El Disastro flakes.

Yesterday I left the Puch frame and cockpit in tape and late in the night I thought about some final alterations in the detail of the design. This morning I changed those details and went a-flakin'.

First I sprayed the exposed areas in a coarse silver metallic and peeled off the tape.
Then everything got some coats of clear with Metalflake Microglow silver mixed in. Followed by some heavy coats of clear.

Next week, I will sand and add more coats of clear, with some of this Aztec Gold original seventies Candy Concentrate from my secret stash.

Spraying the transparant candy will make a bright gold on the silver groundcoat and a darker, richer gold on the black groundcoat.

For now: happy holidays and I'll be back in the shop monday the 28th. See you there!

El Disastro Taping session

Hey you, don't watch that!
Watch this!

Spent the day taping the Puch frame. I already did some sketches last night but the final design always emerges when I'm taping the real thing. It needs to flow with many details in the frame.

The black I sprayed yesterday is dry and I start by taping off the stuff I want to keep black.
Then I start taping the design. First I do the bits I am already sure of, like the tank.
Then I get into the vibe of the design and I do the cockpit. I try a little something on the back of the frame that will flow with the shapes of the frame and the bits I taped off earlier.
Here's the other side. It's not the same as the right side and I am not sure about the part near the footpeg.
I will leave that for tomorrow. And then the flaking will start. The parts I taped off wil stay black and the rest will be sprayed silver. Then I will take off the tape and spray the whole thing in silver flakes. Over that some Gold Kandy and lots of clear of course.

Until next time: stay cool.

El disastro paint prep.

Last week the Puch frame was primered. Today was spent sanding and filling.
After that I painted it black.
The black base kolor will serve as a base for a panel design and two-tone gold flakes.
It will ROCK!
Stay tuned for more this week!

Innocenti end & El Disastro beginning

Today I wanted to finish the Innocenti. All there was left to paint was the lower part, in satin black.
So I gift/wrapped the whole thing. But I couldn´t find a ribbon.
I sprayed the satin black and proceeded to magically split my paintbooth in two...
Closing the wall so the car can dry and I can still paint the El Disastro Puch in primer.
This is the result after the car was unwrapped.
And this is the Puch frame in primer.

Next week it´s flakey-flakey-time.

C-YA

New project: El Disastro.

Next project after the Innocenti will be something special. The guys over at Puch Shop Racing (www.puchshop.de (Sorry folks, only in Dutch and German)) are building a demo bike from an old 50cc moped.

They plan to go racing with it and are currently building and testing a 50cc engine that will have to get the bike to 115km/h! Rather them than me! But I do like to have gotten the opportunity to paint it.

Plans are to paint the frame in 2-tone gold flakes with cherry red outlines and wheels.
Next week, sanding and filling (will it never end?) and hopefully some flakes and kolor before X-mas!

Have a good one.

Rockin'Jalopy's Motorama

Last weekend I visited the first (hopefully of many) edition of the Motorama show in the Autotron.
It was a great show, hosted by Mr. Henry, many thanks for that and it was a real who's who of the dutch Kustom (with a K) scene.

Scrapers and Trashers car clubs, Kars, El Cheapo, BSclassic cars, Short Cut Choppers and many more were there to show their stuff, accompanied by live music.

It was a great atmos and I will definately be there next year! See you there!

Hard labour

Some more days spent on painting The Green Machine.
The flakes were on, followed by 4 layers of clear.

Wet sanding the whole day...
Then taping an outline and spraying silver.
After masking the outline off, spraying layer after layer of green Kandy, until a nice fade was there.
After another three layers of clear, the "Unwrapping Of The Present" and behold (angel choir singing in the background):


Today, a whole day of wet sanding to get a flat surface for yet more layers of clear. That's tomorrow.
Next week: Lettering on the sides in vinyl with pinstripes and airbrush-effects, maybe clearing the roof, if there is time, installing new brake calipers and adjusting the ignition. Also: fitting a Kolor TV inside.

Must be ready by friday for:
Come and see this 80's Custom Van survivor in real life! At the Autotron Rosmalen! Boggles the mind!

