1 gallon bath - Super Course
 

This Super Course came to me as part of the bargain for another bike I bought last year. It's too small for me at 23 1/2" but it should make a good "guest bike". The chrome was fuzzy and the paint was worn off in places so I thought I'd try a bath in Evaporust. I used a wallpaper tray, starting with the fork and then soaking one part of the frame at a time. This approach takes more time, but it is compact and you can control how much of the frame you soak based on need. Some photos:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8345250db8.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f7b5b5fc07.jpg
fuzzy chrome
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...20a712dc50.jpg
After a bath and some cleaner wax
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...db19a6d6b8.jpg
Jars of water to raise the ER level. Baggies of gravel would work better
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6a492ce8a9.jpg
You could hang the frame from a chair or a stepladder.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3e11205b9e.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...99744a8618.jpg
White decals yellowed. Not sure if this would have happened with fresh ER
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1f1e28a4ed.jpg
Lost paint on the headbadge....
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...393cfca82e.jpg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...37712682b3.jpg
Used Testor's Gloss Brown tinted with Flat Brass to cover any bare steel.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...06141a7f7d.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...859bd04a71.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2414e968a7.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ba845a9fe6.jpg
After touching up the bare steel
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...33bbe84423.jpg
With some shiny parts!

Very nice work! Always loved that color

Great job. I never used that stuff, but I need to give it a try. Do you have to immerse the frame? How long do you soak it? Can you brush it on in several coats? How many "dunks" do you get in each bath? Do normal DIY stores carry it, Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. ? I've had good luck polishing chrome with tin foil, and various polishes, but never tried to get surface rust off painted areas. I need to find some and do some research. Thanks for posting such detailed photos.

That looks great! I’ve got a 68 Super Course in the same Coffee color and I think I’ll try your paint technique for the underside of the top top tube. Mine has a couple of worn spots in the paint where it looks like a previous owner may have hung it on some hooks after each use. I looked at using Evaporust for a pair of 72 chrome Schwinn Paramounts that I restored last year but was scared off by, if I remember correctly, a warning on the bottle that said not to use it on chrome, but you used it here with great results! I ended up using a similar product that said it was safe for chrome, and it was, but it was very labor intensive to rub away with steel wool. Is that warning really on the Evaporust bottle or am I misremembering?

With the liquid Evaporust, you need to immerse the frame so it stays liquid. There may be a gel version for spot treatment but I haven't used it. I soaked 24-30 hours for each part of the frame and cleaned with a toothbrush. I paid $20 for a gallon at the local Tractor Supply store. It is re-usable, so I poured it back into the jug when I was done. The outside was rinsed with water and toweled dry. This is the second frame I treated with that gallon.

I read the label again and there is no warning about chrome. I've used it on many chrome parts and it works very well. Does not damage aluminum either. Some steel parts (bearing races, bolt un-chromed heads) may turn black however. Not to be used on red paint!

I'm pleased with the results with the exception of that white SuperCourse decal. It may need additional washing or perhaps OA spot treatment using Barkeeper's Friend. I hope to nail down the brake lever placement this weekend and wrap the bars - if it warms up enough.

I like the Nervar Star crankset and the SunTour derailleurs. Great job on the chrome cleanup and paint touchup.

Got to be on the shortlist for most labor ever put into making a "guest bike" look pretty. Good on ya, looks really nice.

I bought my '71 SC in '71 (one owner!) and then the next year went to work at that bike shop part time while I was in high school.
Pretty sure my first paycheck went toward putting a Nervar Star on it. Truly a crankset after me own heart, as in still raises my heartrate to look at one.

Then one of the next couple paychecks went into tubular wheels. I got these light D'Allessandro tires with red tread, might have been intended for track or time trial, but I didn't care, I knew I was stylin'!

Somewhere in there, maybe before the tubs, was a short-cage Suntour "V" rear mech and a straight-block. I had a big steep hill on my daily commute so I had to stand at a low cadence to get up the steep part. I remember trying to go up hills in the highest possible gear, like it was some kind of contest. No wonder my knees hurt nowadays.

I still have that bike, but with much lower gears, and more practical tires. It went back to cottered cranks at some point, can you believe it? Willingly? No gun to my head??

Mark B in Seattle

I believe Naval Jelly has that warning.

When I was looking for a Super Course, I found two '73's. One was green, and the other was the same as this. I made an offer on the green one, but could have gone either way. That is a nice color.

What year? I found a ‘77 very similar to yours but passed on it.

Excellent work with the cleanup and paint on a very classy bike!

Lucky guests! Nice job on the cleanup.

BFisher you are correct. It is Naval Jelly that has that warning. I knew I saw it on one rust removal product or another. Thanks for adding it all up for me.

Thanks to all for the compliments. The Super Course has such a large following here that I just had to dive into it.

The serial number on the dropout is 337456 and the downtube has the older script "Raleigh", so I think it is a 1972 model, although it could be earlier. It was a bare frame w/ headset when I got it, so the SN is the only thing I have to go on. The paint has really faded into more of a copper color than coffee brown and I like it. The Nervar star, Suntour VX and stem came off a rattle-canned Grand Sport that I picked up for rustystrings61 when I was looking for parts.