*The 76er* (I. Think. I'm. Done. update: 7/29)

[yoothgeye]

Re: *The 76er* (Not patina... fauxtina, update: 6/2)

I used this stuff on the King-Ray(RRBO4), and had no problems with it at all. But it fades a lot, and I think it keeps looking better. Just set it in the sun, it'll liten up. Fauxtina looks good.

I'm not giving up on it, based on the crappy spray pattern, instead of swapping on a fresh nozzle, I've got a really shiny fender that might need some bumpy rust.

 

[nelvolks]

Re: *The 76er* (Not patina... fauxtina, update: 6/2)

Fauxtina frame looks awesome I love it. Bro I have to say that I have always been a fan of your work as well and I am digging your build and can't wait until we both are riding our finished bikes down your street.

 

[Whitfield]

Re: *The 76er* (Not patina... fauxtina, update: 6/2)

Your artistic ability is amazing ~ even if it is accidental... Looking good.

Lets ride!!!!

 

[yoothgeye]

Re: *The 76er* (Not patina... fauxtina, update: 6/2)

Your artistic ability is amazing ~ even if it is accidental... Looking good.

Lets ride!!!!

Thanks Michael, I've always liked fixing and creating, this is just another extension of it. Making it functional really stretches me, but when you got nothing to lose, I put it all out there.

Yes, ride we shall! Gimme a day or three to rest off the 16 miles of trails and all day bike build/fix/sort-athon.

 

[MplsCoaster]

Re: *The 76er* (Not patina... fauxtina, update: 6/2)

Your bike is really cool 8)

I like the head badge and flames. The details are great.

Keep up the good work.

 

[yoothgeye]

Re: *The 76er* (Not patina... fauxtina, update: 6/2)

Your bike is really cool 8)

I like the head badge and flames. The details are great.

Keep up the good work.

Thanks, the curved scallops on the front make me want to use the flame cut fender I made, but I'll have to wait till assembly for that.

 

[yoothgeye]

Re: *The 76er* (Not patina... fauxtina, update: 6/2)

Days 33-38

Well, I took a little break, not because I wanted to, but because I was busy. In the last 7 days I've aquired about 34 bicycles and I've been fixing and moving those around with a friend. Work has been busy and lots of church activities going on as well.

I finally got back in the shop tonight to get a little done, including something I've been dreading.

Knowing I was going to be doing a little clear coating tonight I had to remove some decal adhesive from my fork legs and triple tree mount. This stuff works great, it is a gel that sprays on so it stays where you spray it without running away, great for removing bike decals.

This rear fender has been haunting me ever since I tool all the time to cut the flames into it. I was wanting to do something else with it and everytime I stepped over this old battery charger I thought about it:

So I decided to go for it tonight, I have nothing to lose with this fender, I started with my sweet non-measuring Sharpie skills:

Then I cut the longer lines with the angle grinder and a cutting disk:

(yes, the disk is broken, so it cuts faster now, but throws out some serious shrapnel and is buring out faster than a supernova)

Then I cut the smaller lines with my dremel:

Then I went all medieval on it with a big screwdriver and pliers:

Next I decided to use that crappy paint to make some faux rust or something on the fender:

Just kind of looks brown and it went on extremely smooth (better than on the head tube) so I decided that while it was still wet I would torch it:

Now, I think I like it. Forgot to mention, before painting the brown, I sprayed black down in the louvers for more of a shadow effect.

While the paint fumes and burned paint fumes were in the air, I got out the clear and went over the frame, sprocket, and forks. I just used what clear I had, which is engine enamal, so these parts can withstand up to 500 degrees! I better pedal fast.

While standing in the shop enjoying the fumes I found a top washer off a car shock that would block the hole in the 3rd triple tree mount and allow me to center and mount my light easily:

Now this is the part I've been dreading. I've REALLY been dragging my feet on this, but if I just buckle down and take care of it, this is really going to give me a builder's boost.

Time to prep the wheels for paint. :x

When I got the bike I gave it a quick copper scrubbing and then put the bike on the road. It's been to the beach and outside loacked up on a covered porch over the winter. Some of the rust moved back in.

Clean...not clean!

