War time "black-out" parts thread

[tacochris]

Please feel free to correct me if Im wrong but I was not able to locate a definitive source or thread for these weird items so i wanted to start one because I want to learn about them. I have a bike that appears to be a black-out bike and here are my questions/concerns:

---Is this simply black paint over bare steel or was there a coating of come kind before the black
---Was this just done on specific parts or were all items originally chrome/nickel done in black (bearing cups, headtube cups, bolts etc)
---In the case of Morrow black-outs, I have seen some with what appears to be a nickel or chrome plated dust cover but all else black
---I have seen some black-out parts that, where scratched, appear to be shiny underneath.

If handled right, this thread could turn into a good resource for others in the future:

 

[Adamtinkerer]

Just black paint over steel, from what I've seen.

 

[bloo]

The blacking out would have been done to avoid using the copper nickel and chrome. In the car world some parts that were already plated got painted over. I guess it's possible that happened in the bike world too.

 

[GTs58]

Many of the parts were painted and some parts had a black oxide finish in either a cold or medium or hot application. The bearing cups, races etc. would have most likely had the hot process. I've seen some handlebars that looked like they had the black oxide finish and the vast majority looked like they were painted, but they could have been painted at a later time.

As far as using copper in the chroming process on Schwinn parts, I have not seen any indication where they actually used copper. It's used as a filler and can be buffed out for a smooth base on show quality chrome.

 

[jeep44]

The shortages of chrome continued on into at least 1946. I have an original Huffman Lightning Flyer from that year. both hubs are painted black, as are the pedal cranks( with just bare steel underneath). The chainwheel is chrome, as are the handlebars. All the other components are painted, including the rims.

 

[mrg]

Not sure about Schwinn chroming prosess but just pulled this out for my swap pile, somebody buffed it down to re-chrome, 1 side shows alot of copper, not sure if it's from a previous re-chrome?, sorry a little off the blkout parts topic.

 

[tacochris]

I will add an oddball one: On my 45, the black-out crank in the center is all copper. From the first thread to the last thread, the entire center is copper with zero signs that any other finish has ever been over it. Something I didnt expect thats for sure......This was found under what had to be a 1/4" of grease so I know it hasnt been touched before....

 

[Oilit]

I will add an oddball one: On my 45, the black-out crank in the center is all copper. From the first thread to the last thread, the entire center is copper with zero signs that any other finish has ever been over it. Something I didnt expect thats for sure......This was found under what had to be a 1/4" of grease so I know it hasnt been touched before....

View attachment 1414277

I remember hearing somewhere that triple-plate chrome is actually three different metals, first copper, then nickel, then chrome. All I can guess is that this had already been copper plated when the word came down that chrome plating was suspended for the duration.

 

[juvela]

-----

have no experience of wartime "blackout" bicycle parts but do have a wartime blackout item experience

during the war at the University of California Berkeley campus there was a big influx of people coming in for training/learning in connection with the war effort

the University owned a piece of ground about three miles from the campus where they constructed a "University Village" residential area consisting of hastily erected two-story wooden dorms to house all of these new arrivals

the complex included a coin laundry building and an office/lounge/cafe building
in this second structure there was a public restroom
can recall using it during the 1980's and 1990's
the sink faucet was of black wartime austerity finish - forty or fifty years after installation it was still in place and in use


-----

 

[Gully]

Anyone ever done the black oxide thing on parts?