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iDood said:
And in gold...

mallin5.jpg


(might not be 100% centered, but you get the idea...)

Yeah, I like that too...
I was just at Wheels thru Time and if I saw that sitting there with the gold lettering I would not think it out of place.
 
K-dregg said:
I'm picking the gold one, Looks nice and clean.. Dont pinstripe the tank, that looks to busy in my opinion..
Yeah, but a lot of the old bikes from the 20's had pinstripes around the tank...with just the name...
 
FOUND OBJECTS said:
K-dregg said:
I'm picking the gold one, Looks nice and clean.. Dont pinstripe the tank, that looks to busy in my opinion..
Yeah, but a lot of the old bikes from the 20's had pinstripes around the tank...with just the name...

Lol.. Ok, i admit, i have a general problem with pinstriping :D its a fast way to ruin good work when it gets out of hand.. :D
 
IMO, the black and gold lettering without an outline stripe would look like incomplete work. Basic pair on the fender would be a plus. 8)

Rims too, if'n yer lookin ta get all schnazzy. :mrgreen:
 
I found someone to paint the graphic and pinstriping on the sides of my tank. The guy is a professional artist who does this sort of thing all the time...and he’s giving me a pretty sweet deal to do my tank. I'm going with what most of you suggested: old-school gold letters in an "Indian style" font with a black outline around the letters and black and gold pinstriping around the tank.

So given that his work is professional, I wanted my tank to look just as nice as his work. I’m not the greatest painter, but my frame and fender came out great. Unfortunately my tank had a few fisheyes in it, so before I drop it off with Kurt, the pinstripe guy, I decided to strip the tank down and redo it. I don’t consider myself a perfectionist, but clearly I have issues.

Here’s today’s work...

Step 1...(kinda looks like Eddie Van Halen painted it)
24OCT2010_1.jpg


Step 2...
24OCT2010_2.jpg


Step 3...
24OCT2010_3.jpg


In 48 hours I’ll sand it down one last time and give it one final color coat before it goes to Kurt. I figure I’ll sand it and do the final color coat on Tuesday night...48 hours after that it can go to Kurt...so probably Thursday or Friday night. Then once I get the tank back I have to hit it with a coat of clear...then 48 hours after that everything will final be dry so I can put the bike back together and officially call it done!
 
There always seems to be that final little touch that pulls everything together and I think the pinstriping and lettering are going to be it.
Looking good!!!!
 
I am routinely amazed at the creativity and ingenuity I find on these pages. I just spent the hour reading about your build instead of watching the movie I rented. Beautiful work! I can't wait to see the next video. Thanks for sharing.
 
You guys are incredibly kind. I truly appreciate all of the kind words and input as I've progressed through this project. I have to agree with g-ratter...I think the tank graphic and pinstripe are going to be the icing on the cake!

So, as I mentioned earlier...tonight was the night for the final coat of color paint on the tank. I dry sanded everything...then wet sanded everything to make it as smooth as possible. There are a couple/three imperfections in the tank...I left them. The reality is, I don't want it to me "flawless;" I want it to look as authentic as possible, so the imperfections add to the character. Anyway, I think it turned out beautiful!

26OCT2010_.jpg


I'm very pleased!

So for the next 48 hours I will let the paint dry. Friday afternoon (night) I'll go see Kurt so he can pinstripe and put the "Mallin" graphics on the sides of the tank. Then the tank will get a coat of clear enamel...then 48 hours after that I will reassemble everything and take a few glamour shots of the bike and call it officially "Done!"

Almost there!
 
I mocked up the final design for my tank and drove over to Kurt's place and dropped it off. Below is the mockup, though the font in the mockup isn't what Kurt is going to use--he's going to paint "Mallin" in an Indian-style font, but I don't have that on my computer. Anyway, you get the idea...

design.jpg


I thought that was that and very shortly I'd be getting a call from Kurt to come get it. Well, I got a call from Kurt all right. He said I wasn't going to be happy. He said he began painting the graphics on the side of my tank, but when he pulled up the outlining tape, some of the paint came up with it. Great...just great! I went and picked up the tank...here's the damage...

paint.jpg


At least Kurt didn't get too far into the painting...he simply put down the first coat of gold on one side and hadn't gotten into a second coat or the details with the black outlining.

You know, I used paint and primer from the same manufacturer--the paint and primer recommended for use with each other...and I even scuffed up the primer a bit before applying the color coat. The only thing I can figure is that somehow some way some sort of contaminant--oil, gas, oil from my hands...something--got on the primer. Aggravating!

So for the third time, I will sand the tank down again (at least to the primer) and repaint it. I think I will also allow a longer drying time before I take the it back to Kurt...maybe even put the tank in the oven for a bit (after 48 hours) to ensure the paint is cured.

On the plus side, it extends this project out a little longer and stops me from buying an old motorcycle for my next project...

Anyway...that's the current status. I'm about to head into the garage and start sanding...[in the voice of Yosemite Sam] Frickin fracken...

Stay tuned...
 
iDood said:
You know, I used paint and primer from the same manufacturer--the paint and primer recommended for use with each other...and I even scuffed up the primer a bit before applying the color coat. The only thing I can figure is that somehow some way some sort of contaminant--oil, gas, oil from my hands...something--got on the primer. Aggravating!

Been there brother! I'm becoming a firm believer that automotive grade materials are the only 'guaranteed' way of getting the best results but the cost has kept me from going that route. I've had so many of the same problems you're having, its' ridiculous!
Rattle cans are just a gamble and I hate nothing more than doing something twice or three times!!
The worst one was when I was painting the rack (two-tone white/red) on my buddy's Spaceliner. I ended up re-painting it three times 'cause the clear would wrinkle, even though everything was from the same manufacturer.
I finally let the paint cure for a week then cleared it and that worked.
I thought of 'oven-curing' the paint but figured the wife wouldn't appreciate that!

What's your plan to fix it?
Are you going to be able to 'save' the lettering work already done (by taping over it)?
 
Going to look great when you get it painted, my question though is if this guy is a "Professional" striper why has he taped up the pinstripes? You could have done that yourself. I do not
tell anyone I can pinstripe and then tape up to add my stripes. It's guys like this that make the real professionals look bad. I'd look for another stripe guy and be careful with the prep as well. Looking forward to the finished product for sure, anyone in the Ontario Canada area who needs hand painted striping, lettering or artwork are more than welcome to contact me. Heck for that matter, I know many, many excellent stripers likely in your area too if you need some advise when looking for an artist.

Chris.
 

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