(in the picture you can see the "M O MFG. CO." stamp in the wheel, pretty cool Murray Ohio Manufacturing Company)

After a year of use on so many bikes, my copper scrubber has seen better days:

My fingers sure do hurt...

I still need to find my narrow brass brush for around the spokes, then I will spray and wipe them down, apply self etching primer, and then color coats. Once the color is on the wheels, things should really start rolling... ha... sorry.

In 1976 VHS was released, and won the war with Betamax tapes, although most agree it was an inferior product. I guess Sony is having their hayday now though with Bluray beating out HD DVD. In similar news, if you're still mad about that whole VHS thing, I have a Betamax machine and some new tapes you can buy... really. :|

 

[Rat Rod]

Re: *The 76er* (Paint, parts, & prep, update: 6/8)

Those louvers are awesome!

 

[Rodderz]

Re: *The 76er* (Paint, parts, & prep, update: 6/8)

LOVING THE LOUVRES CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THEM ON THE BIKE

 

[yoothgeye]

Re: *The 76er* (Paint, parts, & prep, update: 6/8)

Those louvers are awesome!

LOVING THE LOUVRES CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THEM ON THE BIKE

Thanks. I think the louvers and the paint have helped me like this fender now.

 

[KOTA]

Re: *The 76er* (Paint, parts, & prep, update: 6/8)

I just pictured ALL your parts together........WOW!

 

[yoothgeye]

Re: *The 76er* (Paint, parts, & prep, update: 6/8)

I just pictured ALL your parts together........WOW!

I wish I could, haha. I kind of get a mental block until I actually see it. I have a vivid imagination and can picture things well, but to really make it count, I have to put it together. Painting these wheels will be a BIG step in getting this thing over the hump.

 

[yoothgeye]

Re: *The 76er* (Paint, parts, & prep, update: 6/8)

Days 39-44

Been a while since my last update, but I couldn't find my red handled brush! Lots going on too, but that's no excuse right? I hit the shop at about 10:30pm and left it after 2:00am, so let's get started with what little I actually did.

First, it was hot and the shop was a mess. I sent a text to new member Cody (The-Rookie) and he joined me in the shop tonight (to do all my dirty work, haha). I started by bringing a fan up the stairs that I found by someone's trash on Saturday, I don't know why they threw this fan away, but it's awesome. Quiet, blows cool, all the functions work, oscillating, fan speeds, sleep timer, sleep mode, etc...

Now, for the upstairs of the shop in a place where we are already getting over 90 degree temperatures (plus serious humidity) a fan is not enough, so in with the free window unit!

Luckily Cody found a place to plug it in behind the couch.

While we were getting things cooled off, I decided to reclaim some space my wife had taken sorting out children's clothes. I threw them in boxes and put them in the extra room (kitchen, the upstairs of this shop use to be an apartment) and I blocked the door with my Comfy Sack aka: huge bean bag:

(yes, that black thing is a HUGE bean bag, and super comfortable, unlike little bean bags)

Now that the shop is cool and comfy, time to get to work. We searched and searched and I found my red handled steel brush, and I got to work on the rust around the spoke nipples:

It didn't take long and I was done and ready to paint except that I don't have any straws to mask off the spokes (which I decided tonight to leave rustyish) so primer must hold off for a day... I think I need to go to the McDonalds drive-thru and request 72 straws with my order of a McDouble. At least the wheels look shiny now:

Meanwhile I got Cody to bring an old 24" mountain bike up the steps and start stripping it, then I put a fork on it for a test fit:

Then I needed another 24" mountain bike for a nice set of alloy rims, so he stripped that one too, I made him take the frame apart and it ended up being... well... destructive:

Meanwhile I brought this little guy upstairs and started stripping it:

Way before the build off I was searching for one of these to use the front fork, I'm glad I didn't find one till now, I like the fork I ended up making better, though who knows what this might end up on, if I can ever break loose that last allen bolt! :x

Finally just to feel like I did something, we mounted the new Diamback Crazy Train tires on the alloy rims, spun on a SS freewheel, and mocked up the Faux 24" BMX. We will have to shorten the 26" fork:

I will also be using a different stem (that I already have, it's just... somewhere else), would like to find a laidback seatpost, not sure on saddle. Only running rear brake, should be pretty cool.

