Thanks very much, Kurt. No, it's strictly a wall hanger. I would be happy if I could just minimize its deterioration. When I say I haven't done anything to it, I mean I have yet to clean it, Framesaver it -- really do anything to it. Jan recommended brass wool on the rusty parts and then a coating of wax. That sounds reasonable to me if it will inhibit further rust. But I wanted to get other viewpoints before committing myself. Taking brass wool to the rusty parts will of course change its appearance. It's just something for me to take into consideration.
Kevin Moran
Bloomington, Indiana
USA
> Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:51:13 -0700
> From: "Kurt Sperry" <haxixe(AT)gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [CR]Restoration/conservation
>
> What a beautiful Garibaldina! The frame and fork are in my opinion
> pretty darn good for a bike that age with what looks like original
> paint. The pedals and headset and a few bits look rusty, but are they
> compromised functionally or only cosmetically? I do hope you've
> cleaned it thoroughly since the photos were taken, as has been pointed
> out dust and dirt promote corrosion.
>
> I guess the first question is do you want to be able to ride the bike?
> If yes, you could probably make it a rider with a reasonable
> replacement wheelset and a thorough general mechanical maintenance. If
> you aren't planning on riding it, I don't think there's much you'd
> want to do beyond gently cleaning and maybe waxing it. If you replace
> one rusty bit with a shiny one, it'll never look right anyway. Even
> with its issues I reckon that bike is waaaay too nice to even consider
> a restoration on.
>
> Kurt Sperry
> Bellingham, Washington
> USA