Bam, Pow, Shebang!

Outlines for the 70s Harley today!
I spent the whole day yesterday taping the outlines on the scallops.
Today I mixed up a lovely creamy pearl.

I sprayed it on the outlines...

After pulling about 20 euros worth of tape, the result was revealed.

Now, I don't like to toot my own horn but: HONK HONK! What a beauty!

All it needs now is some drying time and one more round of sanding and a final layer of clear and it's finished. Can't wait to see the completed bike!

70s scallops in blue.

Today I started taping the design on the fenders & tank to match the frame I did earlier.
The customer wants a 70s bike with scallops, which at first seemed a little strange to me because scallops is really a 50s thing. I decided to update it by incorporating the scallops in panels, making it period perfect with the light blue Kandy Kolor.

I always make my final design in tape on the tins themselves. It just works out better that way.

Sometimes it takes a few tries and a lot of headscratching...

But finally, I have it all figured out.

I have to match the kolor on the frame and although I wrote down the recipe, it still isn't easy. After the main kolor was on, I used a smaller paintgun to add the fades in a darker blue.

Then comes the best bit: pulling the tape. There's always some rough edges where thinner creeps under the tape. It seems unavoidable when you spray as many layers of kandy as is needed for something like this. No matter, it will be covered by the outline later.

It came out really nice. Next time I'll add the white outlines and then it's almost finished.

See you next time!

Blue!

Today I sprayed the Harley flaked frame in blue Kandy.
It's really difficult to match a Kandy Kolor to a sample on paper. It's down to the tint, the concentration of Kandy Koncentrate in the clear and the number of layers you spray. The more layers, the darker the kolor.

I got the tint pretty close, but the end kolor, after 4 layers turned out a ;ittle bit lighter than expected. It's a real 70s kolor though, and it'll rock with the sliver scallops and white outline on the tank and fenders!

Seventies Flakes

Heya,
This is Rene's bike. He has owned it for many a year and recently decided to update it to seventies spec, fiting a different tank, rear fender, handlebars, oiltank, sissybar etc.

He brought me the frame, fenders and tank to flake. I sprayed silver Metalflake Glowble on a silver metallic base. Glowble is just about the brightest flake around.

Look at that sparkle! Next week, I'll be adding blue Kandy on the frame, leaving silver scallops in panels on the blue tank and fenders.

Wait & see!

Rogues MC Choppershow

Yesterday was the big day: the biggest and best Choppershow the low countries have to offer. There was lots of Kool stuff to see.

Short Cut Choppers was there to show their latest projects, the Crosschop and SR500 springer (just finished for the show). Check their site for more details.

Plenty other cool choppers from shops and private individuals.

The One-Off project of Floris Velthuis had it's premiere public showing. It's such an animal, like it's builder!

Niels aka Nisse aka Knogjarn brought his finished-but-not-yet-running Kooler than Kool Triumph chop. He didn't have any other choice of transport than the back of his Skoda.

(Stole the pic from Floris' blog).

This is reportedly the first tank DS airbrush has ever painted. Can't wait to see more from this guy!

The "best of show" award went to this bike...

But my personal "Best of show" was out on the parking lot. This fabulous Honda....

As good ol' Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane would put it: "I love it, I love it, I love it!".

I was there with Tjeerd form Short-Cut choppers to show some of my latest paint projects and I had a blast.

Thanks to the Rogues MC for a great party and a good show! Big up to Beer for selecting some of the finest Choppers Western Europe has to offer and getting them to come over. 

If you didn't see it, you missed something good! And make a note to come easter sunday next year, ya lousy bum!

Jetlag & Thinner...

combine to confuse me this week. I'm fighting off waves of tiredness while I'm trying to focus on getting things done.

I did finish my KDF helmet today. It took a while to dry after 20 layers of clear were needed to bury those Monster Roth flakes. I applied the KDF logo and a mattblack outlined stripe.

Meanwhile, I started another demo project, using the sportster tank with the many buried paintjobs (see paint archeology) and my new cobbweb trick-paint.

Mixing up some very fine silver metallic with Mint Green Kandy & white pearl-powder:

Then adding some layers of that same Mint Green Kandy, mixed in with transparant basecoat:

 Next spraying some of that magic cobbweb stuff.

It's a really cool effect but very strange stuff. It's like cotton candy and it takes a lot of layers of clear to bury...

After those layers of clear, sanding and taping off the design. I decided to go for panels, keeping that 70s vibe alive.

Then some black.

Next week more sanding and then silver leaf outlines.

After that I really have to get a move on. Lot's of stuff waiting to be painted, like a Hawaii-style WLA, Seventies HD Flake &Scallops frame, tank and fenders for a cool chopper, etc. etc.

Now I have to prepare for the Rogues Chopper Show, next sunday. Hope to meet you there.

Rogues MC Choppershow

Every year on the easter weekend, the Rogues MC puts on a choppershow. I think THE most interesting show in the Netherlands. Nice bikes, good atmos, I'm there.

I have a booth at the show, some of Short-Cuts bikes will be there, as well as Floris Velthuis' 1-Off (first public appearance) and lots of other interesting bikes. See you there and be sure to come and say hi.

First rays of the new rising sun

Ahhhhh, finally, after months of cold, snow and salt on the roads, a nice & sunny day.
Time to get your toys out!
Took a lovely drive today in the Green Machine. Scared some pedestrians, burned some fossil fuels, a good time was had by all.

I'm off to Mexico for two weeks so no new posts for a while (unless I find something worth posting in the Yucatan peninsula).

Hasta Luego, amigos.

SR500 Springer finished & delivered.

Yesterday I delivered the tins for the SR500 springer at Short-Cut Choppers.
Here's how it looks:

 

It's a shame that the full effect of the flakes can't be captured in photo's. Of course we will also have to wait to see the finished product when the pipes, seat, lights etc are done. Hopefully it will be ready for the Rogues MC Motorshow, april 4th in Opmeer (NL). There you will be able to see it in person. 

Y'all come now, y'hear!

Experimenting with paint effects.

Tried a new paint today. Bought some cobweb ready to spray liquid.
Strange stuff, comes out of the gun like cotton candy. Gives a great effect over a dark kolor, though.

 You can add transparant Kandy after that, to give it some Kolor. The first coat of kandy I sprayed was too heavy, dissolving the cobwebs and yielding this interesting effect.

 

I also painted some samples of Eerie-dess, a slow drying pearl-paint. You can create all sorts of interesting effects by pushing plastic or aluminium foil or a sponge etc into the wet paint.

 

Here's a helmet I made a few years ago. It's a bowling helmet. I decided to repaint it because the original paint was damaged.

 

  

Next week, I'll try another new paint called Crystal FX. Stay tuned!

SR500 Springer finished.

Isn't she lovely?

 

The logo is "Short-Cut" in Japanese.