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Found the correct tank this week. Not a dent anywhere. Its the color the bike originally was. I just have to take the shine off it and it will be ready for striping. I plan on getting caught up some tomorrow. Work and swap meets have been taking up all my time lately.
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Wow i just searched the forum and that stuff is awesome! Curious to see how your frame will look after the treatment.
Not so sure how my wife will react if i put it in the bathtub😅
Go to Walmart and get a kiddie pool. 😉
 
Back from slackerville. Finally getting some free time. I'm still digging out parts and pieces. Pulled out some hub caps i'll repaint later and a different chainguard that might fit. Also have a set of torrington bars with good patina and a deco stem.. I had to buy another set of dropstand bolts because i put the last set up somewhee so i wouldn't lose them. That didn't work. And a bunch of fender rivets. I still need to decide on what color tires to use and which handlebar grips will work. Some cleanup work the next couple days and should be back on track.
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Did some mocks up today and so far everything works. I pulled out a set of monark springer forks that fit fine, i'm missing the bushings but i can make a set at work. I'll also need to dimple the front fender to fit. I also got out another springer set i wanted to use but i can't find the top bracket or nuts. i mounted the paisley sprocket and cranks i picked up. No prob with them. The chainguard will work, i just have to reattach the front bracket in a diff location. It appears chrome under the flat black paint job. Not sure how i will finish it yet. Handlebars and stem work ok. Seat and stem are good. If i stay with this seat i may change the color later. I still need to find tires and grips but it's starting to come together.
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Finally got a kiddie pool for the oxallic acid bath. I filled it up last night and loaded some parts. I pulled the fenders out a bit ago and wiped the white film off. I could already see a big improvement. The frame barely fit but it's all in. On a side note , i found my next build project this week. Someone thought they should make it a Schwinn with the headbadge with big machine screws and the decals. They also drilled an off center holes for a kickstand. I only have the frame but until next May to collect parts. I ran the serial number and it shows it to be a 1939 Murray. Looptail and curved down tube.
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That thing is dripping with style the way it sits. See how it looks coming out of OA bath, looks like plenty of paint there to take a hand polish. The "glow" of cleaned up faded paint is really nice compared to a flat clear. Looking forward to see where ya go with it.

The Murray, WOW.
 
After everything came out of the ox bath i wasn't excited about the results. I may have left it to long. The fenders came out maroon and bare metal that turned a nice brown. Those i liked. the frame came out more red than i liked. So after a day or two of looking at it i decided to just go naked with it. The wife told me to get my clothes back on and fix the bikes finish. Out came the aircraft stripper and i removed the red. I've always wanted to do a bare metal finish. After stripping the frame down i put it back into the oxalic bath for about 24 hours. After cleaning it off real good it had a pickled look. A couple of coats of dead flat clear and i really liked the look. I plan to leave the original paint on the tank after i take the shine off of it. Fenders will stay as they are. A good striping job should tie it all together. Maybe not my best idea ever but i have a plan.
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That's classic right there.

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I managed to get a little more done today. I mounted the monark springer I stripped and clear coated. New bearings and it turns like new. I still need bushings but I'll prob make my own. I stripped the chain guard down and did a lot of sanding filled by a coat of clear flat. I put two layers of copper mesh behind the holes to make it pop. I will be using more copper accents as I go along. Tank next and then drive train. I'm waiting on some master links now.
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Very cool effect with the copper mesh!
 

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