Raw bike? Show me and tips please

WOW! George that’s a beauty.

To those thinking about it (ron). Do it! Sure it’s a ballache at times, but the rewards are worth it. I may be just scraping and rubbing (lots of), but it’s therapeutic and a real man/object bonding experience. It’s over 20 years since i’ve had a bike that’s been as much mine as this one. And that was a peach. Can’t wait to finish and ride my special friend. I’m off to rub some fork legs 😀

I occasionally get the urge to get my Helius stripped – show those welds off!

Pretty much done now. Awaiting decals and an new sprocket.

Here’s before…

and after…

Not 100% convinced Operation Interesting Forks has been a sucsess…

The frame looks ace mate, great job.

The forks hmmm i’m not so sure.

really like those forks!

Looks awesome, I am still going, love the forks

Excellent job. Like the forks; very abstract art-esque…

+1 for the forks!

I really want a jump bike after this thread. I can’t jump.

Keep at it timbo, it’ll be worth it.

Forks look great on their own, less so on the bike imo, but they’re growing on me.

OOF! Looks great 🙂

I like the forks have taken on a sort of bone effect, the finish really progressed Euro. Did you use a drill bit sander to finish it? It’s quite consistent.

Looks really good! Going to do the same to my inbred at some point, sooner now I’ve seen that! Like the idea of the forks too, though if the ends were black, it would look all the more teh orsums IMO.

Did you use a drill bit sander to finish it?

Nope, completely hand finished by flossing with those wire pads. I was sorely tempted to get the drill out (when the paint was being stubborn), but was relishing the challenge so carried on.

ihave a frame that i want to strip(raw.) it has easton tubeing.
was thinking of useing cautic soda.
all looking really good. 8)

Are you going to clearcoat it, or leave it as is?

My Heckler mid build last night.

Raw aluminium with a clear coat.

Looks great Euro, really like the forks as well 🙂

I like the forks.

Frame has come up really well…so much so that I’m wondering if I should raw my SX rather than have it repainted. Hmmm.

Cheers lads.

Keeping it uncoated for now. I guess you can get away with a jump bike looking grotty and i’m interested to see what happens to it over time. If it starts to look bad (not Michael Jackson bad) then i’ll give it a quick tidy up and clearcoat it.

Looking good Mosey.

Looks brilliant. Thinking of doing this to my Charge fixie. I’ve heard of folks just wiping boiled linseed oil over the uncoated frame…

Keeping it uncoated for now. I guess you can get away with a jump bike looking grotty and i’m interested to see what happens to it over time. If it starts to look bad (not Michael Jackson bad) then i’ll give it a quick tidy up and clearcoat it.

Pics when it has aged a bit would be good. 🙂

I am steadily getting along with mine, couple more days and she’ll be looking very clean – B&Q stuff is very good

What is the best site for hosting pics without posting a link like flickr?

Hey Euro, how is the frame looking now? Clearcoated it yet?

Kayak, it looks as good/bad as the day it was finished. I’d like to say this was down the quality of my sanding, but the reality is it hasn’t left the shed 😳 (i blame the stumpy evo for that)

Did you put any finish on it at all? I’d have thought even in a shed it may have started to get surface corrosion.
I’ve just got a cheap DMR that I fancy doing the same with. Got to get the welded seatpost out first mind.. 🙁