# 1950 Schwinn Phantom



## Jay81 (Nov 14, 2022)

Figured I'd post a thread on the cleanup of this 1950 Black Phantom I recently picked up. Haven't been doing a whole lot with bikes lately, but lately have been craving a semi-easy project bike, and this one spoke to me (no pun intended lol) and will fit the bill nicely. I have disassembled most of it, still have more to do, and it'll get cleaned up, greased up, and replace a couple missing parts. This will be a winter project so I'm not rushing. My only goal is to have it completed by spring, which shouldn't be a problem I will try to remember to take pics and post updates as I go. 

Here are pics of the state it was in when I got it:























































Got most of it broken down yesterday. Got cold, and saved the rest for another day.














Luckily the leak proof batteries did their job, and did not leak!









And the cleanup begins!
I've used the liquid Evaporust and was pretty impressed. I'm not going to buy enough of it to soak these fenders, so I decided to try the gel version. The rear fender is currently marinating in it. Looking forward to seeing the results and will post "after" pictures as well. 
If you haven't used this stuff before, it's a thick, goopy, sticky-slime-like substance. It says to brush it on, but I applied it with disposable gloves and used my hands to spread it. I don't think a brush would've worked very well. Not supposed to get it on your skin, says it can cause burns. Got a little on my wrist but it washed off and is fine.










That's all I got for now. Watching the clock as the Evaporust Gel says one to two hours. It's been marinating for almost an hour. May be difficult to remove if it sits too long I guess. Please check back periodically for updates on this project!


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## Jay81 (Nov 14, 2022)

Think I got the rear fender about as good as it's gonna get.

Here is after I rinsed the Evaporust Gel off with warm water, washed with dish soap and water, and dried off.
Got the majority of the rust off. This sat for about an hour. Couple areas were starting to dry and starting to become a little difficult to remove, but not too bad.











Decided to hit it with some B.K.F and 0000 steel wool to clean it up a bit more:











Finally, I used some Quick Glo. Didn't make a huge difference, but this stuff is supposed to leave a protective film to help prevent the rust from coming back. I've had good results using it in the past, it did seem to prevent the rust from coming back. For those of you unaware, parts can potentially flash rust overnight after cleaning them. That was my main reasoning for this step. I think it helped a little bit, to shine up what little chrome is left.












Comparison with the front fender, which will have to wait until another day. I plan to follow the same process with the front fender.


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## dasberger (Nov 15, 2022)

I'd try a test an area with some balled up aluminum foil and white vinegar or salt water on the chrome...  I've had great results.  I usually hit it lightly with a brass brush then foil and chrome polish after.  It's a lot of work but worth it.






						Slippery Rock Gazette | Restoring Chrome? How to Remove Rust from Chrome Using Aluminum Foil
					

There are at least four easy home methods to remove rust from chrome and two of them might surprise you: rubbing with Aluminum Foil for mild rust, and first treating the rust with a mild acid – (reportedly, Diet Coke works) for more extensive restoration jobs.




					www.slipperyrockgazette.net


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## Jay81 (Nov 19, 2022)

Little bit of progress today. Cleaned the BB parts in the ultrasonic cleaner. (If you don't have one, I highly recommend it for cleaning small parts like this!)
Have the chainring soaking in Evaporust. Front side wasn't too bad and I would've just shined it up, but the back of it is pretty rusty. 
And I cleaned & polished the frame.


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## NormP (Nov 20, 2022)

Try colonial brassy on the fenders then wizards polish. the brassy removes the brown rust color which is iron going to the surface from the evaporust. The wizards is great for polishing. Ceramic wax after.


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## Jay81 (Nov 20, 2022)

NormP said:


> Try colonial brassy on the fenders then wizards polish. the brassy removes the brown rust color which is iron going to the surface from the evaporust. The wizards is great for polishing. Ceramic wax after.



