I'm an artist and aging bicyclist for over 47 years. I'm in the middle of two projects at the moment.
Project one is a Schwinn '72 De Luxe Twinn tandem redo, which is 90% complete (images very soon), which is all about bringing an abandoned bike back from its rusty seclusion outside in Wisconsin for what appears to be at least fifteen years. This is not about restoration, its reclamation and will have signs of its age and neglect mixed the bits we have been able to bring back to life. It'll also have a few modern new parts, like seats, to make it an actual rider for rides to the course to play disc golf.
The second project is also a '72 Schwinn, a Collegiate that saw plenty of time also in the yard to fend for itself. However, its a perfect Rootbeer Brown with a nice patina to go with its rust, so its going to be a total rat rod, with a Sears rat-trap front end added to the Schwinn fork, some forged parts I will make in the blacksmith studio, a bit of hammering, and the addition of a motor to make some noise. The only finishing treatment this one is going to get is a matte clear poly to keep the rust from rubbing off, and to freeze the patina. Welds are going to be left untouched, so I've got to be on my best behavior with the TiG and brazing work. New parts will be patina finished to some degree, just to knock the new off, but for the most part the whole thing is about being raw and having some fun. Pics to come on this soon as well.
For a little peak into what I've done before returning to bikes after a break over the years, here is a chopper I made from a go-kart I'd raced for a couple years, and my current hotrod for running errands.. You can probably figure which is which...
Cheers!
Project one is a Schwinn '72 De Luxe Twinn tandem redo, which is 90% complete (images very soon), which is all about bringing an abandoned bike back from its rusty seclusion outside in Wisconsin for what appears to be at least fifteen years. This is not about restoration, its reclamation and will have signs of its age and neglect mixed the bits we have been able to bring back to life. It'll also have a few modern new parts, like seats, to make it an actual rider for rides to the course to play disc golf.
The second project is also a '72 Schwinn, a Collegiate that saw plenty of time also in the yard to fend for itself. However, its a perfect Rootbeer Brown with a nice patina to go with its rust, so its going to be a total rat rod, with a Sears rat-trap front end added to the Schwinn fork, some forged parts I will make in the blacksmith studio, a bit of hammering, and the addition of a motor to make some noise. The only finishing treatment this one is going to get is a matte clear poly to keep the rust from rubbing off, and to freeze the patina. Welds are going to be left untouched, so I've got to be on my best behavior with the TiG and brazing work. New parts will be patina finished to some degree, just to knock the new off, but for the most part the whole thing is about being raw and having some fun. Pics to come on this soon as well.
For a little peak into what I've done before returning to bikes after a break over the years, here is a chopper I made from a go-kart I'd raced for a couple years, and my current hotrod for running errands.. You can probably figure which is which...
Cheers!