Keep on Flakin'

Flakes are the shit. I added some yesterday and it looks slammin'!
I used the Glowble flakes from Metalflake. Not the biggest on the market but certainly the shiniest. Look at them smiling at you, even from the bottom of the mixing cup.
I sprayed a few layers over a dark grey base. It shines!
You can even see reflections in the flakes. Now I have to add many a layer of clear, and then some green Kandy. Tune in next time for more crazy paint.

Taping the van, taping the van!

Started taping off the panels on the Green Machine. I laid out the design using blue vinyl tape.
Then I masked off the rest of the car.
Monday I will start Flaking the panels in silver. That means, sadly, the pinstripes have to go. Sorry Herb!

Vans 'R Us

I did some mechanical work on the Green Machine.
There was a big trail of oil under the car. Everything behind the engine was covered in oil. I traced it back to a leaking intake manifold gasket. So I ordered a new set and got to work taking everything apart.

The engine in the van is located between the front seats so acces from under the hood is very limited. If you take away the engine cover in the interior, you can sort of reach everything on the block. You have to be careful not to get the oily bits on the upholstery and your working position is very awkward at times.

You drape your body on the front seat and try to get at the engine, lifting a very heavy cast iron intake manifold off, revealing the camshaft....
I cleaned everything and put in the new gaskets. Then I turned my attention to the front. The things that you can reach there include the radiator, power steering pump, battery and master brake cilinder. That last item was leaking brake fluid. Can't be good for safety, folks!
I disconnected it and took it out. There was a lot of gunk inside and the piston was corroded badly. Time for a new one.
After putting that in I tried to bleed the system but I broke off the bleeder valve at the rear wheel cilinder, Hoover damn! So, again, I got on the phone with C&P parts and ordered some new ones. After seeing the state of the master brake cilinder, I decided to order some new calipers for the front brakes as well. They probably have been standing still with the same brake fluid for 20-something years so better to be safe than sorry.

While I wait for the new parts I will add some special paint on the sides. I made some sketches a few weeks ago in photoshop.
The bands will be Metalflake with a fade from dark to light and back to dark green. It will be bitchin'.

So I moved the giant dinosaur into my new paintbooth. I had to move back the folding wall and it took a while, maneuvering back and forth, but it's in! I will start preparing the bodywork for paint and hope to put on some flakes very soon.
Join us next time for some magical flake dust!

Paint prep course

An essential part of paintwork is preparation.
It's no rocket science but it does take some skill and knowledge.

Lots of people are experimenting with paint, often with mixed results. If you want to learn how to prepare your tins to have a good base for those pretty kolors, here's your chance to learn from a pro! Even if you don't do any painting yourself, you can save money on your paintjobs by doing the prep work yourself!

I will start courses in paint preparation soon in my workshop in Huissen (between Arnhem and Nijmegen).

What?
You can bring your own part, like a tank, fender etc. which is rusty, dented, welded etc.

What are we going to do?
-judging old paint-layers
-cleaning and degreasing
-taking care of rust
-sanding
-masking
-spraying primer
-filling

How long does it take?
Two saturdays, from 10.00 to 17.00 hr

How much does it cost?
175 euro per person.

Who?
Maximum of 6 people, under my supervision.

What do you get out of it?
-After two days, your part is ready for paint.
-You now have the skills to prepare your own tins.
-Materials are included in the price and you will be taking home a goody bag with the following items (among others):
-degreaser
-sanding board
-sanding paper
-spraycan of primer
-spraycan of filler
-filler spatulas

In short: everything you need to start preparing your tins at home.

How to sign up?
Send me an email at bart@kustombart.com with your name, telephone number and a description and/or photo of the part you want to bring.

After this course, nothing will stand in the way of preparing your own tins in the comfort of your own home, so sign up!

We love you, sun.

Sun, sun,
it's so fun.

Clouds move out of the way,
Pretty girls come out to play.

People are in a good mood,
but it is understood,

that the best thing about the sun,
is the way it makes Metalflake shine, son!

Still got the blues...

Well, the dice have been cast. Door number three for this contestant.

That means taping off the panels and using the airbrush and some kandy, spraying fades.
Then taping the outlines...
And spraying them white.
And Presto!
Whaddaya think, kids?