in 1947/48.  My hope is to get it close to original so I can give it to my grandson at some point in the future. 

So far, I've had luck rounding up parts here and there, but I don't believe the handle bars are original.  

Can you please give dimensions of the correct handlebars and maybe provide a close up pic of the stem?

thanks.


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## Freqman1

peddlepusher said:


> Hi there.
> 
> I'm working on what is likely my one and only bike project.   I have a hex tube that my grandfather won in a theater raffle in 1947/48.  My hope is to get it close to original so I can give it to my grandson at some point in the future.
> 
> So far, I've had luck rounding up parts here and there, but I don't believe the handle bars are original.
> 
> Can you please give dimensions of the correct handlebars and maybe provide a close up pic of the stem?
> 
> thanks.




I'll take a pic of the stem and send dimensions of the bars this evening. V/r Shawn


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## Freqman1

Freqman1 said:


> I'll take a pic of the stem and send dimensions of the bars this evening. V/r Shawn




Ok the bars measure about 27" across with a 4" rise and 9" of pullback. The stem is a fairly common piece used on many bikes from the 40's-50's and is probably a Wald piece. V/r Shawn


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## peddlepusher

thanks for the info on the handle Freqman.  very much appreciated. 

Looks like there is a set of handlebars on ebay (1953) that are wrong handles, but right stem.


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