Paint Job Progress

[a_dam]

Final clear coats going on:

Started in "what did you do with your bike today" forum. Moved here since its all about paint.

Gold base coat. Red Krylon X-metals on top. Also some red glitter.

Some wet-sanding like in img1535.jpg bringing down the high spots.

 

[a_dam]

Paint is as good as it's going to be. The top coat is almost as smooth as glass. I can always buff it this summer when its sure to be completely cured.

After I built up the clear coats, I wet-sanded between the last few coats of clear. Here's a few pics. The flake came out nice, but doesn't show up in still-photos.

Tomorrow I spruce up the motor and put her all back together.

 

[paul]

very nice adam. did you use a sprayer or can? the finish is awesome. gonna make one heck of a good looking motorized bicycle

 

[a_dam]

Thanks, Paul.

It was an all-rattle-can job. I wish I had a spraying setup. Gotta be less fumes and more paint choices like epoxies and urethanes. And better control than cans that spit if you try to run them too low or don't shake enough.

Still, it came out very nice (and I'm very picky). Took about a half can primer, half can of gold for base coats, a little more than a can of red x-metals (about 4 coats), and a couple cans of clear. The gold and primer was old stuff in my cabinet. Someone gave me the red. I bought the clear. If I had to buy it all today it would maybe come out to 15 bucks in paint. Not bad.

I thought I would finish reassembling today. Didn't happen. Not even just the bike without motor. Bike's almost done. Looks better with every part you put back on it.

Will post pics.

 

[paul]

I have tried the cans in the past and could never get a good finish, you should be really proud of the job you did, gonna be one beautiful motorized bicycle

 

[a_dam]

Just finished mounting motor today. Don't have pics yet with motor on. I tried some liquid gasket stuff named Three-bond. Worked on everything except the cylinder. After about a 5-mile ride it was just starting to ooze around the base. But I don't think this motor was made to work without a cylinder gasket. There's a slight "ridge" going around in the middle of the mating surface. Worked good on crankcase cover which is just a flat-to-flat surface contact. So I cut a gasket (hate cutting gaskets) and used a little threebond as well.

Anyway, here's pics of the bike sans-motor. Sorry for the messy background. There's a closeup of my homemade, hand-bent aluminum kickstand. The motor all cleaned up. And that gasket stuff (I think I'll recommend it).

Will post better pics with motor when I get them. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice and sunny - outside pics with no basement junk.