Apologies to start a new thread on a topic that has been discussed in great depth, but I have just spent my entire lunch break and a few previous evenings trying to locate a post I came across some time ago, with no luck! So Iv'e given up and am just going to ask...

I want to clean the kickstand, crank and aluminum calipers and levers from my 1950s Schwinn.

I'm thinking dawn and hot water for the aluminum brake parts. Would mineral spirits be harmful? They look bare, but maybe there's some sort of clear coat.

The previous thread I saw showed someone who had polished up their Schwinn crank and kickstand with some sort of rubbing paste... any ideas?

No access to fancy things like ultrasonic cleaners BTW!

TIA

TdH

Try this thread on polishing.

Mother's aluminum polish at most auto stores

Any ideas on how to clean up a kick stand and one piece crank? Appears to be steel but unsure on the finish. It's pretty badly tarnished/stained and nothing get it looking good. I tried polishing with wet and dry paper..

For polishing and cleaning of aluminum parts in Russia, this method is used:
1. Thin sheet of food aluminum foil is crushed into a loose ball and washed like a sponge in a water.
2. The same ball of foil is using for washing and rubbing with Coca-Cola.
3. Rinse with water.
3. Put the part for 2-3 hours in warm solutions of citric acid (pour into plastic containers).

This all works great, used the first three last night on a chromed AiR fork on my Tommasini. Sealed it up with some quality wax afterwards.

Bill

Yes, for chromium, the first three actions. For aluminum, the first two and the "second third", because chemical polishing in citric acid creates an even protective layer against conventional aluminum oxide.