Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - paint question: sparkles, on some NJS steez

haha ok thread title is a result of a boring/slow day at work.

on with the post:

im building up my girls first fixed gear in the coming months for her bday in august. bikes direct was supposed to be producing a black/sparkle paint but i havent heard anything about it in their recent posts, so im considering doing it myself on a white frame from bike island. (she wants a white one now, i know). i think its cool cuz she doesnt know **** about FG, let alone NJS/Keirin stuff. it was just a coincidence that she wants the sparkles and i like the look for her and in general.

so, how would i go about that?

specifically:

would i need to strip the clear coat, or could i just paint over it.

whats the best way to get the sparkles on there?

will i have to clear coat over the sparkles?

really, i just never tried anything like this before so the most detailed response you can provide would be most helpful.

thx in advance.

her inspiration:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1210/1043381021_7f0fae6c48.jpg

go to a custom paint shop for cars


tell them you want a paint job w/ metal flake

this is what they should do/what you should ask them for:
-sand smooth
-lay down a base coat
-lay down a clear coat w/ flake in it
-cut down the flake coat (by sanding)
-spray regular clear over top
-sand and polish to make it smooth

it'll look like this
http://www.cbperformance.com/customerrides/images/sparkle.jpg

There is a powdercoater where I live who will do a sandblast for $10, powdercoat for $60, and a double layer sparkle coat for another $20 ... for a total of $90. Looks terrific and is durable so I would recommend that if you wanted the best possible finish for the frame. I assume there is some equivalent powdercoat dude in your area who will do that for you.

If you wanted to DIY I am not sure how you do it. But I can tell you most sparkle/metal flake for bikes is professionally done powdercoat. Powdercoat colors are somewhat standardized so you can research online and see exactly how each color will look.

EDIT: It will look like something this:

http://www.ebaypowderbuythepound.com/catalog/FIREMISTBLUEWEB.jpg

yea i was hoping for a DIY esp since the base coat is already down. good ideas tho, thank you guys.

What I would do is buy a completely paintless frame. I'd paint the white on, then put on the sparkles while the white paint is still a little wet. Once the sparkles are on, wait till paint is dry and then put on my clear coat. Then the sparkles are on there on top of the paint, under the clear coat.

Im using my memory of 7th grade nail polish rituals that I did. Youd put your color first, then your glitter or what have you, wait to dry, and then clear coat the crap outta it. And it would never come off. The glitter wont stay on a frame thats already painted, I would get a frame that I was painting so the glitter would stick to it. Then clear coat it, make sense kinda?
(I also want to do that with my next frame with black and gold, so ive thought about it before)

EDIT: Of course getting it done (as what people said above) at a place is probablly your best bet!

What I would do is buy a completely paintless frame. I'd paint the white on, then put on the sparkles while the white paint is still a little wet. Once the sparkles are on, wait till paint is dry and then put on my clear coat. Then the sparkles are on there on top of the paint, under the clear coat.

Im using my memory of 7th grade nail polish rituals that I did. Youd put your color first, then your glitter or what have you, wait to dry, and then clear coat the crap outta it. And it would never come off. The glitter wont stay on a frame thats already painted, I would get a frame that I was painting so the glitter would stick to it. Then clear coat it, make sense kinda?
(I also want to do that with my next frame with black and gold, so ive thought about it before)

EDIT: Of course getting it done (as what people said above) at a place is probablly your best bet!

that sounds like an OK idea. I think that some spray can paint comes in flake already,
http://www.createforless.com/Krylon+Glitter+Spray+4+oz+Magical+Multi-Color/pid19950.aspx?utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=cse
a shot of that over a white base, then clear coat might work well.

or, if you're not set on white, http://www.autobarn.net/dupmsseries.html

just realized i said NJS steez when i totally meant Keirin steez. i think that makes more sense, but i cant edit the title now, oh well. dont flame on me too hard

http://www.duplicolor.com/products/effex.html
http://www.duplicolor.com/products/metalspecks.html
http://www.duplicolor.com/products/mirage.html
They have a bunch of cool stuff, there's a few.

The problem is you're building a bike that you don't know if your girlfriend is going to like. Sure, she will think it is very pretty, but everyone should be familiar with riding fixed before putting a ton of money into buying one. Fixed gear isn't for everyone, just make sure that is what she really wants so you don't just end up posting the bike on craigslist after it sits in the garage for a few months.

The problem is you're building a bike that you don't know if your girlfriend is going to like. Sure, she will think it is very pretty, but everyone should be familiar with riding fixed before putting a ton of money into buying one. Fixed gear isn't for everyone, just make sure that is what she really wants so you don't just end up posting the bike on craigslist after it sits in the garage for a few months.

bikeisland frames are drilled for brakes so at worst turn it into a singlespeed. what's the problem?

The problem is you're building a bike that you don't know if your girlfriend is going to like. Sure, she will think it is very pretty, but everyone should be familiar with riding fixed before putting a ton of money into buying one. Fixed gear isn't for everyone, just make sure that is what she really wants so you don't just end up posting the bike on craigslist after it sits in the garage for a few months.



