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Wheels

The spokes and rims were painted black but I think they were painted with a brush and they had a good coating of grease and grime on them, so they had to be stripped down to bare wood.

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It took quite a bit of scraping and sanding to get back to the bare Hickory.  Granted a natural finish does look impressive.  However originally the spokes were actually painted.  To maintain the spokes with a natural finish is quite labour intensive.  The finish, be it varnish, or teak oil or other oils won't last long thanks to the UV rays these days. So it would be a continuous procedure that couldn't be neglected.  Which would be difficult over the wet winter months.

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The new tires have arrived.  BF Goodrich 5.50x18.  Along with new tubes and flaps.
For whatever reason nobody makes an 18 inch tube with a straight stem.  So I had to go with a 19 inch tube that does have a straight stem.  I was assured by Coker Tire that it was a standard practice, and the 19 in. would work just fine. 

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Talc isn't available anymore so I used flower to cover the tubes and flaps and inside the tire to reduce friction during assembly.

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There are 2 sizes of flaps available. 5 inch and 7 inch.  I chose the 7 inch and it worked out fine.  They are very beafy and they are essential for tube protection when installing the tire. 

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The finished wheel look great and even though this size of tire is not available in a whitewall, I'm very happy with the blackwall and the contrast between it and the red wheel.

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