Cleaning a Silver King

[merkaba]

Hi All,
I recently scored a mostly original '35 Wards Duralium and started breaking it down for basic maintenance. The frame has a nice patina to it but looks like someone in the distant past tried cleaned in with something mildly abrasive and left light scratches on the frame. Other than that the frame only has normal scratches from use over the years and no major damage. Will polishing the frame detract from the value or should I just use mild soap and a soft sponge to clean and retain the character of the bike? I would probably buff over the scratches from normal use leaving them to show its battle wounds and buff out the fine cleaning marks. Also, the stainless fenders have some dents and scratches that I was planning on removing. Can I chrome polish the rims and delta light? The reason I ask is I'm an amateur coin collector and know that trying to restore a coin completely destroys the value and so would like a little input from the bike community as to how far I should go with it. I will try and get some good detailed pics up when I get home later but this is what I have so far.
Thanks for reading my post and I appreciate any input, Collin

 

[cyclonecoaster.com]

Go through the drivetrain & regrease & ride

They were never high polished from the get go -- embrace what it is -- Bar keepers friend on the chrome rims - light - fenders - even the frame -- powder - add a little water to a toothbrush try it on a small test area & if you like what you see rinse & repeat - nice early window frame like my rat rod bike build ( pictured below ) - ride vintage - frank

 

[bike]

Just wait a while

you may come to enjoy it as is- the original surface tell as a story/history. You can't un buff it, but you can always do it if need be. Many restored bikes (not sks thankfully) are now mistaken for repro- ouch! Make it safe and do what you like after a while-

Unless you are a metal wizard, stainless is very hard to work and polish- try some scrap fenders first.

There are plenty of threads here where people wish hey left their bikes alone and years later only want the originals in as orignal cond as possible-

hornets nest I stirred up:
http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/showth...hen-you-find-a-bike&highlight=crusty+original

 

[Ranger Dan]

To me it's not stupid, and if that were mine I'd have a hard time keeping a buffing wheel away from it ... those things look spectacular with a high polish. I'm with the "do what you like with it" crowd.

 

[merkaba]

Cyclone coaster, I love the look of your rat rod build! I do agree with you guys that the bike is only wears its original scars once so I'll end up just giving it a thorough cleaning. I'm not familiar with the bar polish but I'll look into it.

 

[babyjesus]

Good Question

I just built and orig nice nice wingbar and asked the guy I bought it off what he thought about me polishing it.
He said no way - and he said that it takes about 10 years for them to get the old/dirty/patina'd look again. So
once you polish there's no turning back.

 

[Ranger Dan]

Lots of Questions

I just built and orig nice nice wingbar and asked the guy I bought it off what he thought about me polishing it.
He said no way - and he said that it takes about 10 years for them to get the old/dirty/patina'd look again. So
once you polish there's no turning back.

To me it's an interesting dilemma because, by the same token, once one decides to never do anything unretractable, the option to do so is off the table. So one has made a more or less binary choice and eliminated the value of the other option.

By the other token, a man may take ten years or more to evolve his viewpoint on a (somewhat trivial) matter like this. By then, maybe his patina has returned.

I'm not sure why this sort of issue necessarily has to be a philosophical dogma that pits one camp against another, but it seems to be a persistent low-level friction among the bretheren. Understandably, the OG camp might feel as if their collective "commons" is being impinged upon through the reduction of the market pool of unmolested bicycles and parts. How does that concern weigh against the notion of individual property rights? Hah! -- in the end, is this an aesthetic or a political issue?

I don't know, but personally, I try to be responsible and let the bike and its own situation suggest to me what it's to become (or remain). I wouldn't want to "waste" a decent original finish because of a whim on a different color, nor would I readily break up a nice original for the sake of turning a profit but also don't decry the fact that some have chosen to make the bicycle trade their living.

For whatever reason I can be as easily persuaded to the POV of the guy who decides to preserve it as original, do an overproduced restoration, cobble a frankenratrod together, or whatever. Hey, I just like Bike, in all its manifestations (with a few exceptions).

I still hold the opinion that I should do with them what I want, and let others do the same, even if that means letting them decide to let others tell them what they should do. In another ten years, however, my viewpoint will have evolved, and the patina on my shopworn personage will have acquired a crunchier grit, but not necessarily an enhanced value....

 

[babyjesus]

Well Said

That all seemed to make sense. For me it's just cuz I never bothered polish one and they look so great polished I am sort of tempted to try. Shame it stays that way for so long - but I guess I on;y say shame cuz I'm worried I might regret my decision to polish it. I'm also lazy so for now it will sit. It's not anything to do with monetary value for me, nor originality value, just aesthetic. A brand new looking bike has its ups and downs too.

 

[Boris]

Great bike Frank!!!

 

[cyclonecoaster.com]

Thank you - thank you Dave

Great bike Frank!!!

View attachment 86326

It has a good look to it - a real fun ride