Single & Ready to Mingle

[Couch tater]

Yep, the headlight ain't cutting it. A bobbed ducktail fender out back could bring it up a notch.

 

[kingfish254]

I actually like the light up high on there, but I agree that the build is better without it.

 

[kram]

Back to the pivo stem. I changed it before because the Columbia fork stuck up higher. I like that it drops the bars right down to the top of the spring mount.

One picture before the light totally faded. Also got the paint on the fender, now I just need to age it to match the rest of the bike. I think this is pretty close to how the bike is going to end up, other than a few final touches.

 

[bikebuilder]

I like that tire combo!

 

[kram]

I had a few minutes today to do a quick patina job on the rear fender. This is what I started with. When I was painting the intial layers I actually dropped the fender in the grass which gave it all those marks it was a happy accidnt.

The next thing I did was take some fine sandpaper and sand through some of the layers. I don’t have any pics of that step, but the main goal was to make the white on the tip look thin. Then about 10-15 minutes with 4-5 different colors of spray paint, a spray bottle filled with water, and some towels and I ended up with this. I might still sand through to bring a bit more green back, but over all happy with the rush job. It should blend in good enough with the rest of the bike.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

I had a few minutes today to do a quick patina job on the rear fender. This is what I started with. When I was painting the intial layers I actually dropped the fender in the grass which gave it all those marks it was a happy accidnt.View attachment 206301
The next thing I did was take some fine sandpaper and sand through some of the layers. I don’t have any pics of that step, but the main goal was to make the white on the tip look thin. Then about 10-15 minutes with 4-5 different colors of spray paint, a spray bottle filled with water, and some towels and I ended up with this. I might still sand through to bring a bit more green back, but over all happy with the rush job. It should blend in good enough with the rest of the bike.
View attachment 206302View attachment 206303View attachment 206304View attachment 206305

Dang, for a rushed job, that looks genuinely authentic!

 

[kram]

Dang, for a rushed job, that looks genuinely authentic!

It will layer up pretty quick. The trick is to spray water on it and then lightly dust on the spray paint. Then more water and more paint. It’s actually kind of fun.

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

Back to the pivo stem. I changed it before because the Columbia fork stuck up higher. I like that it drops the bars right down to the top of the spring mount.


View attachment 205645One picture before the light totally faded. Also got the paint on the fender, now I just need to age it to match the rest of the bike. I think this is pretty close to how the bike is going to end up, other than a few final touches.View attachment 205646

Is a 29 in the background?

 

[Bike from the Dead]

It will layer up pretty quick. The trick is to spray water on it and then lightly dust on the spray paint. Then more water and more paint. It’s actually kind of fun.

I'd love to see a guide on the process! Creating authentic-looking fauxtina is a challenge I've wanted to try for a while now.

 

[kram]

Is a 29 in the background?

It’s a 27 on a modified 29 frame and a 29 grill. If you go to page one of this build there are a few pictures of it.

 

[kram]

I'd love to see a guide on the process! Creating authentic-looking fauxtina is a challenge I've wanted to try for a while now.

There are a million ways to do it. This video is a pretty good example of the technique I used. I find the truck is knowing when to stop and thinking about how Mother Nature would do it.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

There are a million ways to do it. This video is a pretty good example of the technique I used. I find the truck is knowing when to stop and thinking about how Mother Nature would do it.

Thanks! I'll check that out.

 

[kram]

This frame had some old bike licenses stuck to it. They are the reflective type and have been there a long time. I hate having to remove stuff like this. It took several hours of slow progress to get them off with out totally destroying the paint. I think the plan is to give all the patina parts a spray of clear shellac. The paint on this bike is pretty delicate.
Before:

After:

 

[kingfish254]

Those types of stickers are a bear to remove. Nice work doing it without screwing up the paint

 

[kram]

Those types of stickers are a bear to remove. Nice work doing it without screwing up the paint

They are the worst. There are a few scratches and nicks, but not too bad.

 

[OddJob]

I'd love to see a guide on the process! Creating authentic-looking fauxtina is a challenge I've wanted to try for a while now.

Basically, you don't try to over analyze it. Moving fast through the process, doing some of the steps at a rapid pace is all part of the technique. And don't restart or try to do over, just keep going and don't shoot for 'perfection'.
Most of all, quit before you think you are done.

 

[kram]

My plans have been to use a phantom style sprocket on this build. For the life of me I can’t get the original one off of the cranks. The threaded drive side race just won’t come off. I’ve had it soaking in penetrating oils and even tried a torch to get it off. So I started digging to see what I could find. I found these 1935 aerocycle style cranks with some old house paint on them that happens to be about the same color, serendipity at its finest!

I think this chain ring was rechromed at some point, so it doesn’t quite match the bike.

To get it to match a little closer I hit it with some spray paint.

I think it’s a cool combo. I’m not 100% yet if it will work. The crank arm is fairly tight against the chain ring and I’ll have to see if there is room for the chainguard.

 

[kingfish254]

Diggin it!

 

[kram]

Getting down to the little details. I made a bracket to mount the fender and one for the front chainguard mount. I modified an unused ikea bracket for the fender and the other one is just flat stock. They aren’t pretty but you won’t really see them either.

The fender one mounts under the rear brake bridge. I’m trying to use all weathered hardware.

It looks like the chainguard will work with the phantom sprocket, but it’s going to take a lot of adjustment to get chain, chainguard, fender, and rear tire to all play nicely. I was a little bit surprised by how different the mounts were on two different schwinn chainguards. You can see how much more forward the guard is, but it also has to be that far forward to clear the big chain ring. Also, the bracket will give me some adjustment so that I can keep the angles of the chainguard and the fins on the tank at the same angle.

I found a little miller taillight to make the non drive side have some details. And I painted the part of the seat post that will show.

 

[kram]

The Jerald slick tire was a little strange. I would clean the tire, but if it sat out in the sun for even an hour or two it would develop a very noticeable brown haze on it. So I bought some matte black tire coating and it worked great!

First, time having the fender fully mounted and I’m really happy with it.

I ended up spraying all the parts with clear shellac. I like it because it brings back some depth to whatever paint is left, it seals up the rusty bits, and can be removed with alcohol. It’s a little glossy but over time it goes a little more matte. It’s also easy to touch up.