sort.

On another note, this the box of stuff that I have to sort through to get the "project portfolio" portion of my site going... dating from fall 2003... yep. The goal is one project a day until they're all finished.  Maybe. I'm having trouble finding any documentation from a couple of projects (and, no, it doesn't matter that they drilled it into us to document EVERYTHING and save it all in at least two places.....) but I know it's out there. Sigh.  [ If anyone needs something from project, let me know... Pretty sure I keep everything.]

go.

Sun! Finally, a day off where the sun is out! Though, technically, that first part isn't really true... We were planning on heading out of town to get some work done, but it's just too gorgeous outside.  So, even though our estimated departure time was, oh, about now, I dragged all of the bike non-sense out of the shed.  I'm currently in between coats of white on the stripes, then comes the black, some sanding (for sure!) and the text... then a final glossy coat and a week to get all the parts up to par.  If the weather will cooperate, there's a light at the end of the tunnel! I could be cruising by mid-June.  Pshhh... dreaming again...

p.s.- I'm still alive, that was really the reason for this post. Hah. A house guest, a rehearsal, a wedding, a handful of thunderstorms, and hundreds of dollars later... I'm still alive...

spin.

After about a week of rain, I couldn't take it anymore... I had to find something to do!  While wandering around the house after about 3 cups of coffee, I decided that we needed a "real" dining area.  Before yesterday, our table was a catch-all for junk. I only have 2 of the 4 chairs that match (the other 2 are half-sanded and stashed in my parent's attic somewhere...) and the cats just can't keep their lazy butts off the table.  We received place mats and napkins for our wedding that hadn't even been de-tagged.  So. Goal: Phase one, clear off the table, wash and iron everything, and find some sort of "scheme" for a centerpiece and maybe some napkin rings (which I am not really a fan of... hence the challenge.) Phase two, find the other two chairs, re-glue, and paint all four... 

Now, I already had a good centerpiece.  A small tray with glass votive holders and a few red candles to pop into it.  Napkin rings on the other hand were the challenge.  After a little internet research on "non-ugly" rings I decided I wanted to try and make some.  I decided on twisted wire and beads because they wouldn't be overpowering (not to mention silly looking) and they would be a quick project.... little did I know.

Now, side note: my husband is a bona-fide artist.  Degree and all. We have the supplies to make any 3D form of art imaginable.   While digging through our "supply wall," I stumbled on a handful of glass beads left over from some endeavor of his.  Perfect!  When I left them out on the table though, I began a revolution... He was inspired. Instead of using found beads, I was going to learn to make my own! Yay! 

Below are pictures and a little further explanation of the process, but in short, it involves fire, molten glass, and a lot of patience.  And the end product of "phase one" is pretty nice, if I'm allowed to say that... See for yourself:

And a little more about the process here.

wait.

What a long week.  Apologies in advance, but there is no end in sight to the busy-ness. The bike is locked in the shed still, and the yard is screaming at me (weeds- mother nature's sweet May gift.)  

I was hoping to get the bike finished for a bit of riding before the Texas heat sets in, still the goal, but the rain is going to have to stop first! 

detail.

I love details. This, for me, is where the fun is at... and cleaning up old parts, I suppose. Since I'm quite a "n00b" at this, I'm trying to keep it simple to stencil. And, because I loved the feel of the bike from the beginning (slightly retro,) the new look is going to be reminiscent of the old decals.

The new graphics are clean, simple, and they pop. Yellow, black, and white. A symmetrical sun. Futuristic font in all caps. I wanted something that would speak of me and my design choices. Nothing over the top...

And every good bike needs a name, right? The word "Sunna" was the Old High German name of the sun goddess in germanic mythology.  The sister of the moon. I found it quite fitting.  (more here. )

sand.

Wet sanding = Epic Fail.

In my book, anyways.  I started a test patch a couple of days ago to test out the "wet sanding" before I apply the technique to the entire bike... Good thing. The idea is that you use a super-fine paper (try 400-grit, waterproof) and windex (or any glass cleaner) to sand the surface of the final color coat lightly.  Then you apply your gloss (or other finish coat.)  It may have to do with the very dark color I'm using, but after a light all-over with the wet paper, the look was pastel and streaky. Ugh. Even after a wipe down with a damp cloth, the look didn't change. Now, in it's defense, as I sprayed the gloss, the streaks and lightness disappeared; I was left with a great looking finish. But. Really, who wants to do all the extra (and might I add, very messy) work to get the same finish as you would without the wet-sand?  If you're an expert, I have a few questions... Does this help the top coat out in any way? Maybe the gloss lasts longer, or adheres better? I'm going to check mine out in the morning to see if it's just really fantastic, but otherwise, the wet-sand is a step I'll be skipping.

Before and after gloss.  Using the bubbles as a reference, can you see a difference? I think the finish looks much the same... 

spray.

I think that this post finally catches up to current on the bike situation. Technically speaking...

As of right this moment, the painting is half-way finished. We stripped everything down to bare metal; we're talking sanded like crazy, which actually took us a couple of weeks. We used 80-grit paper, wire brushes, scouring pads, and a bit of paint stripper for the tough spots.  All in all, it turned out great.  A final once over with a 110-grit paper got it ready for primer.  I used a grey prime, since I'm using a darker color.  The jury is still out on whether or not the grey will also work under white paint.  Trial and error, my friends.

Two coats of purple later, here's the results... See for yourself:

There's still a bit to go: About two more coats of the base color, a round of wet-sanding for everyone, a little detail work to give it some pizazz, then a nice glossy top-coat.  If you've ever done this before, and you have any tips before I jump in to the top-coat, feel free to share.  I'm a little nervous about getting a nice gloss that will last for a while. 

ride.

In March(ish) of '09, my husband found a great deal on a pair of Huffy road bikes.  Now, I know that Huffys are for kids, but at both for $15, we couldn't resist.  All we were looking for was a "practice" bike anyways.  Our goal is to strip 'em, paint 'em, re-build 'em, and ride 'em. Just for fun...

Mine, the lady-bike, is a Huffy Ultima series, cute little 10-speed.  It started a robin's egg blue, but with all of the rust and wear, it's getting a full do-over.

My husband's, the man-bike, is a Huffy Super-10, also a 10-speed, that started life a brilliant yellow.  He's just too creative to leave it at that though...

I'll be posting pictures, mostly of my bike, as we go along, start to finish.  Here's a few to get you started, mostly "before" shots:

begin.

Welcome! This blog is meant to be a place where I can share the things that keep me busy.  I have a habit of throwing myself relentlessly into side projects.  Sometimes they are things that I feel just need to be done, sometimes they are complete failures, but sometimes I get lucky and strike on a fantastic creative outlet.  Enjoy....