Author Topic: The last restoration from me. The Pink Schwinn. (Read 26739 times)

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #25 on:** July 19, 2022, 07:38 PM »

Now that I am done doing the horrid part I can have fun. Some more of the jewellery came earlier.

I also drilled out the 1" top cap that came with the Ahead. Crown race doesn't fit, so needs fettling with the file. And yeah, I do have the tanky tool that smashes them on, but it ain't going on no matter what.

I also got a laugh out of the paint colour. I didn't even notice it before I just knew it was right. The last colour I had mine done in was "Hubba Bubba". Look what this one is called

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #26 on:** July 20, 2022, 12:43 PM »

Parts in. Sadly the pics I took of the top of the grips vanished from the phone. Will get another later.

Needs knarps.

Schwinnbling.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #27 on:** July 20, 2022, 02:45 PM »

FFS. Why is learning to use new materials so bloody frustrating?

So I printed two sheets of the decals thinking it would be more than enough. Sadly because it is foil it is really hard to cut. Meaning I was slipping into the colour stroke. So I printed a new set on the last sheet of gold with a fat stroke. I then cut them all out wearing gloves. I left them on the bed and went and had a shower. Must have dripped some water on them, and the small under belly decal ran. FERK. So, I ran a sheet through that had decals on but space, and made another. Yay, all done. I then put them away last night between two sheets of paper. When I got them out today? another one must have had a drip of water on too

so that is buggered and of course I have none left. Have ordered more.

The good news is I had plenty left over to test clear coat on, and it was a 100% success

Frustrating though.

Frame is now in white primer.

Wet sand and pink base coat tomorrow providing it doesnt piss with rain. And the pic of the grips I promised.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #28 on:** July 20, 2022, 05:25 PM »

Good things - the primer is excellent. Dried fast, wet sanded with P1200 very easily.

Bad things, and I knew this was coming - pink is a shit colour to paint in acrylic. The lighter colours are powdery (that said they are all like it, even 2k, especially neons) and it spat like a C U next tuesday. There wasn't much I could do, so I will have to wet sand that out. That said I would have to do that for two reasons. 1, it's powdery and 2, I am going to ghost stripe it so I need it smooth AF.

Wheels and nice goodies shipped earlier. I was worried they would not actually have the 1.6 tyres in stock, but it appears they did.

The pedals were delivered to the trust nextdoor to my flat, and I accidentally sent the gold print vinyl there too

What a pain. That said it will give the inter coats time to harden properly before I put the decals and clear on.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #29 on:** July 20, 2022, 07:41 PM »

Yeah she's as dry as a sand lizard's fanny

But, it's well coated and wet sanding should fix it quick. Most of it is just over spray, this frame has some tight angles and is a sod to get into.

Can wet sand it out tomorrow. It says 24 hours.

I don't know what is going on ATM, but my brain seems to be working really well. Had a think about the V brake and the scenario of it not reaching. I then had an amazing idea.

As I said in a previous post I am CNC mad. I absolutely love engineering and design etc, and all of my close friends IRL are also. I would say that George French is one of my heroes. Mostly because he put his brains and talent into making bikes work when they were really poor (early 90s, no one seemed to know how to make bikes that didn't keep breaking). Any way, I had the "What if the V brake is too short?" scenario going through my head. I also had the spongy feeling going through my mind also, and why I would never even think of putting a V brake on the front of a BMX. And then it hit me.

OK, so let's assume that the brake arms are too short to clear the tyre and plan what to do. TBH? I am almost hoping now that they are and I get to put this plan in my brain into motion

OK, so take the brake hole in the fork into mind here. This one.

Then lets look at how a V brake is set up.

That's obviously a long one. So, if mine is too short and doesn't clear the tyre what can I do? well I thought not much, but my brain had other ideas. What if you could use the brake hole in the fork to divert the cable around the tyre? and if you could how in bugger's name would you achieve such a feat?

The answer took me back to George. Something some people would not even think of let alone try, but in reality is crushingly simple. A pulley.

Now obviously that won't work. For a couple of reasons. 1, it will be too close to the fork for the cable to work properly on. The cable goes into left side of this pic.

And would be off axis because of the distance between the arm and fork (this one)

But what if you removed the roller wheel from the item above and then made something like this. Now please bear in mind this is crude, as I CBA going into Fusion or anything like that.

