I am working on stepping up my rattle can paint skillz as well. My most recent endeavor being a couple months ago. Bought a 60cm/biggest Specialized Tricross Sport Triple near the end of last year and after some component/setup testing went well, that was the green light needed to paint it and put gratuitously fancy parts on it. The aluminum frame had been stripped--pretty darn well I might add--by the previous
previous owner, and looked dingy. I had plans to do a Cannondale-esque super buffing job, or at the very least, a masochistic multi-step wet sand effort, but the aluminum was having none of it. So paint it was. Picked up some "Pixie Dust" from the brand Color Shot. Lots of fun names that I appreciated, from a company that, through can shape and features, marketing/branding, and naming, is definitely not aimed at, well, guys.
I erroneously thought Pixie Dust was a pearlescent white, but it was actually pearlescent clear. I wanted a whimsical color full of sparkles to contrast with the Ultra Serious Fast Biker parts I was going to put on it and apparently failed at eyesight and reading comprehension. With the frame and fork all ready to go... Grabbed some matte black high-temp enamel paint from the shop/garage and said to myself, "Self, sparkly black will have to do." So I sprayed the black, then the Pixie Dust, and the frame turned forest green....
What is the world anymore???
Anyway, not all, or any, was lost! I had MASSIVE sparkles going on, and I knew that dark green with tan wall tires and black rims would look epic (from a prior build for someone else). I used 2k Clear's little brother, 1K Clear. Not as durable, but also not as nasty. Decals from eBay (definitely NOT Velocals in quality
nor price) and away I went to build! Could I have stood to sand between coats, as well as cut and buff (or similar) the clear coat? Very much so. But, I wanted to build the darn thing and this is going to be a gravelly adventure bike.
Puzzled at the green, but hyped for the sparkly green and matching frame and fork (and stem, like all those fancy custom bikes get).
To this end result: 20.8 lbs of Um, Did You Put A Specialized "S" On That Carbon Bontrager XXX Stem???
