52 World Traveler… estate sale find

[72 rover]

Thank you for the kind words. I also thought this one was in good condition for it being 70 years old. I haven’t seen one in this condition myself so I had to get it.
It should look amazing once cleaned up and polished.
I’ll pick up some evapo rust from the hardware store in the morning to soak up those German union bow pedals.

 

[GTs58]

Thank you for the kind words. I also thought this one was in good condition for it being 70 years old. I haven’t seen one in this condition myself so I had to get it.
It should look amazing once cleaned up and polished.
I’ll pick up some evapo rust from the hardware store in the morning to soak up those German union bow pedals.

Those caps are removable and the axle and bearings are serviceable. Maybe remove them before the soak?

 

[Bryan Akens]

Nice and very interesting find......definitely not something that You would see everyday!!!

 

[72 rover]

I degreased the pedals and used 0000 steel wool on them. They look good

 

[72 rover]

Picked up some Evapo Rust today and I soaked the brake calipers. This stuff works.

 

[SirMike1983]

Evaporust is excellent on chrome (as is Oxalic Acid). Be careful about using Evaporust on anything with decals because it can soften them if exposed long enough. Those look like English-made calipers from Birmingham. They're well-made.

 

[72 rover]

SirMike1983 , these brake calipers are stamped Made In England. And they do look well made. Thanks

 

[rennfaron]

The dynohub setup is pretty uncommon. I have seen many, and have many, but they don't turn up all that often. Most just have the miller light kit setup.

I think those stainless fenders will come back with some work. It looks like a lot of surface rust.
I've had luck on the paint and decals using very fine cutting polish (if you want to go to that extreme). If you notice on the decals there is some yellowing and grime on there. Mr Clean magic eraser pads also have worked really well on decals. As with anything, go slow and test first.

Bike looks complete with except of the saddle bag, which would have come on the traveler, and is often removed at some point.

 

[72 rover]

Bike looks complete with except of the saddle bag, which would have come on the traveler, and is often removed at some point.

I did look around for the saddle bag but didn’t find it. This seat is a Brooks saddle so I assume it must have come with a Brooks saddle bag of some sort.

 

[72 rover]

The plated bars and the SS fenders has micro swirl marks. I’m assuming it’s been cleaned with an abrasive pad before.

I did a test spot on the rear fender using WD-40 and 0000 steel wool. It didn’t come out shiny like the way chrome shines up but I’ve never dealt with SS fenders before. Maybe they don’t shine up as well.
Wondering if I should be using a more abrasive steel wool since the fenders are already scratched up.