The funny thing is that entire assembly other than the fixing bolt can be machined from, well, a single larger bolt put in a lathe. You could then bring the cable into the left arm, run it in one single piece up and over the roller cam and then back down into the other arm. Gaining you clearance over the tyre, and a rolling cam in the middle of the two arms massively increasing braking power.

Gentlemen, I may have just invented something

Good thing I got a mate with a lathe, huh? BTW don't worry about the cam being too shallow. He has a lathe, he can machine one deep enough to make sure it never falls off.

What did they say about necessity?

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #30 on:** July 21, 2022, 02:18 PM »

Painting, day 3. Wet sand out the entire frame to smooth it off.

Mmmm, pink water !

I've used soap in there, as it is a light coloured frame. I had three areas of blow through. I couldn't do anything about this, because these drips had hit the frame first and were large enough to have air bubbles in. So I blew through.

That is why I always buy two cans of the colour. 80% of the time? you won't need the second can. But they are about 4 quid each and imagine you bought one and that happened? yeah, then you gotta pay a tenner for another because of shipping.

Any way.

Tiny, weeny bit of wet sanding to do. The overspray is like chalk, but handily it literally wipes off with wet sand paper. I want to begin masking later, so I will do that later.

Before all of that I got about 5 hours sleep. Seriously, my ass was dragging on the ground when I got up. Quick pint of nitrous powered coffee and I took delivery of the wheels etc.

Have fitted the freewheel and rim strips now and packed those back in the boxes. These were the best find though. 11 pounds each, 110 PSI

Freewheel. I could tell it had been in the box for years as it took about two minutes to get the teeth to engage

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #31 on:** July 22, 2022, 01:10 PM »

Afternoon all. At this point I am not going to post any more pics of the frame. I have a few ideas lined up, some in motion and some I am not sure about whether they will work. Not about to risk the paint job, but I will keep those as a surprise. Obviously it is peeing with rain because I put a wash out last night hoping to wake up to it being nice and dry.

I ordered some 1" spacers from a website for about 6 quid. Finding them is hard, and people want like 15 quid for one on Ebay ffs. Any way they arrived, and they are 1-1/8 FFS. Even though it specifically stated 1". So I have no spacers.

I am not rushing this (hence why this part of the paint job is top secret) and so it's not an enormous issue. Thankfully I have two friends with full machine shops in their gardens so one of them has bought this for me today (because then it goes straight to him and saves me the aggro posting)

And is going to machine off the threads making the whole ID 25.5mm. That gives me .1 wiggle room in case the chrome on the steerer is too thick. I can of course also cut the fork if needed, but I do need spacing in there or the gyro will not function.

Talking of which. Yesterday I filed off the burr on the 1" top plate (that goes into that slot in the threads on a threaded steerer) so it fits over the fork. So that is done. I also ground down the crown race area on the fork with the belt file, so that has been fitted also. I decided to do that rather than messing with the crown race as if I filed half a mm too far I would wreck the bearing surface.

The new sheets of gold sticker foil came and I have reprinted the decals. I just need to cut the larger Schwinn one out for a full set. The pedals also landed at the place nextdoor to my flat (I had them sent to my flat by accident and of course had to come over here) so at some point early next week I will go over for a few days and collect those. Like I said, I am not in any hurry. The paint job is a long job and I want to get it spot on.

Amazon are coming soon with more paint prep materials (I will explain all of that and run through it all when the painting is finished) as well as a set of tubes. I am not going to fit the tyres yet as right now they are folded up and take up very little space. If I fit the tyres the wheels no longer fit the boxes they are in so just clutter and more space used.

As I say, slow burner. Usually I rush around like a madman to get them done. This one though? yeah that is totally not what I want at all. I'm not the most patient guy, but this bike is easily the most important bike I will ever do, so I want it right first time and don't want to have to take it apart and change parts out over time like I have with every other build I have done.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #32 on:** July 22, 2022, 01:24 PM »

BTW seeing as it is a rainy day I will do a bit more history on the bike.

As I said in the OP, in '96 Schwinn had not changed their bikes much in years. They pretty much relaunched in 97 with their totally new proper mid school bikes (see Powerglide and Hydraglide). From there? they signed up some serious riders. Jay Miron, Jimmy Levan, etc.

