1950 Schwinn, odd color "distressed"

[ozzmonaut]

I'm starting on the build of my 1950 Hornet. It is going to be a "replica" of the bike pictured. You might remember my thread asking questions about this bike and the colors. I'll just post the pic of what I'm going by and get the rest up as I come along. P{lease let me know what you think. This will be my first attempt at a true distress job.

And this is what I'm starting with. However this frame was a little tweaked and the fenders were rough. So I am combining parts from this 48 and a very rusty and nasty 50 to make one good bike.

So it will be a 50 frame and fenders, and most other parts will come from this 48.

 

[Turtlesixfour]

So is the first bike what you are going to build? What color is it? Green or yellow? Definitely different! Like it!

 

[ozzmonaut]

On the cabe the owner/owners of the bike have called it windswept green. But they also said that that it faded to an almost yellow color. So I have used red primer with a very yellowish green base. Then i went over it with a krylon green called pistachio. Then I used rubbing compound to bring the yellow through the green and even expose some primer and bare metal. I've started with the tank since it will likely be the most difficult part. The fork and guard are painted but not yet distressed. Frame is sanded and will be painted soon, fenders aren't even started but they are straight although rusty, so perfect for this project. I'll post some before pics on the parts soon.

 

[ozzmonaut]

So is the first bike what you are going to build? What color is it? Green or yellow? Definitely different! Like it!

The funky color is what made me want to attempt this. And although I'd never try to pass it off as original, I'd like to see how close I can get on distressing it to look original.

 

[ozzmonaut]

I'm not sure how to age the decals. I thought of using tea instead of water to apply them to get the browning effect.

 

[ozzmonaut]

Here's the before pics (kind of). The 50 frame is shown before sanding is finished. The wheels came from the 50 but are really rough, so the wheels from the 48 will be used. Fenders are extremely rusty and the braces are even worse, so the braces from the 48 will be used. The fork, guard, and rack are looking nice.Just need the fake patina.

 

[Turtlesixfour]

Let me know how the tea works out. Sounds like it would work!

 

[kustomkulturebabe]

Nice project ahead of you, love any bike with a tank in it! good luckk

 

[Gdcast]

Nice color combo!

 

[kingfish254]

I really dig that color combo as well!!!

 

[spectratone]

For aging the decals you might try tinting some clear coat with some
brown/yellow and spraying that over the decal after it's applied.
Use a light tint and build up layers until you get the right amount of tint; it's
a good job for an airbrush.

 

[kustomkulturebabe]

I didn't realize I had already commented on this lol so this time I will put a useful remark haha.. Have you thought about using a kandy color over your decal maybe? It's transparent base coat and you can clear right over it..

 

[ozzmonaut]

For aging the decals you might try tinting some clear coat with some
brown/yellow and spraying that over the decal after it's applied.
Use a light tint and build up layers until you get the right amount of tint; it's
a good job for an airbrush.

That's a good idea. Afterwards I thought about the tea and realized I have only seen it used on more porous objects and documents. But tinting clear would work fine. And I went ahead and applied the decal. Still have to apply the hornet decal. However I have to figure out how to localize the clearcoat so that I don't yellow the rest of the guard. I will have to tape around the edge of the decal, which may detract from the realism. I was wondering if shoe polish might do the trick. Maybe let it sit on top of the decal and soak in a bit then wipe it off and use rubbing compound to smooth it out. But shoe polish may contain chemicals that could remove paint or even worse, the decal

 

[ozzmonaut]

I didn't realize I had already commented on this lol so this time I will put a useful remark haha.. Have you thought about using a kandy color over your decal maybe? It's transparent base coat and you can clear right over it..

The problem I run into there is that this is acrylic enamel. I have to be careful what I use as it could possibly damage the current finish, or later finishes or chemicals applied could negatively affect the kandy color. I might just have to go with the tried and true "rub my dirty hands on it then clear coat it"

 

[ozzmonaut]

Here's the chainguard with the lower decal on. I've already faded the paint between the two colors. I'm waiting on the Hornet decal to arrive and then I'll apply it and figure out how to age these decals. Any ideas? Not sure about the tinted clear because of the difference in paint types.

 

[bon]

I didn't realize I had already commented on this lol so this time I will put a useful remark haha.. Have you thought about using a kandy color over your decal maybe? It's transparent base coat and you can clear right over it..

The problem I run into there is that this is acrylic enamel. I have to be careful what I use as it could possibly damage the current finish, or later finishes or chemicals applied could negatively affect the kandy color. I might just have to go with the tried and true "rub my dirty hands on it then clear coat it"

nice "distressed" idea man, and i love that " "rub my dirty hands on it then clear coat it" its really nice and a great help when you have complete donor bikes lying around

 

[ozzmonaut]

Bump for ideas on yellowing the decals. Anybody know if shoepolish contains any chemicals that would harm paint or the decal? I might set up a test piece with the same paint and a decal just to test things on.

 

[Gdcast]

How about laying them under the sun for three or four days? :roll:

 

[Black Crown Tattoo]

Minwax makes a yellow like stain I'd imagine that could have a cool effect! Or for a little more browning maybe you could use boiled tea bags...like making iced tea....I've used both of these tricks on paintings! Not sure a decal would produce same quality...but could be cool!!

 

[ozzmonaut]

Tea bags is what I'm thinking. Either that or used coffee grounds and just pile them on top of the decal and let them sit.