Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Pink Garage Sale Bike to Sleek and Spiffy Boy's Bike

Here's the guest post I did over at Infarrantly Creative a few weeks ago if you missed it:

So today, I want to show you how I took a pink garage sale bike and turned it into a sleek and spiffy little boy's bike.
We picked up this little gem at a neighborhood garage sale.  
For $5.  That's it.  It's in great shape, a little rust here and there, but otherwise a solid little bike.
Only problem is the child we bought it for is a boy.
But when you have vision, it's just an excuse for another project.  ;)
So here's what I used to turn this second hand little girl's bike into something spiffy for my boy.

A razorblade (get one with a little handle, like this)
Goo Gone and a rag
LIME A-WAY and an old toothbrush
Rustoleum Protective Enamel Spray (also known as spray paint) in Orange
A whole lot of painters tape, saran wrap, plastic grocery bags, etc.

Okay, so first things first, you've got to remove the old peely (ugly) stickers.
Here's where the razor blade comes in.  Be careful, you don't want to cut yourself or someone around you, and more importantly (I'm kidding!), you don't want to nick the bike.  The goal here is to remove the stickers, not gouge the bike's enamel.
Once the stickers are off, in all likelihood you'll be left with a sticky mess.
Hello Goo Gone!  (I seriously love this stuff).
Spray it on, making sure all the sticky is covered, and let it sit for ten minutes or so, then come back and wipe it off with a rag.  Repeat as needed unil the sticky is gone.
Next, let's address any rust.  LIME A-WAY.  Spray, let sit for a few minutes, then scrub with the toothbrush.  Repeat as needed.
Wipe your bike down thoroughly to remove any residue from our trusty (not) rusty cleaning supplies, and let it dry.
Next, take your bike apart.  And take a good photo and/or write things down so you'll be able to put it back together!
Okay, now how well the bike turns out depends in large part on how well you tape.
For example, I taped around that silver piece in the middle, because I knew just painting over it would make it look like, well, a spray painted bike.  So be thorough and careful in your taping.
And start the spray painting.  REMEMBER, you must be patient.  Lots of thin coats will equate a nice smooth even finish.  Get impatient or careless, and you'll likely end up with drips.
Next, to protect the finish, I gave it several coats of  glaze.  The Krylon product I used said to spray on a full wet coat, and let dry.  That's tricky.  You need it to be full wet so it dries glossy, but not so full wet that it drips.  Tread carefully.  And don't despair if you get a couple drips, you can scrape them off with the aforementioned razor blade and do some patch work, or you can smile and say, "No one is going to notice them anyway, least of all my 4 year old boy."
And Viola!!!
A sporty spiffy bike for my boy.
I had originally intended on doing some designs on the cross bars, and his initial on the front below the handlebars, but frankly by the end I'd lost all enthusiasm for the project.  Plus, he loves it as is.  :)
Just to recap:
Three things I will say: 1) the hammered finish was a waste of money, as it didn't work; 2) if you are going to do this, make sure the parts you can't paint (the handle bar grips, the wheel wells, and plastic pedals) are an appropriate color; and 3) I would only recommend this for a small child's bike, i.e., one who is on training wheels and won't be wiping out much...


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