They also signed later Andrew Faris. Quite possibly the most outlandish (but incredibly skilled) flatland rider ever. Now as I say, in 97 I had mine painted hubba bubba pink. Which seems pretty outlandish. The strange part is two years later? Andrew (who shares the same forename as me) came out with his signature flatland bike. The 36-24-36.

In exactly the same colour I had painted mine in. However when I bought mine? he was riding a Basic Sluggo. And was riding for Basic, not Schwinn. It's a funny old world !

Pictures have been taken from the BMXMuseum, so an enormous thanks to thiagoflat. I have not asked permission, however he is free to contact me and ask me to remove them if he wishes. I will honor that wish.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #33 on:** July 23, 2022, 01:00 PM »

Good mornoon.

Yesterday was a hard day. This idea I had for the paint was just an idea. Which then needs to go into planning, then work, then actually doing it. Sorry for being cryptic lol, that's not usually how I do things. It seems it all went very well. So by about 8pm I was done and mum got back and I could finally rest a bit.

I am now ready for like, stage 5 or so in the paint, but am sunburnt from the other day. So I am going to wait until later in the afternoon so I don't make it worse. I am half ginger, so I burnt in seconds. Hence even spending 10 mins painting got me pretty bloody burnt

Any way, here is all of the tedious work I have done.

Basically making stuff fit.

Oh yeah another idea I had arrived about an hour ago. She's gorgeous

will reveal all soon. A little hint - Anything Faris can do I can do better

pink Schwinn war well and truly on

Mikku · « **Reply #34 on:** July 24, 2022, 12:06 AM »

Mate, I absolutely love your build threads! It's Sunday morning here, so I've just read through this page with my tea and toast (you can take the man out of Britain but...) and I love your ingenuity and never-say-die attitude. Not to mention skills.

If this really is your last resto, the forum is going to lose out big time!

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #35 on:** July 24, 2022, 01:02 AM »

I've got a pile of frames in the loft mate. Two of them I 100% want to paint. For wall hanging.

Maybe what I will do is start doing really thorough guides. The Sunday Funday grape soda is important to me. As is the Ruben really. So yeah, it's deffo not the end but full bikes it totally is !

I was going to wait it out and post this all in one big go, but then I had a look at the photos and there would be about 50. So here goes. BTW before I even start I want to say, categorically, this is by far and away the most superior paint job I have EVER pulled off. Like, not even in the same hemisphere. Mostly because I sanded every single bloody coating of paint. You don't need to do that with 2k and a proper air gun setup, but with rattle cans? THAT is how you get show quality results. And believe me, I got show quality results.

So the last pic you guys saw of the frame was round two with the pink. Which was paint stage 3. After that I wet sanded the entire frame again. All of it, even though it may not have been necessary. Doing that allowed me to catch 3 more pieces I had missed and fixed those, so by this time it was absolutely perfect. Now sure, when you see the next pics you will say "That doesn't look perfect to me !" and that was why I was going to avoid posting them until I could show the next stages all at the same time. When I say perfect I mean perfectly smooth. But what you can't do is touch it, see. All you can do is see it and you will see a washed out pink frame

It's the stages after that where it just explodes into something truly stunning.

OK, so one of my secrets. I mentioned ghost striping. Now you guys would not have fully understood what I meant when I said this, but this is what it means. A ghost stripe or flame or etc is painted with something other than a solid colour. So usually a candy, or a flake or a translucent pearl. You do this because most of the time you can't see it. It makes people get in closer and open their mind and start to really dive into the shiny finish. Recently I did a PC mod and used ghost striping and different coloured pearl flakes on that. This is what it looks like. Note the ghost stripe is the dividing area with no FX on it.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_ewhGqS4D_Q

Now also bear in mind in that photo the final stage (the clear over the whole bloody lot) had not taken place yet. I was just showing what happens when you paint different angles using different colour FX over red (red flake pearl and silver flake pearl divided by a ghost stripe).

So originally I was going to stripe it. You know, kinda like this

But then I realised I bought some proper water tight stencil vinyl for if I had to paint in the strokes for the decals. I didn't, as we know I printed the strokes. So one thing led to another and I added an easter egg under the frame.

