13 February 2013

green machine

Early this month,
Jaxon was dead set on getting his second stingray back together.
After building his "show" bike,
he had unknowingly also fallen into that common trap,
where the bike becomes a wall hanger rather than transportation.
Anyone that's had beautiful paint knows that first scratch is the hardest.
jaxon & his stingray

























The plan for this stingray was the simple rattle can.
Back in November I had shown the tough disassembly process,
as many of the parts had rust-seized together.

perich brothers (and sister): patience young grasshoppers

I'm not sure why this bike had sat so long,
but the time had come,
he was determined to get it done.
rattle can spray booth - primer




















This bike would have no sandblasting,
just a couple coats of cheap paint.
After he did the sanding and prep work,
I took over and did the button pushing.
Maybe I should have let him get the practice,
at least on the primer coat,
but the last thing I need is a kid that likes the smell of spray-bombs.
color coat


























The trick to the rattlecan is the clear coat.
It gives metallics a better shine,
and also thickens the already thin layer.
green


























We had to use his old stingray as a drying rack,
as one of the last coats was put on too late in the day.
stingray workshop


























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Oldies Month #8
Al Green - Let's Stay Together - live 1972
Wow this song fits almost too perfect for this post!

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After spending every school night with his newly painted frame,
the following weekend he took every assembly skill he had learned,
and with very little help,
the bike was together again.
I've got to say it is cool to see the progression and dedication.
work table




















The goal was to ride the bike to school,
so there was just enough time for some test rides and tuning.
Jakob & Jaxon




















Jake helped make sure everything was secure.
boys toys




















So now Jaxon has a cool bike he doesn't have to worry about.
While it's cool to have something super perfect,
it's way more fun to have something that is fun to use or ride.
It will be interesting how it effects his future projects.

I'll do a real "bike time" post once it's got the stickers and badge,
and maybe some scratches.

TP

2 comments:

  1. that thing is cool. is it time for the fueler fork?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Something about that dark metallic green.

    I forgot to tell you over the weekend,
    but we got some new tubing to start the fueler fork,
    than of course it started raining.
    One of these weekends.
    That's for Jakob's bike though.
    TP

    ReplyDelete