Schwinn S2 wheels question

[atencioee]

Hello Schwinn experts, while looking at these two S2 wheels, I noticed they are different...the stamping on one has thicker letters, while the other has thin/skinny letters. Are they from different years? If so, which years was the thicker used and which years was the thin letters used...or were they used the same years? Both wheels were on a 1954 Starlet ladies bike...is it possible one was replaced at some point?

 

[CURTIS L LINDGREN]

1st pic looks like a "New" die was used .................Very Strong knurling along with the deeper letters. 2nd pic is a "Lighter " pressure maybe on the die..........or it's just more WELL WORN ? Just A guess.......................... By chance , have you measured the profile width , to see if there is any difference ?

 

[GTs58]

Schwinn made those rims probably on a daily basis for over three decades and I'm sure the tooling wore out a few times. So a matching set of S-2's would have to come from the same time period within reason. The deeper thicker letters were usually on the earlier pieces and in the 60's you sometimes had to look really hard to find the Schwinn stampings.

Here's some of the last "Schwinn" S-2's that were produced. Side stamped center single knurling.

The very first style S-2's

 

[atencioee]

@CURTIS L LINDGREN , @GTs58 , The width on both rims is the same. Also, if it helps for info purposes, the skinny/thin letter stamped wheel was the rear wheel with a New Departure Model D brake hub. The thicker stamped wheel was the front wheel with a Schwinn script front hub. Both have the same double butted cad plated spokes and the 3/4" 2-sided nipples.

 

[WES PINCHOT]

I AGREE WITH CURTIS L LINDGREN!

THE SINGLE TRACK RIMS WERE MADE IN HUNGARY CA. 1980.
NOT DESIRABLE FOR THE EARLIER BIKES.

 

[atencioee]

I cleaned them up, and here is what they look like now!

 

[CURTIS L LINDGREN]

lookin' good . New Spokes coming ? Good job !

 

[atencioee]

Definitely! I'll be using NOS double butted Torrington spokes and the NOS 3/4" 2-sided nips

 

[WES PINCHOT]

LOOKING GOOD!

 

[GenuineRides]

Metal stamping in the 50's wasn't an exact science with micrometer stops on the presses like today, and of course there were many different machines and people running them. Production speed was most important, quality control was good but variable as we have seen from examples over the years from Schwinn. These easily could have been made during the same era, same month, day or alongside each other.

Then the welded area would be ground smooth and the entire rim dipped to clean, then plated.