I just got a late 20's Mead frame. I'm in the middle of my 50's Schwinn "distressed" build, so it's kind of bad timing. But it fell in my lap and I'd like to finish it for a show on October 28th. I'm converting it to one of those early 30's Meads where the frame was for 28" wheels but they replaced the fork with a 26" and used spacers on the wheels. I'm taking parts from a very incorrect Mead that I already had to build this one. I'm trying to match the paint to the OG paint on the 20's frame. I'm using a fork, tank, and other parts from a 30's model. My camera is dead but I'll have some starting pics up soon. I thought it might be interesting because of the paint matching techniques I will be using. I am going on a slim budget but the paint seems to be matching up very nicely. Hopefully this will provide some insight for beginners who want to match up paints on a build. The frame is Mead brown I would assume, but is oranged and darkened over time. Let me know what pics you would like to see. I have cleaned up the frame and started layering the tank and fork with brown primer, flat burgundy, and krylon terra cotta, which seems to be giving me the mix I need. Also I have sprayed a rag with flat black and wet it to put a black wash over the surface of some parts. This will likely be a quick build, but I figured with this resource available, why not document it. So far I believe it will match up nicely and be a very correct looking build. I just want to take a worn out Mead frame and complete it. After a good scrub the OG paint is still fairly vibrant. This will be a ratty motorbike for sure. I have triple step wheels, which are correct, but I will be sanding them and painting them off white with a color called english biscuit over top to simulate aging. More to come.
1920's Mead
- Thread starter ozzmonaut
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Here's the frame. I still need to clean it some and get the old paint off the top to get the paint to shine a little more. The seat and wheel did not come with it. The fork and tank are already in the process of being painted to match. What do you think so far? Paint seems to be matching up easily.
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Great find. Should be a fun build.
These fenders were sold to me as 28" for a bike I was working on about 4 years ago. They turned out to be too small for a 28" and a little big for 26". Not sure what they really were, but with some gentle bending and working they fit 26" great. So now they are painted and ready to patina for this bike. I was told that they are Mead but who knows. I think they will be awesome on this bike though. These were originally burgundy. I'm guessing white pinstripes would be correct, and these originally had them. But they had to be removed for repaint. I took an almost NOS set of fenders and sanded and painted them :? Oh well.
I really messed up on the seat. It was on there but the seatpost wouldn't go down. Riding on about 42 hours with no sleep I made the decision to hit the seat with a rubber mallet to drive the post down. The leather separated at the stitching on the edges. I'm going to use spray adhesive to put it all back down but I'm still embarassed that I took an almost 100 year old seat with decent leather and turned it into a basket case seat. It deserved better after surviving for that long. But it's really comfortable and I'm happy to own it. It was pretty rusty and the pan went through a vinegar bath and was cleaned and clear-coated. I'm pretty excited to get this thing up and running so I can ride it downtown during the bike show at the end of this month.cman said:
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Nice skill making new paint not only look old but to match it to other old painted parts. I'm still dying to get one of these style frames. Great Job! Robert
Thanks I really didn't expect it to come out so good. Not so much a skill as much as a measure of control when you're used to trying to make old look new. I'm surprised it worked with just cheap paint. I sprayed flat black into a cloth and put water with it to kind of make a blackwash which helped the most, especially on the brown/red. With white details I actually sprayed brown primer and black with water and wiped it on in a circular motion, then as it started to dry tried to wiped it off, which gave me the effect I wanted. A pic is coming.Road Master said:
This tank is actually off another mead that didn't deserve it as much. The frame was tweaked and not original paint. It'll know better next time. The tank I made is still on the bare metal build bike and was made from 2x2 square tubing which I cut/manipulated/welded or whatever. Hopefully you can make it to the show on the 28th to check these bikes out. I forget what area you live in but Mount Airy is probably closer than eden and reidsville for you. Looks like it will be a good turnout. (Shameless plug)menzorro said:
I still have to make the fender spacers for the rear and get the handlebars, light, and "battery tube" on. But it's coming together. Not sure if you can see the "weathered" triangles on the fork.
So the dropstand is on, bars and an old rack are on. Paint came out great. I still have to make spacers for the fenders. I'm trying to decide whether to use tubing or roll ins cut to length. With the local show coming up I don't have time to paint the wheels yet. I just need this together so I can finish up sorting things out to put on the show. Anyway, here's how she sits now.
cool bike! have you located where the serial number is? have a similar frame but it doesn't have a head badge so i'm clueless what it is
I don't think they had that size in the 20's. I'm guessing it was made specific for one manufacturer whose wheel sizes ran a little small or large. Either way they look good now.
