# Ladies 46 or 47 Schwinn back on the road



## gkeep (Nov 4, 2019)

About 2 years ago this frame with numerous coats of paint turned up at work in the scrap metal pile where the public works trucks dump. No fenders or rims, 60s or 70s replacement fork. The rattle can metallic blue/gray was over some other really bad spray and under that was a nicely done red and white repaint, about 30% gone but it was real enamel. But under that was a lot of the original blue and cream paint. The upper layers were so brittle most of it came off with a gentle scrape from the backside of a putty knife blade. That would leave a silverish black layer that might have been a primer for the red and white. WD40, cleaner wax and 0000 steel wool took that right off. This is as found.




Taking off some of the paint layers with my pocket knife and this showed.








Here is the serial number, either 46 or 47 I think.




Many hours of cleanup as I worked on it now and then until one day about a year ago a replacement half inch pitch sprocket turned up. Then earlier this summer an early 50s girls frame showed up with worse paint but it had a decent fork under layers of brushed on black paint.



Now she has some rims and tires and has joined the herd for beach cruises when friends stop by. I'm pretty happy with the way she came out, looking all her 70+ years with some patina and I left traces of the other paint jobs here and there. Still on the lookout for a headbadge but in the meantime I have a nice old Wald rack that will be useful for weekend runs to the farmers market. I've taken some nice night time rides and my wife says it's a very comfortable ride. (but she still likes her 54 Monark Rocket).


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## GTs58 (Nov 4, 2019)

Wouldn't it have been much easier to just shoot a fresh layer of paint on it?  Just kidding, looks good after all your work!


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## gkeep (Nov 5, 2019)

My other thought was drop the frame in the salt water lagoon a the end of the block, fish it out in a couple years and give it a good linseed oil rubdown. A serious patina oil finish!


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