Like I said this bike is important to me. I will have it the rest of my natural life, so looking back when I am old and buggered completely will bring me great joy. I've already burst into tears twice tonight getting all emotional from how much I used to love riding my last one all night mile upon mile and how free I felt.

I also did something truly brave. It's got stripes, it's got ghost text.... FLAMES ! now it needs FLAMES !

Now this was the part I wasn't sure of. I love ghost flames, but on a bike? hence why I went off the air and just got on with it. If I done F-ed up I could remove it and pretend it was never there

As it happens it looks BADASS. That wide top tube took it like a trooper.

OK, so you can see the plans there now. Now onto more secrets. Andrew Faris had a emo looking chick on his bike. I spotted it last week and wanted to put a much more risque pic on mine. Problem is they are all for cars or motorbikes and far too bloody big. Most of them would not work either 'cause they are motor based and have cans of castrol or etc etc. So honestly I spent about two days scouring around. And then I found her. It was absolutely love at first sight. I am a bum man, and I like 'em plenty grabable

But what made her so god damned perfect is the fact it is a motorcycle decal, so she is posing with her hands like she is holding onto a set of bars. Which would look absolutely fooking KILLER on a pink mental paint job.

So at 11am today with the masking that took me about 14 hours to create and put on I went out into the garden armed with a can of pearl flake in silver. This is how it went.

Like I said, it is IMMENSELY subtle. And that is why it has always been my favourite method. Get it in the right light at the right angle though?

The flames also turned out superb, but were very hard to see. It was still very bright out, even in the shade.

And unlike the others I have shown popping hard there was no way to turn the entire frame upside down to make it massively visible without dropping it. But the flames are perfect, and every bit as subtle and then

as the other stuff I ghost masked.

So for me decals is never the last job. These are not laminated, and water drops make them run. So they need fitting before the clear.

I then took it out in the garden, cleared the fookin BALLS off of it and brought it in to harden. I've now fitted the new repro head badge and have gotten emotional enough about it to shed tears twice. I had forgotten just how much I absolutely loved that bike until I found it. It was then and only then I allowed myself to remember all of the mad happy times and how I used to feel riding it. And memories (all good ones, as I had removed all of the shit and scum from my life !) just keep coming. Funny ones, happy ones, riding 20 miles in one night etc etc. Continually bending the rear wheel (they were single wall like the ones I was going to use before I got that mini windfall) and having to take them to get them trued etc because I was so fussy because I loved that bike SO GOD DAMN MUCH.

This one? has it all. Killer paint job? got. Go faster stripes? got. Personal touches? got. I mean FFS it even has tits and ass dude, what more can a man ask for?

I will get some more pics tomorrow of it in full clear. It doesn't look a whole world different, apart from the fact is so shiny it could blind you. I suppose that is what you get when you wet sand out every damn layer of the paint.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #36 on:** July 24, 2022, 04:17 PM »

Shit stuff done (pressing in headsets that don't fit, having to grind them down) and the BB shell.

Obviously in that much sun you can't see the ghost work. That's OK, I got a pic inside before I took it out.

You might need to open that one in another window...

I got some (I hope) good news today. It seems the brake for the front is actually in the fookin UK now and Yodel almost have it

The final seat post shims and lower Oryg cable are yet to arrive. Will email them if it doesn't come tomorrow.

Given my choice of front brake it would be rude to put a Springfield on the rear. Thankfully what I do have is this.

It is currently fitted to my Kink throwback I did last year.

Which is now in the loft. I'm not getting rid of the Kink, but it was built to ride and I don't ride it. So it can take a Springfield, given it was a budget build. I mostly used spares I had lying around, and already robbed the pedals for my Pork. I replaced those with these.

Which tbh are absolutely fine for the Kink. It is a new school bike any way. The only regret I will have? Well, that Fly brake RRPs at nearly 100 quid. It's CNC, and the most beautiful brake ever made IMO. I got it for 35 quid because it looked like this....

I then gave it a caustic bath to remove it

Irony is a fickle mistress ! Ah well, it wouldn't have matched the silver CNC front brake any way, but I would have probably cared not one jot

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #37 on:** July 25, 2022, 01:53 PM »

Lower cable and seat post shims arrived this morning. So that just leaves the brake, cable ties for the fork (front cable) and a package I ordered from Source with some knarps in it.

