Classic & Vintage - Did-it-Myself custom color saddle

Some of you may remember the Ross Signature I saved from the dumpster. Well, it had the original (read "rock-hard pain-inducer") saddle, and it not only was uncomfortable, but also unsightly. I found a nice saddle on ebay, but it was black, like almost every other saddle. The bike is teal ( :rolleyes: ), but the finish is the original finish and I felt bad changing it, so I decided to match the saddle to the bike. Got some SEM color-coat, matched to a GM color from the late sixties. Tinted it with a gold, and added a bit of metallic, and "viola!', a slightly lighter shade of teal (:rolleyes:)

edit-I added a photo of the seat as I bought it.

In the last 2 pics, you can see (sort of) the color of the frame. Also, in the last pic, you can kinda make out the bar tape, which is the weird pearlescent white, which just happens to match the pearlescent white slashes on the saddle. Now I just hope the dang thing is comfy :)

That sure turned out pretty! Hope the color holds up well for you. It does go marvelously with that bar tape.

You should point Patriot over here to look at this. He did some pretty wild custom paint jobs on his and his wife's bikes. I think he'd dig your craftsmanship and aesthetic sensibilities.

You lost me, dude, but I think it looks great. What's SEM Color Coat? And how'd you cover the black? This is too cool. Spell out ur secrets...

I've recolored saddles with paint for plastic automotive bumpers, too. Stunk all to be damned, but it holds up great.

You lost me, dude, but I think it looks great. What's SEM Color Coat? And how'd you cover the black? This is too cool. Spell out ur secrets...
SEM color coat is a vinyl/plastic spray dye used in the automotive industry. I've done whole interiors with it, and it holds up great.
First, I had to mask the thing, which was probably the biggest drag of all. Then, I prepped the seat with SEM vinyl prep, which prepares the vinyl for the color, and removes adhesive residue/oil etc. Started with a light metallic blue, and sprayed two light coats (their light colors seem to cover very well, and I knew that a light base would allow the top color to show better). Followed with the color that I mixed, let dry for about two hours, and then shot 2 coats of Semi-gloss clear flex coat over that. And now she looks brand new........Well, it was brand new to start with.

Looks great! Clear coat or not, I'm not sure if I'd want to wear white shorts with it though - then again - I wouldn't want to wear white ones at any time! lol

Cippolini and cuda2k - you could have this white short thing in common with the Lion King!

So...where does one find SEM, and its associated other stuff? I have several things I'd like to experiment with. Does it work on real leather?

Cippolini and cuda2k - you could have this white short thing in common with the Lion King!

So...where does one find SEM, and its associated other stuff? I have several things I'd like to experiment with. Does it work on real leather?
I'm not a white shorts kinda guy :D

You can find some of the SEM colors here:
http://www.eastwood.com/jump.jsp?itemType=CATEGORY&itemID=1440
Because of where I work, some of our suppliers will get me stuff that I normally wouldn't be able to get (like the tinting colors for the Color Coat). SEM didn't make a color that I thought matched well enough, so I had to make my own.

As far as leather, they have a product called Sure Coat, which I have never tried. I would guess that the Color Coat would not allow the leather to breather correctly, and cause it to dry out.