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New old stock Giovannini frame set

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That’s narrowing it down considerably. The only info I found on the company says they started in northern Italy in the late bike boom years and disappeared by the 80’s. Interesting info on the House brand, I had no idea. I enjoy the historical aspect of our hobby. Our son was in Aviano Italy for a couple of years, serving in the Air Force. I wish we had been able to visit while he was there. Maybe sometime in the future......
 
After looking at the map, location would have been very close to where he was stationed. I also have a Chesini I think was built in the same area. My last purchase is an early 80’s Bianchi, in Celeste green. Looking forward to posting pictures of both the Chesini and the Bianchi to get more info on these to Italian machines.
 
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wrt frame size -

in post nr. four above you mention it measures "fifty-seven and a half"

am wondering if perhaps you are measuring centre-to-top?

this is a perfectly fine way to measure and was still very much the standard in the english speaking world up through "the boom"

the "56" mark on the bottom bracket shell likely refers to a centre-to-centre measure size

when folks write frame sizes it is good to also include the information as to whether they are measuring c-t-t or c-t-c for clarity sake.

both methods perfectly valid and one not superior to the other.

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origin -

the possibility of frame being a house brand as mentioned above is just a something you may wish to include in your explorations

do not wish to make any assertion that such be the case

when Mauice Moss drops by he will likely be able to identify the actual maker, whomsoever that be (have sent him a PM)

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one thing likely every reader of thread has wondered about is gold colour on stays.

have you been able to determine if this is colour of actual plating or if the gold is a varnish applied over chrome?

the latter type of finish is known variously as "chromo-velato" or "chrom-o-lux."

the whitish speckling looks like it may be splattering from water or other liquid; you could try applying some gentle fine metal polish such as Mother's or Simichrom to see if it will come off easily... these products are mild eno' that they should ot harm the gold colour.

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Juvela, you are right on the measurement. I measured center to top. Thank you for getting in touch with Maurice. I am anxious to get his input. I am glad you brought up the gold areas. I am not sure if it is a varnish or actual plating, but it appears to maybe be plating? I have seen no areas where it looks like chrome may be exposed from varnish coming off. I am looking forward to cleaning those areas to see how they will turnout. The spots seem almost like a light corrosion? I will post some detailed pics soon, before and after on an area cleaned.
 
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gold colour -

when scrutinizing the images there appear to be some faint gold traces on crown, blades and fork ends. possible the gold varnish from these spots was removed by a previous owner.

of course, yours are "the eyes on the scene" ;)

suspect speckling on stays may be corrosion from below - i.e. between chrome plating and chrom-o-lux varnish.

best course from the standpoint of cosmetic appearance might be to remove the gold from the stays.

you could try something relatively mild such as benzene or non-acetone nail varnish remover, available from any druggist. it will likely come off relatively easily with either of these substances.

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chrom-o-lux finishes -

look stunning ex-works

a challenge to do well

not very durable - easily scratched

difficult to touch up or replicate

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you mentioned a son who was in the military and stationed in Aviano.

you may perhaps be old enough to recall the "colour chrome" fad seen on the custom automobiles of the 1950's and early 1960's. one could purchase a can of spray paint at the auto supply store to tint a car's chrome plated parts.

chrom-o-lux is essentially the same thing.

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Thanks Juvela, I do remember that trend. Haven’t seen it in awhile. I like the look, and hoping I don’t have to strip it off. Been super busy with projects around home before winter hits. Could have snow as early as Friday. Will get back on it soon. Would the chrom-o-lux been factory applied? The bottom end looked as if a bottom bracket had never been installed. Kevin.
 
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yes, my expectation would be that the chrom-o-lux would have been "factory."

small tip -

in case you are or will be doing any exploration online to see if you can find similar frames one feature to keep an eye out for is the seat stay treatment on the frame. this type of "spatula" or "make-up applicator" seat stay cap was not widely employed so it may narrow the possibilities greatly...

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