{"id":567,"date":"2025-10-12T18:37:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-12T22:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/?p=567"},"modified":"2025-10-12T18:37:00","modified_gmt":"2025-10-12T22:37:00","slug":"blasting-the-frame-add-primer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/index.php\/2025\/10\/12\/blasting-the-frame-add-primer\/","title":{"rendered":"Blasting the Frame… (+Add primer)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I had a wee bit<\/em> of choice when it came to the frame. Earlier on, I\u2019d broken it down into its three main bits \u2014 the front loop, rear section, and swing arm. One tempting option was to have it sandblasted and powder coated. I even got a quote for about $300. Not bad, but that\u2019s a fair few pints of Guinness or a new set of gaskets, depending on your priorities. DIY saves money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few of my CVMG pals, always eager to offer \u201cadvice\u201d (especially when it\u2019s not their back doing the sanding), suggested I save the cash and just rattle-can it myself. \u201cIt\u2019s mostly hidden when the bike\u2019s together anyway,\u201d they said \u2014 aye, the same logic used when choosing socks for a kilt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And they\u2019ve got a point \u2014 once the tank, engine, and wheels are back on, the frame\u2019s about as visible as a haggis in the Highlands. But powder coat has its downside too: once it chips, you can\u2019t just touch it up without it looking like a bad paint job on a pub wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At one of our CVMG meetings, I had a good blether with Bruce. He told me about his garage setup \u2014 and I swear it sounded like the Rolls-Royce of sheds. He\u2019d just installed a two-stage compressor that could probably power a small jet, never mind a sandblaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bruce\u2019s done his own painting before and was generous with the tips \u2014 the man\u2019s clearly sprayed more things than a Scottish midge in summer. Better yet, he offered to let me use his setup to sandblast my frame. After a bit of calendar juggling, I made the trip out to Thorndale last week, where I also picked up some primer he recommended from a local shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So now the plan\u2019s set \u2014 the frame\u2019s getting the DIY treatment. Let\u2019s hope by the end it looks more \u201cclassic restoration\u201d than \u201ccrime scene cleanup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Blasting Away \u2013 The Frame Gets a Proper Scrub<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below you can see the finished pieces \u2014 or as I like to call them, the \u201cshiny survivors.\u201d I went through a full 50-pound bag of glass bead and even dipped into a wee bit of Bruce\u2019s stash to top up the hopper. (Aye, he caught me red-handed, but I told him it was for the good of British engineering<\/em>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You can spot the setup in the lower right of the photo \u2014 a proper DIY sandblasting station on the trusty Workmate bench. By the time I was done, the top of that poor bench was cleaner than a freshly shaved Scotsman on wedding day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results were brilliant \u2014 the paint practically lept off the frame, and the brazing welds came through like gold veins in a miner\u2019s dream. I\u2019d plugged all the important holes and taped the threaded bits with duct tape (as any true craftsman would).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of the day, I was covered head to toe in dust, deaf from the compressor, and grinning like a loon. But aye \u2014 this day was a grand success!<\/em> Glass kept raining from my hair each time I scratched an itch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paint Like Ye Mean It<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next up, I cobbled together a state-of-the-art<\/em> paint booth \u2014 right outside the garage, tucked neatly in the corner by the fence. A hockey stick served as my parts hanger (because this is Canada, after all), and I nailed a cardboard box to the fence to catch overspray. The neighbors must\u2019ve thought I was either painting a masterpiece or opening a back-alley repair shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To my surprise \u2014 or perhaps against all odds<\/em> \u2014 it actually worked a treat! With just one rattle can, I managed two coats, and they turned out rather decent (In My Own Humble Opinion<\/em>, which of course is the only one that matters – next to E’s).<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Now I\u2019m convinced I can build a proper version of this \u201cbooth,\u201d maybe even with walls that aren\u2019t flapping in the wind. I\u2019ll be spraying the frame in black next, with a few layers of clear to make it shine like a freshly polished sporran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aye, the future\u2019s bright \u2014 brighter than the paint, even.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Battle of the Bearing Races<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before I can get too carried away with paint and glory, there\u2019s still the small matter of those blasted bearing races hiding up in the goose neck. They\u2019re seated in there tighter than a miser\u2019s wallet on payday. The inside diameter of the neck is smaller than the races themselves, so there\u2019s no handy lip or edge to catch with a drift or puller \u2014 just smooth steel mocking me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plan? I\u2019m teaming up with my neighbor to try the \u201cwelder trick\u201d \u2014 a fine bit of mechanical sorcery where you run a bead around the inside of the race so it contracts and practically falls out. Or so the legends say. A couple of the CVMG lads swear by it, though they also said Triumphs don\u2019t leak oil, so I\u2019m taking it with a pinch of salt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If all goes well, the races will drop out nicely, and if not, well\u2026 there might be some colorful language echoing down the street. Either way, it\u2019s the next step before paint \u2014 and with a wee bit of luck (and maybe a fire extinguisher nearby), we\u2019ll get it done.
How To: Remove bearings with a welder<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n

Aye, the primer\u2019s on \u2014 and while it didn\u2019t look<\/em> like it covered perfectly in the photos, trust me, it\u2019s consistent. (That\u2019s my story, and I\u2019m sticking to it.) The finish feels smooth, no bare patches, and everything\u2019s sealed up nicely for the next stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m actually quite chuffed with how it turned out. The rattle can behaved itself for once, and I managed not to coat half the fence in green mist. Now I\u2019m just waiting for a stretch of good weather to hit it with the black.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The plan calls for low humidity \u2014 which, judging by the last few weeks, shouldn\u2019t be too hard to come by \u2014 and little to no wind. Nothing ruins a paint job like Mother Nature deciding it\u2019s time for a dust storm. With a bit of luck, and maybe a calm day or two, I\u2019ll finally get that lovely black finish on and follow up with a few coats of clear for good measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Wee Bit of Sandblasting\u2026 Sort Of<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I like to call it \u201csandblasting,\u201d though technically I was using glass beads \u2014 but let\u2019s not split hairs, eh? Same satisfying racket either way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next on the list are some nuts and bolts on the sheet metal that need to come off. A few will get the polite treatment, and the rest\u2026 well, that\u2019s what grinders and nut splitters are for. Once the hardware is out of the way, it will be time for the wire wheel \u2014 a proper bit of elbow grease to get everything ready for paint. Nothing like a bit of steel-on-steel action to make a man feel alive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I had a wee bit of choice when it came to the frame. Earlier on, I\u2019d broken it down into its three main bits \u2014 the front loop, rear section, and swing arm. One tempting option was to have it … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=567"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":578,"href":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/567\/revisions\/578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}