I just stripped all the ugly old paint/PC off of my c'dale and now I'm wondering what to do with it. It is bare metal, but it isn't metal looking, it's like it has a tan-ish haze over the surface almost like when aluminum oxidizes x100 (if that makes any sense... I can post pictures tomorrow). The fork looks like plain 'ol steel, though. I'm wondering what I could do to make it look more bare metal-ish and then put a clear coat over it. If anyone's got any ideas on that, let me know for sure, or post up some decent ideas on what to do with it aside from the bare metal look. I want something cheap/simple to maintain that I can do myself. I do not want to go the krylon route again, though.

Dress it all paint-like!

not an expert but maybe some polishing compound

I'm not really wanting to prime/paint it again.

I didn't think of that, I'll find some polish in the morning and maybe use my random orbital or something and see how that works.

yeah, try buffing/polishing. of course, it could just be the way the frame material is colored. what's it made of?

Brass brush on a grinder did the trick. I'm thinking I'll just throw some clear coat on it.

Make shure to check with a paintshop on the right type of clear.Most clearcoats are not formulated to properly adhere to bare steel.

I have a buddy who does powder coating and said he'd do just a clear coat for like $35 of a synthesized acrylic clear coat or something technical sounding like that. So, as of now, that's what I'm thinking about.

That's pretty cheap, does that include the sandblasting?

I'd have to check, but other things, mostly car parts, I've had him do have included sand blasting. Do I need to sand blast it if all the paint has been removed and it's roughed up with a brass brush? He said he had that clear coat left over from a big job he did for a furniture company who makes custom metal bar stools and he'd do clear for $35 as long as he didn't have to strip all the paint off himself.