 I've only cleaned the rear fender so far, but I'm not sure it would clean up much better. Unfortunately they are both very pitted with a lot of chrome loss. I may give it a shot though. Part of me wants to just find a nicer set of fenders, but I'm trying to keep the bike as original as possible, and want to only replace a few small pieces that are missing.


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## Jay81 (Nov 20, 2022)

Worked on it a little more today.

Crank & chainring clean and reassembled.











Good thing I have a spare tub of grease.














Small paintbrush works great for applying the grease.  (NO, I did not leave it that thick. Just hard to do with my phone in my hand)
Got the BB parts all greased up......










........And installed on the frame.


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## Nashman (Nov 28, 2022)

It's fun to work. I could watch it all day!!  Ha!! It is cool to see your efforts documented. I've been there/done that many times, but it's always good seeing and hearing different methods and solutions, products and ideas. Thanks for sharing your task and others chipping in! It's going really well, nice bike.


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## Jay81 (Dec 2, 2022)

Cleaned up a few more of the smaller parts, but most notably, the taillight. 
I used bar keepers friend with 0000 steel wool, very gently. Wasn't sure if it would clean up too well, but I'm pleased with the results.


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## ballooney (Dec 2, 2022)

Jay81 said:


> Cleaned up a few more of the smaller parts, but most notably, the taillight.
> I used bar keepers friend with 0000 steel wool, very gently. Wasn't sure if it would clean up too well, but I'm pleased with the results.
> View attachment 1743797
> 
> View attachment 1743796



And with a ruby lens…delicious!


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## SJ_BIKER (Dec 2, 2022)

Pm sent


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## 1817cent (Dec 2, 2022)

Cleaning up and servicing bikes is sometimes more fun than riding.  Its nice to see the improvement from when you initially picked it up.


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## Jay81 (Dec 2, 2022)

1817cent said:


> Cleaning up and servicing bikes is sometimes more fun than riding.  Its nice to see the improvement from when you initially picked it up.



Thank you, I really enjoy cleaning up and servicing them, and I'm also kind of enjoying doing this thread. I've done many other clean ups before, but don't usually document the process.


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## Jay81 (Dec 3, 2022)

Kickstand was pretty rough. No finish left on it. Soaked overnight in Evaporust, rinsed and dried, and applied a light coating of Fluid Film to help prevent re-rusting. Why Fluid Film? I don't know, I had some on hand and figured it was worth a try. Fresh grease and reinstalled.


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## Rivnut (Dec 4, 2022)

If you have a bench grinder, replace one of the grinding wheels with a brass brush. Then go after that kick stand.  I use mine for that as well as fender braces and heads on bolts.  Then I use a couple of polishing wheels to bring things to a luster, not chrome luster but close.  

I also have a small thumb operated grease gun for bearings and races.  Much less messy.


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## Jay81 (Dec 11, 2022)

ballooney said:


> And with a ruby lens…delicious!



So, I hadn't noticed anything special about the lens but your comment got me thinking, and now I see it is darker in color than other ones I've seen. Was the ruby lens only used for a short time?


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (Dec 11, 2022)

Rivnut said:


> If you have a bench grinder, replace one of the grinding wheels with a brass brush. Then go after that kick stand.  I use mine for that as well as fender braces and heads on bolts.  Then I use a couple of polishing wheels to bring things to a luster, not chrome luster but close.
> 
> I also have a small thumb operated grease gun for bearings and races.  Much less messy.
> 
> View attachment 1745004



What type of grease are you using in this? I need one


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## Rivnut (Dec 11, 2022)

I use Lucas Red and Tacky.  The gun is easy to load but tricky to get the air out before it will work properly.  Just read the instructions carefully.


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## Skiroule69 (Dec 16, 2022)

I've also had a lot of luck with the POR-15 rust remover. I buy it in gallon jugs. It's kind of expensive but I love it for small fasteners, chains, etc.


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## Jay81 (Jan 2, 2023)

Been about a month, haven't really been motivated, but I worked on it some today. Cleaned up the front fender. Also cleaned up a set of pedals I bought on eBay a few weeks ago.


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