I can be stupid

So, in my rush of excitement, i accidentally purchased black rustoleum. nowhere on the can did it say it was black- just "flat protective coat." of course, i overlooked the matte black cap on the can. Thats right, my bicycle was almost doomed to be a flat black bike (rust free of course). Luckily, i wiped it off the second i realized it wasn't clear. The bike isn't ruined, im just 7 bucks shorter.

Good news: i was able to get the seat post out: good ol' pliers and WD-40.

oh and some bad news, again: i somehow bent the seat when trying to put the pieces back together. woops. guess im just going to have to get a new sexy seat.

Day 3: Finnished removing paint

I finished removing paint from the frame. I ordered the silver deep v's and vintage pedals. I purchased some matte rustoleum. I'll be spraying that on tomorrow.

Day 2: Just a few more specs to clean up

I bought some industrial paint thinner and steel wool. This stuff has done wonders taking the paint off. go figure. the result has been a nice surprise. the bike frame is a nice dark steel that contrasts the polished silver look of the cranks. One thing that i am really liking, the metal under the lugs is brass colored. It helps pull out the nice detail of the lugs without taking away from the industrial look im going for. Also, there are two hearts welded on the drop tube (i think they make are a nice, subtle, accent). Hell, Even the dirt on the handbar stem is looking good now. I have a few more spots of paint/primer that i need to take care of. Once i get all that done, all i need to do is give it a matte clear coat (protect it from rust).

My friend Nicholas is going to take care of the brass headbadge.

I dont want to spend a billion dollars on a nice brown leather seat. So i plan on making a DIY brooks style saddle. Remove the leather thats on the seat i have now and replace it with a nice brown leather from the fabric store.

I've decided to change from white Deep V's to Silver Deep V's.

Other than that Ill be ordering parts tomorrow.

85% done sanding

so i am almost done sanding the frame. I'm gonna buy some paint thinner tomorrow and get the rest off. I also need to remove the crank and headset/fork to get some other areas clean.

i've decided on a newish color scheme- Bare metal- white deep V's, brown leather seat with brown leather bar tape. there are two little hearts welded on the drop bar. I think i might paint those. not sure yet.

also i believe im going to acid etch a tesseract into the brass head badge. tomorrow i will order my wheel set- hopefuly get that in buy next week.

Day One

I got my frame today. Its a Nishiki, not sure what model or year. Its a lugged frame. 62cm tall. I began sanding it down to the bare metal.

My plan is a bare metal frame, white drop bars, white Deep V's, A white Seat Tube (with letters reading 'Ship of the Imagination'), and a custom brass headbadge.

I haven't decided on all my parts, yet.