Are you kidding me?
When I recalled my days of a Graphic Design associate in Pearl, I realized the expense of changing and revamping the colors, adding logos, and coating the new job. I pressed on regardless hoping that my first attempt at refurbishing a bike would yield something I was proud to say I made. Well here we go!
First, I had to apply paint stripper which I bought in spray form. DO NOT GET THIS ON YOUR SKIN. I learned the hard way...a chemical burn is not the best way to start any project.
Get some long sleeves...
After letting the stripper sit for a day, most of the paint was easy to peel off. However, many of the sections with rust damage had to be sanded, so I ended up using rust stripper as lubricant for the sand paper. I tested it out on the fenders and it worked really well, so I gathered them to be primed while I sprayed the frame. I used Rustoleum Painters Touch 2X Ultra Cover, in grey. The day dragged on...sanding, sanding, spraying, and sanding. Wanting to get this bike done before the bike ride Sam and I were going to have, I stayed up late to finish the stripping inside.
The primed fenders and chain guard on the night of sanding...
The next day I spent dunking anything metal into the rust bath which I still had from the first bike. I finished up any sanding and rust removal that needed to be done and then moved on to the next phase which was priming the frame while I tested the Liquitex Emerald Green I grabbed from Pearl Arts and Crafts.
Not a bike stand, but cinder blocks make a good painting rig with a clamp
After taping the important things (crank shaft, metal pieces, and head set with bars) and figuring out how to take off the cranks, I went on to priming. I sprayed 3 coats and waited around an hour a coat. I got some smooth and decent coverage, but I still needed to sand some areas to make sure there was no debris that peeled the paint. In my rush to get it finished, I really didn't clean the frame too well which led to some of the primer not sticking on the frame, making me work double.
Now to the fun part!
The sun was setting and I was running low on time. I considered waiting until morning, but the hour gaps in between drying and painting time would have made it too close to our bike ride. I decided to get a head start and go for the first coat, letting it dry outside overnight.
I use the term dry very loosely. More like it settled into a morass-like goop that did not dry and was very runny. Florida is funny that way, a crazy hot humid day leads to a brisk cold misty night. Awesome. Oh and Liquitex is water based, so now the mist is diluting the paint. Well that is just splendid.
Oh, don't mind me, I'll be here tomorrow to give you more work!
With a terribly uneven first coat on, I spent the morning sanding the frame into a smooth-ish surface again. The second and third coats went on alright, but I had to sand between coats to keep the frame smooth. I taped and plastic bagged the whole frame except the center to give it a cool stripe.
Stripes make it go faster
I spent the time while the coats where drying by detailing the now finished fenders and chain guards with details and more stripes... Obviously for more speed, or is it red that makes vehicles go fast? Not to mention pulling the metallic pieces out of the rust bath and polishing them, gonna get that glint on.
In the details
So as you can see, after 2 1/2 coats of satin clear finish, things went down alright. I wish I didn't rush this, but I was happy with the end result nonetheless. It is nice to see that my BFA in Illustration, my extensive graffiti knowledge, and my new found mastery of bicycles, has culminated into an excellent product.
If you got this far, thanks for reading! Also note that coming soon will be an update to this post, with the first ride of Sam's new whip! Let me know what you think, or just follow!
UPDATE!
The first ride of Sam's new ride! Please like and subscribe! Until next time!
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