Ha, if he does a convincing DIY keirin sparkle paintjob I'm sure the profit from the ensuing Craigslist sale will make up for it. Just make sure you jam those keywords into the posting. HED3 AEROSPOKE FIXIE FIXY FIXED GEAR KEIRIN NJS VELOCITY DEEP V AERO RISER TRACK TARCK CIRCLEJERK etc etc etc

But seriously, cupcake as inspiration is poetic. Is this the first frame you've painted a frame? Coincidentally, the first frame I hand painted was for my girlfriend. Lets just say that she really appreciated the DIY aesthetic that resulted. So if yours would prefer a professional product, I'd say let a pro do it.

bikeisland frames are drilled for brakes so at worst turn it into a singlespeed. what's the problem?

fair enough.

Ha, if he does a convincing DIY keirin sparkle paintjob I'm sure the profit from the ensuing Craigslist sale will make up for it. Just make sure you jam those keywords into the posting. HED3 AEROSPOKE FIXIE FIXY FIXED GEAR KEIRIN NJS VELOCITY DEEP V AERO RISER TRACK TARCK CIRCLEJERK etc etc etc

But seriously, cupcake as inspiration is poetic. Is this the first frame you've painted a frame? Coincidentally, the first frame I hand painted was for my girlfriend. Lets just say that she really appreciated the DIY aesthetic that resulted. So if yours would prefer a professional product, I'd say let a pro do it.

hahah im dying!

yes, were already taking into account the fact that she might not like fixed riding and thats why im getting her a fixed/fixed rear hub to build on. she was going to get a brake regardless. i would hate to be the one who built the bike that she kills herself on ::knock on wood::

she will most likely appreciate it more that i put the time and effort (and money, ha) into the build/paint, regardless of how it comes out. yes the bike is going to be tarck as ****. im hoping that its the most tarck bike ever made. something that will make those korean girls green with envy. cuz thats what we do.

what do you expect? shes a girl and the only reason shes getting a track bike is because theyre light and she cant get her beach cruiser up and down the stairs in our building. and the beach cruiser is slow as molasses. and she cant keep up if she was to come ride with the local crowd.

she likes pretty things, what can i say. haha

i need help locating these hot pink deep v's that ive seen around. anybody have any clues?

saberhead: check out her blog @ betseyj.com she has a pretty large readership, including a lot of the biggest female streetwear designers and bloggers. youll prob dig it.

dudes: tell all your girlfriends!

The best technique I can think of for a frame that is already finished:

1. Acquire sparkles (Michael's, A.C. Moore, etc)
2. Spray craft adhesive into a pile of sparkles
3. Apply sparkles evenly to frame (the craft adhesive helps them stick!)
4. Apply a new layer of clear coat.

The obvious problem is that Dupli-Color clear will scratch right off.

yes, were already taking into account the fact that she might not like fixed riding and thats why im getting her a fixed/fixed rear hub to build on. she was going to get a brake regardless. i would hate to be the one who built the bike that she kills herself on ::knock on wood::

she will most likely appreciate it more that i put the time and effort (and money, ha) into the build/paint, regardless of how it comes out. yes the bike is going to be tarck as ****. im hoping that its the most tarck bike ever made. something that will make those korean girls green with envy. cuz thats what we do.

what do you expect? shes a girl and the only reason shes getting a track bike is because theyre light and she cant get her beach cruiser up and down the stairs in our building. and the beach cruiser is slow as molasses. and she cant keep up if she was to come ride with the local crowd.

she likes pretty things, what can i say. haha

i need help locating these hot pink deep v's that ive seen around. anybody have any clues?

saberhead: check out her blog @ betseyj.com she has a pretty large readership, including a lot of the biggest female streetwear designers and bloggers. youll prob dig it.

dudes: tell all your girlfriends!


Checking out the page right now! Looks really awesome, Im gonna browse around after I respond to this.

Either way you go around it Im sure it;s going to look really good. Like I said, i just remember the "nail polish" way we did it in 7th grade, color first, dry, glitter, clear coat. Cant really go wrong I think. The advice above seems good too.

Anyway-hot pink Deep V's Ive never seen, but would really be into finding them. Dont know if it would suite my banged up IRO but if you do find them, let me know I'd like to see what they look like.

On a side note, if they dont exist...you can always paint some rims with auto paint.

I should mention that Dupli-Color already makes a clear coat with sparkles built in (http://www.midwayautosupply.com/p-6527-duplicolor-effex-high-performance-glitter-coating-clear-7-oz-can-efx100.aspx). The downsides: it's extraordinarily expensive (about $12 a can locally) and it scratches easily.

somebody PMed me about a beach cruiser that he laid down a clear/sparkle coat on with some stuff from pep boys.

its not too expensive, but really, if it chips, its not like the white paint is going to chip under it. every now and again ill just lay down another coat or touch up here and there.

this bike is going to look ridiculous....ly awesome. im really excited for her.

i used some... rather, tried to... spray clear with glitter that gunked up the nozzle after about ten seconds of spraying.

that and it was very runny and uneven. i'd pay the coater to do it.