man, i blew it. i am so fond of the factory KHS fade job, but my paint is trashed. i got a more suitable fluted SR track post, but when i tried to remove my old seatpost, trouble happened. penetrating oil didn't cut it. drilling a hole in the post and whaling on it with my slide hammer didn't cut it. crushing it in a vise and twisting/pulling/hammering didn't cut it. after two days of sweat and frustration, i did what i knew i had to do... i put a little heat on it. with a torch. at first, i tried just a little heat, then went to town with the slide hammer. i was getting extremely nervous about ruining my precious frame. so i went past the point of no return- i gave it enough heat to cook the paint off. the seatpost finally slid free. my frame is fine, but my paint around the seat tube/top tube/seatstay junction is gone. so it's time to sandblast and treat it to a nice, new paint job.

so, my theme has been blue/black/chrome. i thought it would look good with a flat black enamel, but that would be too subtle for my semi-exotic frame. i want that curvy seat tube to stand out, not my chromy stuff. the frame is the centerpiece, it must make a statement.

so the question is... what to do? some suggestions please. snarkiness is expected, but one or two serious replies would be nice...

before the disaster- i don't want to change my new bar tape or chainring, but in the name of bling: