Jetflow for Johnny - Finishing up!

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Fun to catch up through your build. Those x53 forks work well with JetFlows. That's what I used for my Speed Demon non-buildoff bike.
Great work moving along with the breakdowns and cleanings. Keep it rolling along!
 
Fun to catch up through your build. Those x53 forks work well with JetFlows. That's what I used for my Speed Demon non-buildoff bike.
Great work moving along with the breakdowns and cleanings. Keep it rolling along!
Oh, Iā€™ve definitely read that thread. While that fork wasnā€™t necesarily my original plan, when it came available I didnā€™t hesitate.
 
Oh, Iā€™ve definitely read that thread. While that fork wasnā€™t necesarily my original plan, when it came available I didnā€™t hesitate.

I wonder if anyone has built an X53 with a beehive springer. I'm sure that combo would look great too. The tanks, frames, and forks on those two bikes are just sooooo cool.
 
One downā€¦
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ā€¦one to go!

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And then there were Twoā€¦

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Planning on a rust-stopper for the inside to stop this cancer: and other spots that were just near impossible to reachā€¦
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ā€¦ and then a sandable primer + paint for the exterior.

Long day of tedious but rewarding clean up. Tomorrow is a rest day, by which I mean I have to work.

(Pilot says, ā€œWhat is this word you speak, ā€˜weekend?ā€™ I know of no such thing! And ye and verily, you say ā€˜holidayā€™ and I know not the words that cometh from thy mouth?!?ā€)
šŸ˜…

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Interior protected with Rust Reformer.
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Still have the horn assembly to clean up and test out. Then on another day start the exterior tank painting. And a rear wheel to build. And the fork. And so much more it seems. Ho hum. šŸ™ƒ
 
Sprayed the exterior of the tank with the sandable primer. Will let it dry for a day or two, then see how it looks with a fine grit wet sand. Actually looks pretty smooth as is. Weā€™ll see.

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Broke the fork down. Pics for remembering the order of things.

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Didnā€™t plan to take it down to bare metal, but after a light sand to scuff & clean, the acetone wipe down was removing the paint anyway, so I gave it the full treatment.

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And a coat of primer.

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Next up is to clean the chrome bits. Hoping they donā€™t need as much attention.
 
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Added the ā€œChromeā€ layer.

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Not perfect. (Why do bugs always want to land on your wet paint?) And my lines didnā€™t overlap quite right. Shoulda coulda oversprayed the red instead of trying to keep it within the lines, then the chrome.

However, Iā€™m thinking a thin, black line brushed on as the border between the two would look nice! Hmmmmā€¦. :39:
 
Quick mathe lesson: 32 is less than 36. Took apart my donor wheel the other day, started to lace up the hub, then realized I was a few spokes short! :oops:

Didnā€™t think to count first. Well, a few days and a few bucks later I have 36 new spokes and the Super Komet laced up into a Halo SAS rim Iā€™ve had sitting around for some time.

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Why do bugs always want to land on your wet paint
Design school story: we had a color theory course, were required to produce color swatches using gouache paint. After a late night paint session, left an illustration board full of little rectangle puddles to dry. Of course it was the night before the deadline. A fly walked into one of the rectangles and died standing there as the paint dried. I had no time to redo the entire project, so I took an exacto knife and cut off his legs at the ankles. The professor's remark was less than kind: "it looks like you did the assignment while riding the bus on the way to class". Your work will receive a much better grade, I guarantee
 
Well, the tank will be a bit of a redo. I couldnā€™t take the gnat that was stuck, but if youā€™ve ever used this chrome paint, you know not even 3000 grit wet leaves a shine. And if you tape over it to fix a part, the part taped over gets ruined by the tape. ĀÆ\_(惄)_/ĀÆ

No sweat. Just more sweat.

Used the aluminum foil method on the forkā€™s chrome bits.

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I belive it works, but not like on the youtube videos. Or they had very mildly rusted stuff. Close inspection reveals pitting & discoloration. Still, cleaned up, a coat of wax added for protection, and moving onā€¦
 
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I re-sprayed the red on the tank, this time better maked and letting it dry more days until I re-do the chrome.

You can see what the tape did to the chrome paint. Thatā€™s not residue, itā€™s the shiny part of the paint lifted. On the other I tried to clean the ā€œresidueā€ with a soft cloth and isopropyl, only managing to polish it to a dull silver. Very delicate stuff. Meant for indoor use only, but, wow.

I have some 2k clear coming that Iā€™ve used before and seems to do a good job of not clouding or yellowing, so after a few days of the red drying Iā€™ll re-do the chrome, give it plenty of drying time ā€”not touching it or even lookong at it funnyā€” then seal it in with the clear. Hopefully with a good result.
 
Fork is looking great. Love the stamce of the bike.
 

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