Progress:
I have dismantled , cleaned , and repaired all of the components save the spokes.
I am planning to have my Local bike shop "Bikes and Beyond" ( A SHAMELESS PLUG ) re-lace the Dunlop's with black SS spokes once he gets them in.
The guys at the shop are very excited to work on the old girl.
The rims are un blemished Stainless steel
( lucky me ) and only need polished out and the black stripe re applied to the center.
As far as I can tell at this point , the bike seems to be a late 20's version.
Of all the 1930's examples I have seen, ( Most but not all ) run an open chain case, a different style seat post , standard hoop fenders , and welded lever mounts on the bars.
The seat is a 1950's Lepper that was added at some point. It is a mattress style leather seat of good quality.
As the seat came with the bike ( when I got it )I am going to restore it and run it.
The original would have been a mouse trap with Cosmos logo.
Actually it wouldn't be hard to replicate , and I may in the future.
The Sturmey Archer shift'r is of a later date as well ...
This will be a problem as I can't find an original .
It was a top bar mounted unit that will be more than likely have to be replicated by me in the machine shop.... ( Lot's of pictures available, I love reverse engineering.... )
At present I am setting up a nickle plating system in the garden shed ( hydrogen gas is nothing I want in my fab shop ).
The plan is to polish the pits out of all of the parts to be plated then Nickle plate them my self. I will lay down a cote of copper first, then nickle.
I know this goes against what most believe to be the " proper way to treat an antique bike" these days.
I don't care..... As I am not restoring this bike to sell .
I have a need to see it in as delivered condition , purely emotional .....
I have managed to map out the original paint scheme of the bike by carefully removing the black out paint from the bike . Lots of fine steel wool and denatured alcohol....
The bike was gloss black with gold and blue pin striping. Lots of pin striping....
The problem I have is that this bike screams to be converted to gas soooooo.
I have decided to go ahead and purchase a NEW Flying Pigeon from a shop in LA.
I will then disguise it as a 1920's Cosmos and motorize it..... Ha Ha HA .. I'll get what I want one way or another.......
The 2015 Flying Pigeon :
The 1938 Cosmos:
The 1920's ??? Cosmos: