Lacquering a Rat Look Bike / Over Rust. VW dudes?

[d14vd_h]

Guys... strange thread but hopefully all will become clear next week.

im enquiring about keeping something rat look,

i want to lacquer over the curret 'patina' ie faded flaked paint with rust etc. to maintain this look and stop it deteriorating any more.

my questions.

can i do it myself - if so what materials do i need and where from.
how much and who could i send it to to do

and will it rot from the inside out ie the rust will contine to eat the metal despite it being lacquered and protected from further rot.
if so can i spray rustproofing ie clear waxoyl inside the frame and bars via the crank and seat post and headtube to protect internally

i know the vw boys do this a lot so there must be a process
hope to hear soon
dave

[THE RACE FACE]

the rust need oxygen to munch metal if you can be sure there is no oxygen getting in no more corrosion.

[sonic-1]

yer realy need to ask yer self why . but if thats wot yer want to do go get it lacqured with 2k that will seal it good n proper

[Dark Diggler]

http://www.plasti-kote.co.uk/Product/pcode---4311/pccode---3621

Try this, obviously get the Clear one!. I have used this on 2 projects now and it works, 3 coats onto your bare metal will keep it as it was prior to using this, IE if you want rust it will seal it in

My frame has stayed exactly as I wanted it:(5 months now)


1 can has done this frame and some Profile cranks and there is still some left
Oh and the best bit is that its £7.99 at B&Q 

[zed4130]

clear plasticote will do the trick i did it a while back and all was good untill i got bored and changed it again   

[d14vd_h]

excellent guys cheers
someone said anchorwax....
as its a low sheen
how low sheen is plasticote??
cheers for the help.

[darkersomeday]

excellent guys cheers
someone said anchorwax....
as its a low sheen
how low sheen is plasticote??
cheers for the help.

rattle can laquers are a quick and easy way of doing it but it'll flake off in no time at all and just look a mess, first one i tried was back in 99 on my ng holmes and after a few months you could scrape it off with your fingernail!
plasticote is the best of the bunch though,

closest i've got so far is clear matt powdercoat,
you can see it here on my l.a.f frame,



as you can see its very low sheen, near perfect matte,

its still actually quite fragile as theere isnt much of a "key" in the metal for the coating to adhere to,

the look youre trying to achieve is similar to what i've been looking for for years so "we park our cars in the same garage"
you can try such as anchorwax but it'll wear off quick with use and it'll fook up your clothes "goodstyle"

also dont worry too much about rustproofing the inside of the bike, if its built right and is dry, once it is fully built you shouldnt really get any water ingress at all

is the bike going to be used or is it like an art/show bike? have you thought about leaving it and letting it corrode at a speed you choose?

i've a shit load of idea's for a "rat-look" bike if you want any inspiration lmk!

one of my current projects is a 50's hot-rod styley matte black s&m race bike for a friend, all red wheels and pinstripes!

[d14vd_h]

hey mate this one is pretty far along the rusting process already
its a rat rod bike,
its an early american cruiser interesting frame shape 24'' wheels with chunky tyres etc, basing it on the rockabilly electra modern cruiser.
so we defo park our cars in the same garage!!!

i really want to preserve the original patina of rust and flaked red paint, add some indian motorbike decals etc...

the anchorwax doesnt sound ideal if it rubs off especially on clothes, as it wil be an occassional rider.
that powder finish is perfect, dont know hpw it would take to flaking paint tho and i dont know if have the ability or the bike is able to be dismantled fully for a powder which is an issue
lacquer is out tho,, too much fuss and too high a sheen

would love to see any ideas inspirations youve got fot this type of build tho
cheers
Dave.

few people said theyve mulled the concept over, but im gonna bite the bullet, the bike in question lends itself to it, with the brick red primer red colour flaking.

[darkersomeday]

if you cant take the bike apart looking for a full matt plasticote might be your only option,

plus if your powdercoater is anything like the cat i use he'll baulk at the rust

heres a bike i built that i'd planned to go in that direction, you can see the rust blooming on the bars nicely, i'd intended to mask off and seal certain parts for a while, so the rust would develop at different rates,
also i'd started to polish small areas ready for engraving,(think old school purdey shotgun)
the frame is a full titanium job so NO paint whatsoever was neccesary on it, there hardly any on the whole bike!
i'd have loved to have seen how it "patined" over time,


my idea with the matt clear powdered l.a.f is that the coating will come off in bits as it gets more and more use,
also i'm hoping "rust worms" will develop on it too. when moisture finds a slight crack in the coating and starts to eat at it,

an idea i've been toying with for a while now and if anyone nicks it i'd be gutted but aah fook it,
the same process used for chrome plating is available in copper,
i'm thinking of having the frame done and then chemically ageing it to look like the "verdis gris" you find on old statues,
there was a dude that built a rat-harley and he used 2 old fire extinguishers that had the same "patina"

also, great inspiration can be found by looking at old fooked up medical instruments, like perished natural rubber and stained chrome,

if you want to get your bike to a certain point then all but seal up the finish, there a master powdercoater on here that could tell you idf its possible,
superbikedan

i'll have another search around for sealing products like a dry wax but i've never found anything that didnt come off on clothes,

any pics of this old rocker?!!

