There's a reason why MTB's from the 80s and 90s are awesome - splatter paints makes everything 100% more radical. And while the process, on first glance, seems to be time consuming and difficult, it's actually super easy and fun!
All you need is a spread of paints, some cardboard, fenders (mudguards for our friends across the pond), and time. I'd suggest going with three colors: color matched (or close enough), complementary, and analogous. In this case we went with Lilac, Pass Hunter Orange, and Gen1 Piolet Blue. We used extra touch-up paints, but you could really use anything including rattle-can paint sprayed into a cup, nail polish, auto paint, or even model paint.
Prior to splattering I'd suggest getting the fenders 100% ready for mounting. That includes cutting and affixing the stays to the fenders, drilling for frame mounting, and thoroughly cleaning the surface of any grease or fingerprints. Having them ready to mount means you'll be able to re-install without risk of damaging your new, unique paintjob.
Lay some cardboard down to catch excess splatter and use the fender stays to keep everything upright and stationary. Turn up the beats, shake some paints, and get to splattering. Lines, blotches, speckles, and imperfections are all encouraged.
Once you're satisfied, leave them to dry. We left them out in the sun for the afternoon. You can clear coat if you'd like, but we didn't.
Now that they're dry, mount them up!
If you like a colorful bike, this painting technique each easy and totally rad.
ReplyDeleteHey Igor! How well did this paint job hold up against the elements without a clear coat?
ReplyDelete@Unknown,
ReplyDeleteThat bike ended up getting sold, so I'm not sure, but a couple layers of gloss clear coat would keep the paint in good shape for a long time.
-Igor