Recycled Steel Bike Project

So I decided to put together a steel bike from used and unwanted parts. I'm not sure whether I'm gonna build it up to be fixed, single-speed or geared but I'll decide when I get there.

I'm gonna be posting images and info on the progress and hopefully things turn out well. Anyways thanks for looking, peace, God bless.

MJ...

To start off this is the frame, which I got from 'luckyskull'. He wasn't sure what frame it was but he thought it was Reynolds 531 or similar. Not too sure myself so if you guys have any idea drop a note.

having looked at it again, i think the dropouts are simplex, so prob french 531. maybe Peugeot. hope it works out. good luck.

Awesome, thanks again luckyskull.

Removing the paint was a pain...

I first sanded it down so that the nitromors can seep into the paint better.

Applying the nitromors.

Then I scraped the paint of using a relatively blunt razor blade.
A tip: sand paper won't do anything to remove the treated(nitromorsed?) powder coat because it had a rubber/silicon like texture so use a paint scraper or similar. Also, I heard that gasket remover is a lot more effective but haven't tried it myself.

Once I scraped off most of the paint I rinsed it to remove any nitromors residue and left it to dry so the leftover paint can be sanded later on

I had to be careful to not remove too much metal.

Some more sanding...

if you use a scourer with paint stripper on it, the paint will come off really quite well.
http://www.axis-cleaningsupplies.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/p/sp0014--_caterers_sponge_scourer.jpg

A hefty wire brush with Nitromors also works well for taking off large amounts after the first couple of coats, then move onto sanding for the smaller bits.

^^Project has potential

too early to ask what colour?

if you use a scourer with paint stripper on it, the paint will come off really quite well.
http://www.axis-cleaningsupplies.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/p/sp0014--_caterers_sponge_scourer.jpg

A hefty wire brush with Nitromors also works well for taking off large amounts after the first couple of coats, then move onto sanding for the smaller bits.

^^Project has potential

Thanks for the advice I'll be sure to try those.

too early to ask what colour?

I was planning to do a two tone of red and white, something along the lines of "the flash" and I'll probably stick a lightning bolt in there too. I'm also filming the whole process so I'll link it on here when it's done.

filming is a great idea - look forward to it.

^Glad to hear that.

Btw, your ideas worked great for most of the areas but on the hard to reach areas I just used a wire wheel brush.

So I did my best stripping the paint and this was the end result.

I'll hopefully get started on the paint job tomorrow if the weather turns out well.

Just spray it clear, looks sick raw!

^ yup, just clear coat it.

You've fucked your check up proper, the Doris won't be happy!

Clearcoat!

I thought about that but as far as I'm aware, there isn't any proper way to do it yourself because without a primer the clear coat won't last long and it doesn't do a good job of preventing rust. Powdercoat also isn't an option coz I can't really afford it right now. I'll probably get it done by armourtex in the future when I have the funds and at least they'll do a better job of stripping the paint.

In which case, even if it doesn't last long, if you plan on powdercoating it eventually then clear coat it for now!

go rust, dont spray clear;)

In which case, even if it doesn't last long, if you plan on powdercoating it eventually then clear coat it for now!

Yeah I guess but I'd rather not risk damage to the frame and I don't think I'll get it powdercoated anytime soon.

go rust, dont spray clear;)

Hahaha, if you try that let me know how it goes :D

I'd do something quick if I were you! The raw metal really doesn't react well to moisture and especially the salt from your hands. Until you decide what to do spray it with clear-coat or at the very least WD40.

When I have a raw frame it's never touched with bare hands and it's either in powder-coat or etch primer within the hour.

^I sprayed it with WD40 soon after I finished stripping the paint and again before I primed it to get rid of rust that may have formed, then I rinsed it with soapy water to remove the WD40 residue and then dried it almost immediately to avoid corrosion. And then I promptly inspected the frame once more before priming it. Thanks for the tip though, I did some research before doing any of this to avoid complications.

Frame being primed.

you use white spirit to clean it down, not water........and you shouldn't hold the frame when you are doing coats of paint......and that looks like a dust mask....not for paint fumes....

...and for fuck's sake buy a trigger for your rattle can.
...and are those gloves the right size, etc

ha ha.... i'm a cunt......i'm sure it will turn out fine.... good luck young chap.

@ Mr B: It's not something I feel I need, this project is built using used parts so as you can guess I don't care if it's not perfect. Yes the gloves are the perfect size, I'm quite slim. Btw, if you could mind your language on this thread I would appreciate it. Thank you.

@Lucky: That's alright, I'm open to criticism, it allows for improvement.

already looks 10x better than when it started! the 2 tone is a cool idea +1 for lightning bolt.