# thoughts on what to do



## schwinnguyinohio (Apr 14, 2015)

Wanted some thought on what to do to make this old Schwinn BF Goodrich look alittle better without taking away from it.Did alittle sample area on the rust on rims and I think they would clean up nice,however I loose the blue pinstripe by doing so,not sure I should continue on that. Also have a period correct set of grips I could put on ,not real crazy about the blue ones. Bike actually ride good,just want it to look aliitle better and appear original.


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## randallace (Apr 14, 2015)

Oxalic acid will remove the rust and grime .... But you will need to disassemble and immerse in a baby pool, I did one and it didn't damage the paint and all the Rust and grime was gone , but took 16 hours and I had to babysit it to keep the hot water going ... Was worth the effort

I like your blue grips


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## TheDXjedi (Apr 16, 2015)

Looks good the way it sits. 


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## Freqman1 (Apr 16, 2015)

Change the grips out to some black Schwinn tear drops and ride the heck out of it! V/r Shawn


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## cyclingday (Apr 16, 2015)

Agreed on the oxalic acid bath.
This bike is perfect candidate for that treatment.
You'll be blown away by the results.
It's absolutely the best way to save the paint and remove the rust and crust.


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## pedal_junky (Apr 16, 2015)

cyclingday said:


> Agreed on the oxalic acid bath.
> This bike is perfect candidate for that treatment.
> You'll be blown away by the results.
> It's absolutely the best way to save the paint and remove the rust and crust.




How would the wheels with axles removed do in OA?


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## cyclingday (Apr 16, 2015)

Probably pretty well.
Even though it doesn't look like there's much paint left on the rims, you would be surprised how strong the paint actually is.
Without the need for scrubbing, the pin stripes can be preserved.
The chrome on the hubs can be saved as well.
Patients is the key, because it takes about 8 hours in the solution to be effective.
Then neutralize with a soapy then fresh water rinse and a light application of WD40 to prevent rust in the areas where bare metal was exposed, and your good to go.
That bike will be getting offers once it's all cleaned up.


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## silvertonguedevil (Apr 16, 2015)

Here is a before and after on the front rim off of my '40 Elgin I'm working on. This was ONE CRUSTY RIM too!!


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## vincev (Apr 16, 2015)

Remember that once you clean and polish one part the part next to it looks bad and you end up cleaning that part and the next and the next.........


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## cyclingday (Apr 16, 2015)

I had a similar DX with the reverse paint scheme fenders, and that bike was crustier than this one.
I sold it to a guy, because I couldn't get past how bad all the Ivory parts looked. He oxalic bathed the thing, and the next time I saw it, I had sellers remorse big time.
I couldn't believe how he cleaned that bike up.
You just have to commit yourself and dismantle the whole bike. Address each part and put it all back together. Those prewar DXs are cool bikes, especially a blue one with Tommy Trojan on the tank.
 It's well worth the time and effort.


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## Joe Buffardi (Apr 16, 2015)

*DX*

Very true Marty! I had a 40 Western flyer And it was covered in surface rust. I disassembled if and gave it a oa bath and it turned into a 800 dollar bike. 

Check out this pic of a killer DX. I found this in Pasadena Rose Bowl swapmeet. Killer shot!


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## cyclingday (Apr 16, 2015)

That picture is definitely worth a thousand words.
What a great story that picture tells.


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## schwinnguyinohio (Apr 19, 2015)

Ok I will try the oxalic bath treatment have heard about it for awhile but have never tried it,whats a value on this bike once its as clean as its going to get?


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## 2jakes (Apr 19, 2015)

schwinnguyinohio said:


> Ok I will try the oxalic bath treatment have heard about it for awhile but have never tried it,whats a value on this bike once its as clean as its going to get?




If you've never done this before, why not do it on something else that you won't mind in case
something goes wrong . Or at least you can practice on.
I wouldn't practice on this bike.
I would rather buy the bike as is then having someone else work on it.
But if you feel that by doing this the value goes up.
Good Luck, hope it comes out fine !


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