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Aging new tires and your methods

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tacochris

Cruisin' on my Bluebird
Ok so, due to the scarcity of usable period tires, i have begun adding newer reproduction tires to my bikes. My main issue is the stark difference the new tires have against the original patina and how much they stand out far too much. I dont want to make them look like crap, just wanting to make the white less white and the clays less bright ect.

Shawn has some valuable info on his personal site of using wood stand etc but I have also seen folks use coffee, red dirt and all sorts of things but I would love to see your person methods etc.

One of my methods was literally to just never clean them when I work on the bike but that takes months and sometimes years to achieve the look Im after.
 
I left a black wall albeit original inside a hot car for a week when I was traveling near the city.and it turned yellowish. It was out of the direct sun and in a car with tinted windows. Not sure what would happen to repro tires but maybe same results?
 
I left a black wall albeit original inside a hot car for a week when I was traveling near the city.and it turned yellowish. It was out of the direct sun and in a car with tinted windows. Not sure what would happen to repro tires but maybe same results?
I saw someone recently leaving Robert Dean single tube tires in the sun probably for that exactly reason so there may be some merit to it.
 
Noticed that one set left in the sun is more yellow than the other set....maybe due to tire dressing? Anddd before you ask...the spider webs are reproduction.

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I was wondering the same thing. I've got new white walls for a Stingray project that has a large amount of patina. I'm afraid the new white walls are going to look a little silly as rough as the bike is. I could have sworn I saw that thread saying they used coffee or coffee grounds.
 
Noticed that one set left in the sun is more yellow than the other set....maybe due to tire dressing? Anddd before you ask...the spider webs are reproduction.

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If ya want to part ways with that sign bracket, let me know lol!

I just service my hubs and knock the chunks off my hands with a rag, then mount tires. I might do a quick once around with the cleaner part of the rag. May take some touching up to even out the smudges, but it's the normal light grime that gives it the look I like.
 
I'd be tempted to use a light brown colored Minwax oil base stain. Scuff up the tire with a scotch brite and soap, then wipe on wipe off the stain.
 
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