Please provide citations. I'd love to read all of it. Thank you! Kit
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Types of Schwinn frame construction
- Thread starter Schwinn Sales West
- Start date
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GTs58
I'm the Wiz, and nobody beats me!
The prewar 1942 I series started showing up with the EF BB shells around the 30000 point, then at some point with the nub for the seat post connection. That image of that green bike above is a post war frame with the EF'd chain stays. The J series showed up with all EF'd head tubes and tube joints and one late I serial piece did also. The J serials showed up in 1942 but that's no indicator of when a particular serial stamped BB shell was used to build a frame and they could have been used in multiple years at the same time the K series were used. There is a J serial posted on the list that had a Sept? 1942 sales receipt and it was a Lady's model.
I don't have any saved pictures, they are all here on the Cabe. I'll give @Just Jeff credit and a big thanks for all his 1945-46 DX photos.
Looks like the down tubes had a butt joint.
Here's Jeff's thread for more pics and info.
1945-46 Schwinn Dx | Project Rides
My first collectable bike, other than my old Quadangle which I won’t count, was the oddball 1946 Schwinn Dx with the tubular upper rear fender mount. I have been missing that bike, so I have decided to replace it with another one. Fun fact, my first one had an Our Own Hardware EZ Speed badge...
thecabe.com
Such a fantastic thread. I have a thing for electro forged frames with their smooth EF sections. @cyclingday I wasn’t aware CWC pioneered electro forging.
Looking at my 1941 Murray built Sears Collegiate, it it is apparent they were electro forging early on as well. From memory the Murray is considerably heavier by something like 40% than the 3 Schwinn electro forged frames I have.
The head tube, top of the seat stays/seat post mast and bottom bracket on the Murray frame below are all electro forged.
41 Murray
41 Murray bottom bracket
Looking at my 1941 Murray built Sears Collegiate, it it is apparent they were electro forging early on as well. From memory the Murray is considerably heavier by something like 40% than the 3 Schwinn electro forged frames I have.
The head tube, top of the seat stays/seat post mast and bottom bracket on the Murray frame below are all electro forged.
41 Murray
41 Murray bottom bracket
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cyclingday
I'm the Wiz, and nobody beats me!
Schwinn Sales West
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
Great artical Marty, thanks for adding.
You just have to step back and ponder,..........."A BATTERY OF ALMOST HUMAN, AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLED, ............................WITH THIS NEW HART METHOD THE HUMAN ELEMENT IS COMPLETELY ELIMINATED".
Next up was Robotic Welding.
And, now we have Artificial Intelegence.
What's next?
John
I don't mean to be argumentative, but the process outlined above has little if anything to do with Schwinn "Electroforging" as described by them in the 1960s and 1970's. This process, though automated, is simple arc welding of "butt" joints under pressure.
Schwinn Sales West
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
I think the Hart Method (Butt Welding) "as outlined in the American Bicyclist article" is exactly what Schwinn coined as Electro Forging. The only difference is the method used to gain the thickness for welding the joint. CWC inserted a tube slug inside the tube, "as was shown in F.W. Schwinn's patent application earlier in this thread". And Schwinn opted to just use "thicker tubing" in the same process.
Maybe I'm missing something?
John
When did Schwinn coin "Electro Forging?"
cyclingday
I'm the Wiz, and nobody beats me!
Apples to Oranges for sure, but they are all still fruits of the same purpose.
The idea, was to build the strongest frame possible and to eliminate the tedious finish work afterwards.
I was just trying to point out, that the Electro Forging process was developed fairly early on, and that the Cleveland Welding Company was the first bicycle manufacturer to use it in mass production.
I’m sure, it didn’t take long for the other manufacturers to take note, and develop their own methods of using this economical way of joining frame tubes together.
The idea, was to build the strongest frame possible and to eliminate the tedious finish work afterwards.
I was just trying to point out, that the Electro Forging process was developed fairly early on, and that the Cleveland Welding Company was the first bicycle manufacturer to use it in mass production.
I’m sure, it didn’t take long for the other manufacturers to take note, and develop their own methods of using this economical way of joining frame tubes together.
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