have you ever seen the killers van in the film "jeepers creepers"? thats how i want my bike to look right fooking there,

serial killlers bike, all rust and shit and blood,

[d14vd_h]

should have pics of said bike in a week hopefully, ive not yet taken delivery!
will put em straight on here,

i saw a van at newquay that had 'acme customs' on it was rat look and that started my obsession coupled with the old skool style electra cruiser.

speak soon dude

[d14vd_h]

here u go man, the van is a lot rustier now tho...

[Rombloke]

joe for the veris gri look you need both copper and lead to chemiclly react....(ie st paul cathedral ect)...lol....lead on a bike thats made from titanium, kinda defeats the objective....he he

Dve

[darkersomeday]

joe for the veris gri look you need both copper and lead to chemiclly react....(ie st paul cathedral ect)...lol....lead on a bike thats made from titanium, kinda defeats the objective....he he

Dve

aaah i see, i like the sound of the lead!

wasnt for the ti frame though dude, i was thinking of this custom s&m,if the matte clear powder doesnt work out i'll definitely have the frame copper plated,
i'm done with the lightweight stuff now thank heavens!

apparently "oxalic acid" can be used to age alloy and copper stuff pretty good, i'm nervous of trying it though, where tf would you even buy it?

this is the bike that got me thinking, and the one i was banging on about before, check the corrosion around the tanks , thats what i'm after dave

work of art.




here's a nice thing and might be useful for ideas,
check the patina on the chrome and ally parts, i'm going to e-mail and ask russ what he uses to get the effect,
checkout the work on the tank, might be cool to work some thing into the metal of your rat bike frame,
what brakes does it have on it? could you fit a coaster brake for the cleanest look possible?




what i'd like aswell would be a set of human skin race pads, think bufflo bills "suit" in silence of the lambs

van pic doesnt work btw,

[Rombloke]

check out the stand on that chopper.....

yeah i got to say i do not usually like this rat look deal, but that big arse chopper is well good

Dve

[d14vd_h]

AWESOME MAN
sorry bout the lack of the van photo.

it is a coaster brake!!

its the perfect bike but things arent going well with acquiring it- think i might have to outllay more than i expected!

[zed4130]

hey dave when its alll done, meet up with these guys , they could be your new rat freinds, 
http://www.chicagofreakbike.org/

[oberonspacefruit]

that exile work on the tank is luverly.

[darkersomeday]

i just heard back from exile about the patina on the brown pearl parts,
trouble is its difficult to decipher what it means! 

any guesses as to what a "waw" is?

Hey no problem joe, at our metal supply house, they sell different colors of
patina, you just heat up with torch and brush on, then they have a waw
you apply that seaks it. Thanks P Kirk

[d14vd_h]

thanks for all the replied on this one lads i had no idea it would generate so much interest, as its a bit off the wall.

[d14vd_h]

hi guys heres the reason for the rust related questions!!!
its a proper american vintage cruiser, and is perfect for my ideal build ive had floating in my mind for a while.

ive wanted a primer/ rust red rat look cruiser with fat tyres and indian motorbike graphics since i saw a similar electra new cruiser bike and some campers in that style in newquay a few years ago....

i knwo its a bit random and takes a lot of vision to see past these pics but im looking forward to it.

[Dark Diggler]

Is it the new Night Burner 











 

[d14vd_h]

HA HA

actually wouldnt mind help on id'ing tho

from the chainwheel pattern and the pedals its looking like a schwinn
other than that could be a hawthorne.
either way its proper vintage.

[darkersomeday]

i honestly dont have the first clue about beach cruiser type bikes! the only thing i recignize on the bike is the old bendix coaster brake, and it does say "bendix" on it in big letters

i can see where youre going with it though dude

are the bars staying in that position? looks a bit old school flat track racer!

great "patina"  on the frame though, so cool,

[d14vd_h]

love the idea of the oldboys downturning the bars to make em like racers !!!


think i will turn em back up...
this place is class for ideas,


http://ratrodbikes.com/whatis.html


cheers for the comment man it does take erm 'vision' to see it through to a finished bike.
hehe