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I was cleaning up a couple of magneto drive cases this afternoon, freeing and removing the frozen intermediate gears and the oil pump drive worms, and putting the cases through a degreasing bath, One of these cases was the 17/18 to early 22 type, with the early style of worm gear in place and drilled for the cast aluminium cover/oiler fixing screws. As I scrubbed off the hard mix of oil and road dirt on the back, the near-black colour of what looked like old Brewster Green paint started to appear. I deduced, therefore, that the cover must be off an early 1922 machine, before the pressed steel cover, with the different pattern of holes for the fixing screws, became standard later in the production run,
But as I kept scrubbing, patches of old olive paint appeared underneath the dark green, The case had originally been olive. and was subsequently overpainted.
P1030616 (2).JPG
The aggressive cleaning solvents I was using have turned the green paint a bluish colour but, when first revealed, the colour was more like the dark patches at the top, and the same as the remnants of Brewster Green I've seen on other castings. It's always possible that, at some stage of the motorcycle's life, an owner had it repainted. But I wonder if the factory had plenty of the old type magneto cases in olive paint in stock and, after an over-paint, used them up on the early 1922 motorcycles which were enamelled in Brewster Green,
It's all speculative and I suppose it doesn't matter much. But I'm intrigued by these small mysteries about the history of our old machines which crop up from time to time. Perhaps I should just get out more often!
But as I kept scrubbing, patches of old olive paint appeared underneath the dark green, The case had originally been olive. and was subsequently overpainted.
P1030616 (2).JPG
The aggressive cleaning solvents I was using have turned the green paint a bluish colour but, when first revealed, the colour was more like the dark patches at the top, and the same as the remnants of Brewster Green I've seen on other castings. It's always possible that, at some stage of the motorcycle's life, an owner had it repainted. But I wonder if the factory had plenty of the old type magneto cases in olive paint in stock and, after an over-paint, used them up on the early 1922 motorcycles which were enamelled in Brewster Green,
It's all speculative and I suppose it doesn't matter much. But I'm intrigued by these small mysteries about the history of our old machines which crop up from time to time. Perhaps I should just get out more often!
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