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1947 Luxury Liner

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About that.....well, since you asked......they are quite roached. But hear me out. The spokes have undergone that type of rusting where the middles of the spokes have thinned and about 4 had snapped off. The gentleman Caber I purchased this project from had included a set of CWC rims that had been sandblasted. That was my biggest cause of consternation and foot dragging on this project and why it took me so long to finally dig in and do something with it. I couldn't decide if I wanted to get those rims chromed. If I wanted to get them painted. But if I did either of those then they would look seriously out-of-place with the patina of the bike. I contemplated and contemplated, obviously. I even thought of removing the hubs and just lacing them into the unfinished CWC rims. I finally decided to put this semi-period correct set of what I believe to be Monark wheels on it until I can find a proper set of patina'd CWC wheels for my bike. I wanted to ride it after all these years.

Now, all that long explanation aside, after I removed the original wheel set, they didn't seem quite as compromised as I had thought. I replaced the snapped spokes on the front rim which trued the wheel almost to a perfect rotation and the rear wheel still remarkably remains almost true. Sooo, now I'm thinking of cleaning those wheels a bit and then making another decision. I might even see what they would look like with those WW red tires. I am a bit worried about those spokes rusted spokes as I would like this to be a frequent rider.

Aren't you sorry you asked? But thanks for the fun question.

No, I'm not sorry I asked at all, and thank you for sharing your thought process.
Now here's my thought process:
I'd stick with the original wheels on that bike, because once cleaned I think you'd have a matching patina with the rest of the bike. If you have to replace a bunch of rusty spokes, and rebuild the wheels, so be it. You could use some good used spokes or age some new ones https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/any-suggestions-on-rusting-shiny-stuff-to-match-bike.99511/. At any rate with the spokes out, the rims will be so much easier to clean.
And yes, this would cost some money if you're not a wheel builder, but the bike will look like it grew old all together.
 
What was your finishing process other than the boiled linseed? Cleaning before hand...any abrasives used? The bike looks amazing.
 
What was your finishing process other than the boiled linseed? Cleaning before hand...any abrasives used? The bike looks amazing.

I always cringe a little when asked this question. I've been using the same process since I was a kid and it's probably not the best thing to be telling people. I remove all the loose rust, grime and debris using a wire buffer (not so much the wheel which is harsher but the one that looks like a buffer - image attached), and then I clean the frame and other parts using....various brushes and gasoline. It's probably not the safest method but it is the perfect way to clean parts quickly.

After wiping everything down well to get rid of as much remaining gunk as well as the gas, I put an old sock on my hand, douse it in linseed, then rub it all down. It leaves the perfect patina. If you do that process above, be careful with the gas. I hate relaying that whole process because everyone acts like the use of gas is insane. I don't smoke, I never use a heater, I never grind with my pan of gas around, etc. I won't even use fluorescent bulbs in the garage. And I don't use gas on anything with nice paint. Usually. lol
 
BTW, I meant to attach this image. I prefer this brush to an actual wheel. It's much less harsh to paint and chrome even though it takes a bit longer to get stuff off.

th.jpg
 
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