Road Rash

Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum

Help Support Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Found the correct tank this week. Not a dent anywhere. Its the color the bike originally was. I just have to take the shine off it and it will be ready for striping. I plan on getting caught up some tomorrow. Work and swap meets have been taking up all my time lately.
20220521_184023.jpg
 
Wow i just searched the forum and that stuff is awesome! Curious to see how your frame will look after the treatment.
Not so sure how my wife will react if i put it in the bathtub😅
Go to Walmart and get a kiddie pool. 😉
 
Back from slackerville. Finally getting some free time. I'm still digging out parts and pieces. Pulled out some hub caps i'll repaint later and a different chainguard that might fit. Also have a set of torrington bars with good patina and a deco stem.. I had to buy another set of dropstand bolts because i put the last set up somewhee so i wouldn't lose them. That didn't work. And a bunch of fender rivets. I still need to decide on what color tires to use and which handlebar grips will work. Some cleanup work the next couple days and should be back on track.
20220521_190234.jpg
20220521_190117.jpg
20220521_190048.jpg
 
Did some mocks up today and so far everything works. I pulled out a set of monark springer forks that fit fine, i'm missing the bushings but i can make a set at work. I'll also need to dimple the front fender to fit. I also got out another springer set i wanted to use but i can't find the top bracket or nuts. i mounted the paisley sprocket and cranks i picked up. No prob with them. The chainguard will work, i just have to reattach the front bracket in a diff location. It appears chrome under the flat black paint job. Not sure how i will finish it yet. Handlebars and stem work ok. Seat and stem are good. If i stay with this seat i may change the color later. I still need to find tires and grips but it's starting to come together.
20220527_115933.jpg
20220527_115951.jpg
20220527_121347.jpg
20220527_121620.jpg
20220527_123801.jpg
20220527_132944.jpg
20220527_132924.jpg
20220527_123809 (1).jpg
 
Finally got a kiddie pool for the oxallic acid bath. I filled it up last night and loaded some parts. I pulled the fenders out a bit ago and wiped the white film off. I could already see a big improvement. The frame barely fit but it's all in. On a side note , i found my next build project this week. Someone thought they should make it a Schwinn with the headbadge with big machine screws and the decals. They also drilled an off center holes for a kickstand. I only have the frame but until next May to collect parts. I ran the serial number and it shows it to be a 1939 Murray. Looptail and curved down tube.
20220529_115604.jpg
20220529_115614.jpg
20220529_130528.jpg
20220529_115954.jpg
 
That thing is dripping with style the way it sits. See how it looks coming out of OA bath, looks like plenty of paint there to take a hand polish. The "glow" of cleaned up faded paint is really nice compared to a flat clear. Looking forward to see where ya go with it.

The Murray, WOW.
 
After everything came out of the ox bath i wasn't excited about the results. I may have left it to long. The fenders came out maroon and bare metal that turned a nice brown. Those i liked. the frame came out more red than i liked. So after a day or two of looking at it i decided to just go naked with it. The wife told me to get my clothes back on and fix the bikes finish. Out came the aircraft stripper and i removed the red. I've always wanted to do a bare metal finish. After stripping the frame down i put it back into the oxalic bath for about 24 hours. After cleaning it off real good it had a pickled look. A couple of coats of dead flat clear and i really liked the look. I plan to leave the original paint on the tank after i take the shine off of it. Fenders will stay as they are. A good striping job should tie it all together. Maybe not my best idea ever but i have a plan.
20220531_161440.jpg
20220531_161510.jpg
20220531_161303.jpg
20220531_163055.jpg
20220531_171228.jpg
 
That's classic right there.

1654569693208.png
 
I managed to get a little more done today. I mounted the monark springer I stripped and clear coated. New bearings and it turns like new. I still need bushings but I'll prob make my own. I stripped the chain guard down and did a lot of sanding filled by a coat of clear flat. I put two layers of copper mesh behind the holes to make it pop. I will be using more copper accents as I go along. Tank next and then drive train. I'm waiting on some master links now.
20220521_190117.jpg
20220608_165849.jpg
20220608_175456.jpg
20220608_175520.jpg
20220608_175510.jpg
 
That copper mesh backing is cool!
I started with one layer and it looked ok when the the light hit it right. The second layer made it pop. I made a template and cut the copper screen to fit. I used 3m 77 spray adhesive to attach it to the back side.
 
Very cool effect with the copper mesh!
 

Latest posts

Back
Top