61 Wasp fork tube markings

[Chris]

Taking apart my 61 Wasp heavy duty today and noticed a strange “X” marking on the fork tube. The “X” is in the white/ivory color used on the bike with the tube the black body color. Is this what Schwinn did for bikes that were more than one color? It’s a very deliberate marking, the white only applied on the non black portion at the top of the tube.

I’m looking to take the fork into Sherwin Williams auto paint to get a color match for the black and white paint on the Wasp, so this white “X” (actually looks ivory) will help with that.

 

[Roger Henning]

Probably a mark from when Schwinn was doing inventory on the part. Roger

 

[GTs58]

The pin stripper was getting his brush ready after loading it with paint. Here's my 1955 Corvette fork, same deal.

 

[Chris]

Good to know, thanks. Looks like the white fork darts were painted on, so makes sense.

 

[GTs58]

Good to know, thanks. Looks like the white fork darts were painted on, so makes sense.

I'm still trying to find out when Schwinn started screening the fork darts, if they actually did. I asked this question here but never got an answer. The hand pinned darts are pretty easy to identify most times and from my examples they were still hand painted in early 1962. Some years back I stripped the paint off a 1963 Flamboyant Red Corvette fork and it didn't have the red oxide primer under the aluminum base. This particular fork also had a hand painted non standard white dart painted directly on the metal. The top of the dart was closed off like normal but the point extended down half the length of the fork leg. So I assume they were still hand painting the darts in 1963.