Sanding and Painting are Best Done Outside

I also had a project for myself over winter break. I have been riding an old Raleigh road bike that my dad converted into a commuter for me. Its been ridden and ridden hard for several years and I decided it needed some lovin'. Few (if any) of the parts on the Raleigh were new when they were installed so I intended to replace most everything and give it a new paint job.

Everything started fine but like so many projects, a little snowball turns into an avalanche. It turned out a crack in the frame was of more structural significance than previously thought and I had to abandon the original plan. Fortunately my dad - as only he would - had an extra frame laying around in the garage that would be a suitable replacement for my commuter bike. It was a 90's era Univega (decidedly less classy than the Raleigh) with a hideous red and black spackle finish. So, I set to work.Over the two or so weeks that I was home, I spent a good portion of time down in the basement working on the bike. First I had to sand down the paint which really wasn't too bad save for a little dusty. The next steps was to prime the frame and fork and then layer on the paint and clear coat. The tedious part was that I had to lightly sand the metal between each application of spray and then wait for each successive coat to it dry fully. This process took several days and in the end, I finished with two primer coats, four color coats, and five clear coats.

One the back of each spray can is a warning advising the user to apply the spray in a warm and well ventilated area. Since it was the middle of winter, there was no suitable place outside and my only option left was the basement. They suggest a ventilated area for good reason. That stuff is noxious. Despite wearing a face mask and moving air around with a fan, I could only suffer a few minutes down there while spraying the bike. More than a couple times I bounded upstairs, fleeing the fumes feeling light-headed and slightly nauseous. What's worse is that the reek seeped through the ventilation shafts and filled house with the lovely aroma of nail polish.

To spice the bike up a bit I made a checkerboard pattern across the top tube and a silver band around the down tube. In the end it turned out OK and I was mostly pleased with it. If I undertake such a project again I will plan a little bit better and hope to be a bit more creative with my design. Thanks to my Aaron for some helpful suggestions, thanks to my dad for allowing me to steal the frame and helping me hang parts, and thanks to Natalie for documenting.