Beauty is in the eye... Liner. ~FINISHED~

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It's not even noon here and already it's in the upper 90's. I've been prepping my sister-in-law's bike for primer, so hand wire brushing, scraping, sanding, what is likely lead paint. Long sleeves+ goggles+ respirator+ Texas in July= a need for a break, a cold shower, and some ice water.
But somehow break to me means work on my build off bike, so...
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On with the recently rehydrated, new/old seat.
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And a cameo by Chica, my Boston terrier/Chihuahua mix, as she lounges in the pumpkin patch.
I also pulled the tail light I had off to streamline the rear a bit more and also because, I'm not using headlights, why have a tail light?
 
I got all the prepwork on my sister-in-law, Lexi's bike squared away and started shooting primer on the tank and chainguard. There's really nothing worse than waiting for paint to dry, especially if you're a human shark like me who dies if he stops moving. So I did something, I've had this old Huffy El Dorado rear fender I've been thinking of chopping down for my build off bike, so I jumped. The patina is great but there's something missing, not just from the fender but the build as a whole... holes. Every bike I've built for the last few build offs has had some form of perforated something, EyeLiner doesn't. So sketch sketch sketch, painters tape, punch, and go.
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I need to clean up the holes, and shape the end, maybe embelish, or drill it more, but I'd say it's a keeper.
 
Once again I find myself waiting for paint to dry, so I got a little bit more done on the rear fender. I reamed out the holes I drilled on Friday, ground off any rough edges, and went in with a punch and did some faux rivets. Basically going along the inside and lightly tapping, the end result, pretty cool.
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Now I've got the whole thing slathered in Stay Clean flux which I ran a lighter over so that the fresh holes will oxidize and look like they've been there for 50 years.
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I still need to shape the end but that's a thing for another time.
 
Man that is an epic fender!!!
I want one!!!
 
Thanks guys.
The only thing worse than waiting for paint to dry is waiting for chemically induced oxidation.
As I said earlier, I applied Stay Clean flux to the areas of the fender I drilled and ground, then I heated it with a lighter to better activate the acid in the flux. Wait an hour or so so that the area is nicely scored, then I punched a hole in the top of the fender, the area that will be cut off when I shape the end and hung it from a bent spoke from my car port. Now every 30 minutes or so, I go outside and give it a light misting of good old, 75 cents a bottle, hydrogen peroxide. I have it hung so that the liquid runs off as it would were the fender mounted on a bike so that I get a natural looking patina in the end.
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This is after 2 applications.
The best thing about hydrogen peroxide is that after 10 minutes exposure to oxygen it becomes innert and basically turns to water. Seeing is how I have a dog and sometimes a cat or two mulling around my work space, not to mention a 5 year old, I like knowing that at least one chemical I'm using isn't horribly toxic.
After about 20 or so applications, I'll shape the end of the fender and clear coat it.
 
My sister-in-law's tank, chainguard, and brake arm are all shot in candy pink and curing, I just shot the last coat of black on the frame.
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I threw together and trued an alloy wheelset, so now I'm basically waiting for paint to cure out and then it's assembly time and that little project is done.
On the EyeLine front, my fender is getting rustier by the day.
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I'm trying to get as much of this done this week because Friday is Mrs. Link's birthday, so I've got the whole weekend filled with dinner dates and day camping. But I'm about 90% done at this point, so one weekend of fun won't brake this build.
As I came inside my ears were assailed by what could only be a dying cat, wait, no, just a 5 year old and an electric guitar:confused:
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Fortune would have it he's at least using his amp, a Danelectro HoneyTone, and not one of mine.
Now I know how my parents felt when for my 15th birthday 2 of my uncles bought me a beat up 15 watt amp and a pawnshop Harmony Rocket.
 
Missing Link said:
My sister-in-law's tank, chainguard, and brake arm are all shot in candy pink and curing, I just shot the last coat of black on the frame.View attachment 28891
I threw together and trued an alloy wheelset, so now I'm basically waiting for paint to cure out and then it's assembly time and that little project is done.
On the EyeLine front, my fender is getting rustier by the day.View attachment 28892I'm trying to get as much of this done this week because Friday is Mrs. Link's birthday, so I've got the whole weekend filled with dinner dates and day camping. But I'm about 90% done at this point, so one weekend of fun won't brake this build.
As I came inside my ears were assailed by what could only be a dying cat, wait, no, just a 5 year old and an electric guitar:confused:
View attachment 28895 Fortune would have it he's at least using his amp, a Danelectro HoneyTone, and not one of mine.
Now I know how my parents felt when for my 15th birthday 2 of my uncles bought me a beat up 15 watt amp and a pawnshop Harmony Rocket.
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Hey, your parents were lucky. I was the first of 2 violin players at age 8......:13:
 
OddJob said:
Hey, your parents were lucky. I was the first of 2 violin players at age 8......:13:
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I picked up violin my senior year in highschool, so they got that screeching when I was almost out of the house, lol. My sophomore year in highschool my dad's church got rid of their Hammond organ, which I aquired and put in my bedroom. My parents put up with a lot of musical dissonance on my behalf.
 
Missing Link said:
As of 8:30 Texas time, my rear fender.View attachment 28938Looking more and more like it should be on my bike. A few more sprays, a few more hours and I'll neutralize it, clean it, cut it down, and shoot the clear. Almost there.:grin:
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Just awesome!

Luke.
 
Patinaization(?), I think that's a term, is done on the fender. I just discovered I have too little clear coat to get it shot tonight, which is fine cause I'm fresh out of cut off wheels so I can't shape the end and it's Mrs. Link's birthday. Tomorrow I'll hit the hardware store and get this thing done, but tonight, I'm celebrating my awesome wife.
Here's a picture of what the finish looks like as of tonight, sans clear coat.
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Okay so to the tune of " Leaving on a jeptplane", " This fender's bobbed, the rusting done, two coats of clear have left the gun, I'm so close to finished I could cry...".
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There's something about seeing an end in sight that always saddens me. But, hey, I, you, we, some of us, turned trash into treasure, we kept one more bike from the scrapyard, others used their skills to build something amazing from scratch. This has been a lot of fun, I don't like seeing an end, but, every trip comes to an end, and what a long, strange, trip it's been.
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Great job on that fender and thanks for sharing your technique.

Missing Link said:
This has been a lot of fun, I don't like seeing an end, but, every trip comes to an end, and what a long, strange, trip it's been.
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This build off seems to go by so quick...much like summer...but after the end is always a new beginning
 
And as far as my sister-in-law's bike is concerned, she informed me late last week that they're going to be back in town the second week in August, so I have a bit of an extension. Otherwise I'd be handing her a parts pile, everything is painted, but with the humidity, curing has taken a little longer. I could put it all together today if I wanted but they're back in San Antonio, so, I'll wait a bit. Besides I bought a frame to build upfor my brother-in-law, so why not make them drive 5 hours with two bikes, 3 boys, a springer spanial... that's what road trip memories are made of.
 

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