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Men's Elgin ID Help

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jchicago

Finally riding a big boys bike
(There could really be a dedicated thread just for identifying bikes)

I just bought this men's Elgin and need help identifying the year.
My best guess is a 1935 Westfield Oriole?
The serial number is N88084.

One distinctive feature is the nicely scripted Elgin logo on the bottom bar.

There's no head badge and what's strange to me is there are no holes for one either. I wonder if the scripted logo served this purpose instead?

The original Torrington deco stem stem (understandably) broke during disassembly for packing. Any suggestions for a suitable, period-correct replacement that won't break?

The seat is missing the leather. The current red grips and tires are Western Flyer.

I believe the bike was originally red. I'm debating whether or not to give it an OA bath or just leave the patina.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Elgin TX Whole Bike.JPG


Elgin TX  Fork.JPG


Elgin TX Fender.JPG


Elgin TX Handlebars.JPG


Elgin TX inside tube.JPG


Elgin TX Logo 2.JPG


Elgin TX Logo.JPG


Elgin TX Missing Headbadge.JPG


Elgin TX Musselman Hub.JPG


Elgin TX Rear Hub.JPG


Elgin TX Seat Rear.JPG


Elgin TX Seat Side.JPG


Elgin TX Seat Under.JPG


Elgin TX Serial Number.JPG


Elgin TX Stripes.JPG
 
Nice bike, it looks to be an an Elgin motorbike! I have a the correct badge for that and the rear rack with glass jewel ! Pm if intrested!

To break it down, the number would be 1 for January, 2 for February and so on up to 12 for December.

The letters seem to be as follows;



A = 1934

B = 1935

C = 1936

D = 1937

E = 1938

F = 1939

G = 1940

H = 1941

The letter I is skipped. This may be because it is too similar to the numeral 1

J = 1942

K = 1943

L = 1944



This form of identification seems to break at 1944 as no "M" shows up in 1945. There are some early 45's with frames no doubt made in late 1944 with "L" and later ones with "N" codes so "M" may have been skipped for some reason. In 1946 a new stamping machine seems to have been put in operation as the numbers are smaller and more uniform. Also, the BB code is gone completely.



These codes are especially helpful when trying to date military models where the date code for the serial number does not indicate the year.





1936.……A5429 - A266083..............................................................................BB code "C"

1937.……B5000 - B195407..............................................................................BB code "D"

1938.……C5000 - C130896..............................................................................BB code "E"

1939.……D5000 - D156044..............................................................................BB code "F"

1940.……E5000 - E168879..............................................................................BB code "G"

1941.……F5000 - F213132 and G5000 - G17433...........................................BB code "H"

1942.……G17434 - G112858...........................................................................BB code "J"


1942-45....MF, MG, MC....These are the prefixes for Military Issue Columbia Models. MC is likely Marine Corps issued bikes.



1943.……G112859 - G195135........................................................................BB code "K"

1944.……G195136 - G200000 and W5001A - W85244A.............................BB code "L"

1945.……J5000 - J114781.........................................................
 
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"N"---is prefix in Serial Number for 1935----God Bless,---Cowboy
Will make a very nice rider---rode mine today....
 
I wouldn't bother with OA. I had a 36 Oriole, but it was the other frame style. It looked like solid rust, so I wiped it down with WD40. That showed some promising red and hints of the pinstripes. Then I used Mothers brand cleaner polish compound. It really brought out the red and white. Given that yours already looks decent, your results would be even better.
 
Are you suggesting doing the 0000 steel wool + WD40 treatment, or just wiping it down with WD40?
I don't want to remove this patina because it's pretty smooth and consistent, but I don't think a little red showing through would be a bad thing either.
I haven't done a patina preservation on a bike yet and I want to do it right.
I know a lot of people use boiled linseed oil on their bikes too, but I believe that's just for paint though. Not sure if that's appropriate here or not.
 
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How about just leaving it be?
I like how it looks now, looks old because it is.
This is a good example of patina. Clean it, oil it, or whatever else, you'll remove the character that took decades to achieve.

https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/so-who-prefers-to-preserve-the-crust.102071/page-12#post-827783
I just read the whole thread. I'm tempted. I've already disassembled the whole thing to service the bearings, lube the rusted chain, replace the tires, etc. Do you guys coat your patina with anything? Or does the rust just keep progressing?
 
I’d do a wipe down with WD40 and #0000 steel wool. Experiment carefully with amount and pressure of rub down. Wipe off excess with cotton rag. Wipe and buff in Boiled Linseed Oil with cotton rag. Wipe and buff off excess oil several times before it cures out. Dispose of rags in covered container to prevent and spontaneous combustion. Heat is generated in the oil curing process.
Looks like a great candidate for reviving the remaining paint. Don’t over rub on pinstripes though. Nice find. [emoji106]


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