Riding tires 60+ years old is not without risk. I’ve had two blow outs on old rubber and after the last one where I had to carry the bike (50 lbs) three miles before I got a ride home I decided it just wasn’t worth it. The gold standard for reproduction tires for balloon tire bikes is John A’s US Royal Chain Treads offered in a variety of colors. he now offers these in a cream sidewall which is more appropriate for original paint bikes but for some may still look too new.
I’m going to show a few different ways to do this but there are a thousand ways to skin this cat. The first thing you want to do is look at a few old tires to see how they aged. Depending on how they were made and how long and to what elements they were exposed you will normally see either shades of a yellow tint or gray tint. If the tire rested against somethging there may be staining. Sometimes the color wil be consistent while other times it may appear blotchy.
The first thing do is use a scotchbrite or similar product to knock the sheen off the new rubber. Do this to both the white and black. Besides reducing the sheen it also gives whatever you are using to age the tire some ‘bite’ to hold the pigment. Another reason it is good to have an old tire for comparison is that there is a tendency to overdo the color. Most old tires are just off white and not really that dark.
Below are a couple of paints and a stain that I had handy. I have heard of people using coffee or tea but I have not had good results–couldn’t get enough of a stain. You are really only limited by your imagination when it comes to things you can use. I’ve also used old motor oil alone or mix it with dirt. All of these were applied and then almost immediately wiped of with a rag. You can build up the color as needed.
I really prefer the water based acrylics to any oil based products for several reasons. First the color pallet for the acrylics is much wider than just about any other product. Second it is easier to work with and clean up. Lastly if you don’t like the results and you are within about 24 hours you can use some Whestleys Bleche White and remove it.
Once you apply oil based type pigments you’re pretty much stuck with what you get. If you have a tried and true method please share. Enjoy the ride!
Michael T Aughenbaugh