Turquoise Bike

One of the first things G and I started to talk about when we decided to build this bike was the color. When I saw the bike, I was automatically in love with it. It had a shape that reminded me of the '50s and '60s, and for those of you who don't know me I'm a sucker for most things fashion/car/style wise from this time period. G always laughs at me because my dream car is a '57 Chevy Bel Air painted a pastel purple. Yep, I love pastels. I don't wear them but aesthetically they're some of my favorite colors to look at. Initially when we started talking about the paint color for this bike I told G I wanted a pastel light purple with cream. Just like my dream car. However, I also thought the bike would look awesome in a teal-y/turquoise with cream. I just knew I wanted to stay true to the time period that the bike was from.

The next day we went to get paint. G assured me that we could get a nice look using spray paint. I know what you're thinking "Spray paint?" Well trust me, I was a little unsure at first, but G knows more about restoring stuff then I ever will. When we went to get the paint at Loews, I couldn't find the initial color that G and I had found online and there weren't any colors like it. Right before my eyes the bike plans had to change. I started looking at other colors and that's when I found a color that I decided I liked better...turquoise. Or as Valspar likes to call it "exotic sea" with a gloss to it.  I initially paired "exotic sea" with a white, but when we started painting I realized it wasn't going to work.

G suggested that with the paint to make sure I liked the color that we initially just paint the chainguard. I was all for this and we took it back to the garage. One of the great things about this project is that G's dad has all sorts of tools and machines that we can use to make this bike look superb. One of these machines is a sandblaster. That's right world, I know how to use a sandblaster now. G is all about making sure I get to help during this project so he taught me how to use the sandblaster. I have to admit I was a bit nervous at first but I just went for it because G assured me that I couldn't hurt the piece at all. For those of you who haven't seen a sandblaster before it's this big box that has a thick plexiglass panel on the top of it. You basically place the piece inside the box, turn on your light,  turn on the vaccum cleaner to suck out excess sand, and hook up your air hose to the machine to power it. You have these weird gloves built into the machine that you place your hands in and then you can use the gun inside to strip off the paint.

It was slow going for a while with the sandblaster. One thing I can say for Schwinn is that when they painted a bike(in '78) they painted a bike. It was tough to get it off. Eventually G took a grinder to the paint to get rid of part of the paint to be able to use the sandblaster better. Once that happened I spent a good 40 minutes sandblasting the chainguard. After that we scuffed up the piece with a scotchbrite pad and then took some acetone to it. Next G sprayed it with a little primer and following that he did three coats of "exotic sea." Guys when it dried, I almost cried because it was beautiful!

This is after it had cured for a little bit? It's so beautiful. I love it so much, and I'm extremely glad that I didn't go with a light purple after all. Since I liked the color so much, G said we could go ahead and keep painting different piece for the bike. I knew for sure that out of the pieces we had for it I wanted the frame, upright or rise (whatever you want to call it), and the forks this teal-y/turquoise color. We set about sandblasting, sanding, and cleaning up these pieces to get the ready for painting. G took the grinder to the forks for a while because since it's such a large piece and this paint is tough it would have taken forever in the sandblaster. We had learned that my hands cramp up after about 30 minutes of sandblasting and I turn into a slight baby. Yep, I complained a little bit. So after we had taken care of the piece with the grinder it was to the sandblaster with it. I cleaned both the pieces up and G painted the forks.

Up to this point it seems like G has done most of the painting right? That's because he had. I have a confession to make I haven't really used spray paint before, and I didn't want to jack up my bike. G told me that he would primer the riser, and let me actually paint it. I didn't want to at first, but G said if it got messed up we'd just sand it down and start again. I agreed to and guys guess what? I suck at spray painting. Well compared to G, but I can do a decent job of it. We didn't even have to sand it down, and now my bike has a piece of it painted by me.

The next day G and I stopped to pick up supplies before heading back to the garage. While we were at the store I exchanged my white spray paint for a cream color from Rust-oleum. It's called biscuit. It's a slight off white, and we thought it would be less shocking than the white against it. Once we got back to the shop, we started sanding down the frame the rest of the way, and ruffed up the handle bars. G painted the handle bars with the cream paint. However, it had some runs underneath one of the layers and that's where the fun began. We had to let the paint dry a little bit, and then took some different products to loosen up the paint so I could scrub it off. Don't doubt my love for this bike. I was squatting for what felt like ages cleaning up the bike. Now my thighs hurt. I better get in shape soon so I can enjoy my bike, right? Once we fixed the bars we let them dry, and I was plesantly surprised with how the color turned out.

It's going to be a nice constrast, right? After the handlebars it was back to the frame. Guys, G deserves a million hugs and kisses because he sanded that frame by hand. I apparently am not so awesome with sand paper. When you sand stuff if you aren't careful you can leave bad scratches in the frame. G thought it'd be better for him to sand the bike down. I held the bike, and have a few bruises to prove it. Once it was sanded down G started the process of painting the frame. I've said it like 50 times in this entry already but I'm in love with this color. G did such a great job on the frame.

Mid Sanding. Yep. He spent a ton of time on sanding this piece.

Look how closely it matches the cap color. Way to go Valspar! We also painted a few bolts and other little pieces the biscuit color. I'll get pictures of those for another entry. Most of the bike is now painted, or at least the pieces of the bike that we found in the garage.

Keep your eyes open for my next entry about our adventure with the orginal chain we found on the bike!