So basically, on my build off bike tonight I got rid of a little rust for about 10 minutes, then spent over 3 hours goofing off in the now cool shop.

The summer of 1976 was the hottest summer in the United Kingdom since records began. As well as the heat, Britain was in the middle of a severe drought. Had they all invested in Murray Skybolts they could've all cruised around with a cool breeze on their faces or headed to the levee... of course, the levee would've been dry.

 

[Kustom_G]

Re: *The 76er* (A/C, wheels, and faux BMX update: 6/14)

i've been catching up on your build, great work! the seat and the sofa from where it came from rocks! keep up the good work. the things i've learned from reading your post; i can't wait for the final color choice, finding out what tack cloth is/does, bigboy trike (i want to make one now). gotta be honest, i did like the raw metal look, boy does it patina fast in the southeast! you're right, us westcoasters are lucky not to deal with humidity. we get our fill every 2 years when we visit my parents in houston! keep on kustomizing!

 

[herr_rudolf]

Re: *The 76er* (Paint, parts, & prep, update: 6/8)

...It didn't take long and I was done and ready to paint except that I don't have any straws to mask off the spokes (which I decided tonight to leave rustyish) so primer must hold off for a day... I think I need to go to the McDonalds drive-thru and request 72 straws with my order of a McDouble. At least the wheels look shiny now...

Why not use some large pieces of paper for masking everything instead?
Painting the rims using the open cut straw-method always seemed like a lot of work to me... I don't have any experience with that (maybe I should get some :wink: ).

 

[Jake Sensi]

Re: *The 76er* (A/C, wheels, and faux BMX update: 6/14)

THAT'S A GREAT FENDER. HEY NEXT TIME FOR RUST USE SOME WET ALUMINUM FOIL. SCRUB IN ONE DIRECTION.(WAX ON -WAX OFF) AND WATCH IT SHINE,SHINE,SHINE. YA BIKES COMING ALONG FINE...NOW GET TA BUILDIN' PEACE

 

[yoothgeye]

Re: *The 76er* (Paint, parts, & prep, update: 6/8)

i've been catching up on your build, great work! the seat and the sofa from where it came from rocks! keep up the good work. the things i've learned from reading your post; i can't wait for the final color choice, finding out what tack cloth is/does, bigboy trike (i want to make one now). gotta be honest, i did like the raw metal look, boy does it patina fast in the southeast!

Thanks, all this really means alot. It's very cool to know that people are following along with your build and it makes me happy when I know they are learning too, I do my write ups hoping people can learn from them.

Why not use some large pieces of paper for masking everything instead?
Painting the rims using the open cut straw-method always seemed like a lot of work to me... I don't have any experience with that (maybe I should get some :wink: ).

I've got a big roll of paper that I could use to mask, but the straws really are easy. I just get a big handful of straws and a pair of scissors and while I'm watching tv with the family I'll sit there and split the straws. When it's time to paint I just slide them on the spokes, which is quick and easy, then I tape them in place. It's easier to spray around the straws than around paper or tape, and so much easier to remove the straws than taped up spokes. Don't worry, I'll take pictures.

 

[jerrykr]

Re: *The 76er* (A/C, wheels, and faux BMX update: 6/14)

I really like how you treated the fender, great louvers, and the paint is the best "rust" I've seen so far.

Since we are building the same bike, I have the same wheels, same rusty spokes. I didn't clean as much rust off mine as you did, hoping to give the paint something rough to stick to. Masking tape seems a lot easier than soda straws to me, but you have to remove it right away after the paint dries, or the adhesive hardens up and it will be hard to remove.

Looking good!

 

[yoothgeye]

Re: *The 76er* (A/C, wheels, and faux BMX update: 6/14)

I didn't clean as much rust off mine as you did, hoping to give the paint something rough to stick to. Masking tape seems a lot easier than soda straws to me, but you have to remove it right away after the paint dries, or the adhesive hardens up and it will be hard to remove.

I've used straws and I've just taped the spokes, straws come off so much easier, take less time to apply, and if your wife doesn't throw them away, they are reusable.

 

[scrumblero]

Re: *The 76er* (A/C, wheels, and faux BMX update: 6/14)

"so I decided that while it was still wet I would torch it"

we got some dangerous peoples on these boards... :lol: