A Frame Cleaning Solution

You may be familiar with microcrystalline conservation wax as used by conservation technicians at the WA Museum.

It protects all types of surfaces including unpainted metal and, most importantly, protects an old bike’s patina whilst being completely reversible.

Evan Thomas, the man behind Becketts conservation wax, has kindly shared his recipe for a wax and grime remover.

I have used this on numerous projects now and I have found it to be an effective cleaner, yet reassuringly gentle on old paint and decals.

Be aware that white spirits can make some plastic containers go soft so either test first or use a container previously used for turpentine, acetone, white spirits etc.

4 parts white spirits 400ml
2 parts methylated spirits200ml
1 part vinegar 100ml
1/2 dish detergent 50ml
Shake before use and apply to surface, allow to dry and wipe down.

Frank West

Rustbucket for Rust Removal

I would like to share little a success story of a product I recently trialled called Rust Bucket.

After researching the product I was keen to try it out on a 1934 Swansea recently acquired from a fellow club member. 

The process of chelation which targets only iron oxide (rust) is common some of the other rust removal remedies and products out there. What really intrigued me was that Rustbucket is a pH 7 (neutral) product which is supposed to prevent flash rusting of the surface of the newly cleaned metal associated with other rust removal methods. So essentially there is a fairly large window to apply your sealers or paint without the fear of instantaneous re-rusting.

The manufacturer recommends a ratio of 1 litre of Rust Bucket powder to 5 litres of water. I built a frame shaped bath from scrap timber lined with plastic sheet which had a capacity of 20 litres. I halved the recommended dosage partly to assuage my fear of paint and patina loss and bought 2 litres of powder. At $43 a bottle it also halved the budget!

After 12 hours in the solution the results were surprisingly good, simply hosing off with water and voila!; once dried the frame was ready for waxing. I noticed that the solution was really dirty, so it did a fantastic in removing any rust and flaky paint.

Rust Bucket, by Action Corrosion http://www.actioncorrosion.com.au/product/rust-bucket-safe-rust-removal-bath/
Colin Proctor

Stanisław Kudliński

Last October my wife and I were cycling in northern Austria. At the town of Mauthausen we turned up the valley and climbed some switchbacks in our lowest gear until the grade eased. Nestled into the broad grassed hill in front of us were the massive walls of the Mauthausen concentration camp, run as a business by the German SS during World War II.  They were a very enterprising bunch when it came to forced labour, starvation, death and worse.  We spent several hours taking in as much as we could cope with.

In the museum my eye was drawn to this old bicycle. It had been indelicately but lovingly repainted in green and gold, so it was irresistible to an Australian cyclist.  Its sweeping handle bar gave it a jaunty look but it had taken a hard hit on the left side. Foot pegs on the front forks suggested it had routinely carried someone on the handlebars. A handsome saddle sat above the simple drive train, which looked like it could go forever. The rear rack had survived somehow.

The bike belonged to Stanisław Kudliński, a polish survivor of the Mauthausen camp.  Probably 120,000 people were murdered in the camp complex (many records were destroyed and estimates range up to 200,000 according to Wikipedia).  But Stanisław survived and when he got out he didn't wait for his return home to be arranged.  He received this bicycle from nuns in nearby Linz and set off with two other survivors on a long journey through war-torn Europe, home to Poland.  He kept the bike throughout his 83 years, a powerful symbol of freedom.

We cleared our heads in the bright sun and climbed back on our own freedom machine. As we rode away from Mauthausen we couldn't feel what Stanisław felt, but we knew it felt good.

Robert Loughman

Swansea Cycles - Fremantle Legend exhibition opening

The WAHCC’s 2019 marque celebration of Swansea Cycles was opened by club Chairperson Robert Frith last Friday evening. The official opening followed an afternoon tea reunion of Swansea alumni; close to twenty of the company’s staff and riders were invited to an exclusive preview of the show. Among them were Les Baldwin’s right hand man for many years, Harold Durant, now 97, ex Freo MP Dr. John Troy and a slew of champion riders from the 50’s and 60’s including Rod Dhue, Bill Gilbride, Clarrie Minciullo, Graham Benthien, Mick O’Sullivan and Peter Buswell.

The following two days were a huge success with over 400 people seeing the exhibition, among them Chris, Celia and Rhiannon Baldwin, the son and granddaughters of Swansea founder and part owner Howard Baldwin. We also had visits from Ray Ellement, frame builder Merv Ellement’s son; Helen Jones, niece of Swansea accountant Ken Pettit; Terry, Roz and Nicole Stevenson, son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter of legendary rider Dave Stevenson, later the Swansea factory manager.

A number of club members brought Swansea bikes from their collections for the show and, together with generous loans from members of the public, by Sunday lunchtime there were 34 Swanseas on display. They ranged from a humble delivery bike (Swansea’s own) to a pair of spectacularly restored road race bikes. The earliest bike on show, a verge pickup, dates to 1934 and the most recent a c. 1975 “bike boom” exercise in badge engineering.

Over the course of the weekend we added a dozen bikes to the Swansea Register and gave away 44 numbered tags to owners of registered bikes.

If you missed the show we’re sorry; it was fantastic! All is not lost though; the content that club members produced from interviews prior to the show is available here.