Re: *The 76er* (Aloha new paint... and fumes! update: 5/16)
Days 16-17
Well, I've been in rehab a couple days for my inhalant addiction, but I busted out to come home and do a little work... and a little painting :wink: .
I would've done some work yesterday but after work I went mountain biking with a friend. About halfway through the ride the bearing race on the inside of his hub cracked due to a bent axle and the bearings took refuge inside the hub... not pretty. We nursed it back here to the shop and threw on a new wheel. So I did some work, but none on my bike.
I got an early start this afternoon and started off rubbing down the frame with some tack cloth, I got a picture because I love this stuff and there was a time that I didn't know about tack cloth, so I thought I'd share in case it can help someone else:
After wiping it down I started laying on a thin coat of flat black, and no, this is not my final color:
As thin as I layed it the red oxide primer still peeks through for the final effect I'll need later.
Thin coats=smooth...
While that was drying I got out of the shop for some fresh air (learned that in rehab) and started to think about where I'd be sitting on this bike. I started with the seat post. This is a structural part and I'm not too sure how I feel about modding it.
So to help me make the decision of what to do I asked my cutting wheel:
I guess I have to do something now, I'll start with a little bend:
And since I have to trust my rear end on this thing, I cut a gusset from some leftovers from the washers I used to make the fork dropouts (look on the vice):
Then I did the same thing I've done with everything else, I eyeballed it into position:
I was about to switch the welder on when a guy showed up on a bike. I didn't recognize him, but I think he's the guy I bought my tandem from, anyway, he had this disassembled 18" boys bike in perfect condition on his bike's rack:
Out of gratitude, I sent him away with an old chainsaw, a tire, and a handlebar, in return he's bringing by a bike, some wheels and tires, and a custom handlebar. Talked with him for a while and then closed up shop to go to my son's preschool graduation.
Got back, played with kids, talked with a friend, got kids to bed and back to the shop to weld up that seat post:
If you think it's ugly now, you should've seen my welds. I kinda like the way it turned out, so I cleaned it and shot it with some clear coat after I set it in the frame to get an idea of how it would look:
Still thinking of my rear end I went upstairs in the shop to work on my saddle. I don't a bunch of cool saddles sitting around that I could just grab and toss on the bike, so I've been thinking of this alot. Started by better shaping my small piece of foam padding:
Next I cut out and stretched my old leather over the saddle the best I could with only 2 hands (a problem I've had since birth). It was kind of bland, but I was thinking ahead and yesterday I found these copper rivets on clearance at Tractor Supply for .99 cents.
Drill holes and hammer them on:
It's no pricey Brooks saddle, but I think it turned out decent, and only cost me .99 cents.
And that's it. I feel like the more I do, the more work I make for myself. My plan to make or modify every item I put on the bike makes progress slow.
Hope everyone likes it so far, thanks for the comments! :humbled smiley:
On October 23rd 1976, in a weird case of irony US president Jimmy Carter states that "I've looked on many women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart many times. God knows I will do this and forgives me... in a Playboy magazine interview. :shock: The Bible teaches Christians to flee from temptation, President Carter might've been able to do this, had he owned a '76 Murray Skybolt."