SDF · « **Reply #38 on:** July 25, 2022, 02:09 PM »

Quote from: Midschoolfool on July 25, 2022, 01:53 PM

Lower cable and seat post shims arrived this morning. So that just leaves the brake, cable ties for the fork (front cable) and a package I ordered from Source with some knarps in it.

Looking very nice. The paint job is top👍

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #39 on:** July 25, 2022, 02:14 PM »

Thanks dude. I always knew if I did get one of these I would go mad. I am quite glad it arrived late, as it has allowed me to learn in depth how to paint with crap cheap paint and get decent results

Am going to chill for a few days now. Might try the seat post on the shims later, and I need to remove the paint on the lugs too (2 min job hence why I don't bother masking).

Ninja edit.

I am a little bummed about the fork. Only a teeny weeny bit. I thought they had a cable guide, but nope. I did think about buying a Dia Compe chrome one but I realised it would stick out (the bolt end) in a bad place. IE a nice sharp piece of metal right where you don't want it. Couldn't find any of those cool push together plastic ones, so ties will do.

As I say, Knarps are coming because the upper cable is about two times too long. I really do want to dial this thing in for riding. I really, REALLY want to ride it, at least for a big trip down memory lane.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #40 on:** July 25, 2022, 04:51 PM »

Was bumming around on Ebay possibly looking for better caps for the crank arms. Haven't found anything quite yet, but stumbled upon something. Now of course they were blue when I found them, but 30 mins of digging later, and.

Have never seen them before and I had no idea they even existed. They are crank arm caps. They go on the bottom of the crank arms, to stop them getting battered.

I like little trick touches like that.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #41 on:** July 25, 2022, 05:19 PM »

Talking of the cranks. Removed those annoying labels and cleaned off the crap they left behind.

Seat in.

Was actually really difficult. Firstly the inner black shim was biting into the knurling and jamming. So I had to find a way to keep it open until I got it where I wanted. A pain. Then, even with a double handed thump the shim would not bed all the way. I got it to about 8mm poking out then accepted it. It is over 3" in there (both shims, note the shims are in that far the post is in about 8" at least!) and it's as tight as a gnat's chuff so it ain't going anywhere.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #42 on:** July 26, 2022, 03:07 PM »

You spin me right round baby right round etc.

Still no movement on the front brake FFS.

Ninja edit. Got these too. Had to.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #43 on:** July 27, 2022, 02:50 PM »

Afternoon update.

My pal sent the nut first class and it arrived today. So later I am going to bolt on the bars. The knarps came, so when ready I can do the brakes. I also ordered some cable ties and those have arrived too. As for the front brake?

Frustrating. My intuition was correct. When I looked it up earlier it seems it did indeed come from China. TBH as long as Yodel actually bloody have it this time and its due some time this year I don't mind. I mean 12 quid. If I got a Box entry level cast brake it would cost me over 3x that much. The rest (crank arm covers, brake lever covers and dice) have apparently all been shipped also. I am just looking around at decals for the fork ATM. I could leave them plain of course, but there are these Fake Taxi ones that made me laugh a lot.

Will see about that.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #44 on:** July 27, 2022, 04:27 PM »

Did some wrenching so it is easier to move.

Threads need chasing now and the taps are in the loft. Typical.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #45 on:** July 27, 2022, 07:41 PM »

Good job Parappa ! that's it for today...

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #46 on:** July 28, 2022, 10:43 AM »

The brake may come today. I say that because it's Yodel, so you never really know lol.

Postie should be here soon. Once they have both arrived I'll jump up in the loft and grab my taps.

Fingers crossed by the end of today it may just have brakes.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #47 on:** July 28, 2022, 12:27 PM »

Put the wheel in the fork earlier in anticipation of the brake coming. Positive thinking, like when you are waiting for a bus

Sure enough it worked. We haz brake.

Need to sand back the chrome around the posts as the brake goes right over them for a really clean look. If this doesn't clear it will be f**king cruel.

That said I know a way to gain another few MM. Put something in the fork to stop the wheel going in so deep. There is so much meat on the drops it would be totally fine. Crank caps came too.