General Category => Frame, Tank, Seat, Controls, Etc => Topic started by: Ricks on March 16, 2012, 01:10:56 PM

Title: Simplex factory paint jobs
Post by: Ricks on March 16, 2012, 01:10:56 PM
As I look at a lot of servi-cycles, I notice that many are painted one color, as in frame and tins the same, but an equal amount are painted with the frame one color, usually black, and the tins some other color.  Did simplex do both, if so, what years?  I know they also produced models with chrome tanks and fenders some years, but does anyone know what years?

Rick
Title: Re: Simplex factory paint jobs
Post by: OEM on March 16, 2012, 02:47:28 PM
Rick, I can't help you, but I do look forward to reading replies, and I thank you for posting the question.  I will be painting my 52 soon and will not necessarily look for originality but want a sharp appearance and need ideas ...   Thanks again.
Title: Re: Simplex factory paint jobs
Post by: Mike Sal on March 16, 2012, 07:40:03 PM
I've noticed the same thing. I think part of it may be from the popular custom in the early days of motorcycles when it was common to have the tin & the frame the same color.  This could be part of that 5 dollar special paint charge.

As we're learning more & more about how the company was run, i wonder if another explanation could be that whenever the black pain vat was empty or off line, they just painted the frames with whatever they had on hand.
Mike Sal
Title: Re: Simplex factory paint jobs
Post by: Mike Sal on March 25, 2012, 08:20:07 PM
Stopped by the powder coater Friday morning only to find a bunch of bare metal bike parts.....he said his supplier had sent satin black instead of gloss black....so he was waiting for another delivery of paint to show up.  Hopefully I'll have it back this week.
Mike Sal
Title: Re: Simplex factory paint jobs
Post by: bill marcum on March 26, 2012, 08:55:19 AM
Mike
How do you get your parts ready for powder coating, after you sand blasting and find pits in the metal? Bill Marcum 8)
Title: Re: Simplex factory paint jobs
Post by: Ricks on March 26, 2012, 10:15:15 AM
Bill, as you probably know, you can not use any plastic fillers with powder coating.  My 53 had some minor pitting on the wheels, and after powder coating, is not really noticable. The powder is relatively thick and fills most of the pitting.  I do believe they have powder primer that will fill the pits, and can be sanded before the color coat is done.

BJM is a powder coater, maybe he could answernthesenquestions more thoroughly for us.

Rick
Title: Re: Simplex factory paint jobs
Post by: Mike Sal on March 26, 2012, 11:08:00 AM
They do have powder primers which can help with uneven surfaces & pitting.  Fortunately, my frame was exceptionally clean & free from rust, so all the parts look really good now that they're naked w/ no paint.  The guy I'm using does both the blasting and the powder coating.  He was blasting off a '56 ford pickup cab when I was there Friday.  Even thou it was a truck from Texas & the tin had no rust, all of the custom treatments (frenched antenna, filled cowl vent, etc) had been full of bondo.  I saw the before photo & it looked great in a candyapple red.  I dunno why the owner wanted it stripped.
Mike Sal
Title: Re: Simplex factory paint jobs
Post by: mywaymfg on March 27, 2012, 04:14:58 PM
I had thought I would go back with the red color that my bike had originally I found duplicolor candy apple was a perfect match. But truth is I like the blue better still unsure what I will do in the end. Took my daughter to a eye specialist in Springfield, il today and got some disturbing news so I need to refocus my attention for awhile,wish us luck.
Title: Re: Simplex factory paint jobs
Post by: Ricks on March 27, 2012, 04:53:53 PM
 The guy I'm using does both the blasting and the powder coating.  
Mike Sal

I would think that all powder coaters would blast before coating.  The guy I used said I smoothed the metal to much;  he said to leave a little "tooth" in the metal for better adhesion.  I had sand blasted and then sanded the frame with emory cloth.  He said don't bother blasting the parts yourself, as he would do them again anyway.

Rick
Title: Re: Simplex factory paint jobs
Post by: Ricks on March 27, 2012, 04:55:22 PM
I had thought I would go back with the red color that my bike had originally I found duplicolor candy apple was a perfect match. But truth is I like the blue better still unsure what I will do in the end. Took my daughter to a eye specialist in Springfield, il today and got some disturbing news so I need to refocus my attention for awhile,wish us luck.

Good Luck to you and your daughter!

Rick
Title: Re: Simplex factory paint jobs
Post by: bill marcum on March 27, 2012, 06:59:36 PM
mywaymfg, Sorry to hear about your daughter . Hope and pray that every thing is ok. Keep the faith. Bill Marcum 8)
Title: Re: Simplex factory paint jobs
Post by: Vince on March 27, 2012, 09:13:49 PM
Mywaymfg,

Best of luck to you and your daughter. We'll keep her in our prayers. It's times like this that really puts things in persective.

Vince
Title: Re: Simplex factory paint jobs
Post by: Mike Sal on March 29, 2012, 07:41:49 PM
Finally got the call from the powdercoater today.  To blast & powder coat the frame & black parts, plus blast the fenders & wheel rims cost me 140 bucks plus a pair of motocross boots I bought 25 years ago but only wore 2 times (the paint shop owner has a 14yr old who likes to ride dirt bikes.....always helps to barter where you can!).

Too bad I broke my water line at one of the hydrants this evening & didn't have any time to play with these pretty black parts.....
Mike Sal
Title: Re: Simplex factory paint jobs
Post by: Ricks on March 30, 2012, 04:42:54 AM
Mike, that's a great price!  How come you didn't have the rims powder coated?

Rick
Title: Re: Simplex factory paint jobs
Post by: Mike Sal on March 30, 2012, 10:22:48 AM
Rick, since these guys haven't been in business too long, they don't have a full pallet of colors yet.  They didn't have anything close to the original yellow color of the wheels, so I just had them blast them & I'm going with the krylon "bright idea" color.  I'm hoping I can squeeze them into the oven to bake the paint to help harden it up a little.
Mike Sal
Title: Re: Simplex factory paint jobs
Post by: Mike Sal on April 01, 2012, 06:43:00 PM
I just got to thinking.....the simplex I had when I was a kid (circa 1972) was all blue.  At the time I had assumed that somebody had repainted the whole bike in one color, but I now know that it came that way.
Mike Sal
Title: Re: Simplex factory paint jobs
Post by: mywaymfg on April 15, 2012, 09:21:57 AM
When I went to paint my frame I had a little bit of automotive basecoat ,overcoat paint left over from my truck. It is black and I considered using it ,however there was parts missing for my paint gun. Well yesterday I gave the garage a pretty good cleaning wasn't even thinking about the paint gun. I picked up a can of laquer thinner that was nearly empty and took it around back to pour on some weeds , out rolls the missing pieces. Made me think of mikes missing handlebar pieces.
Title: Re: Simplex factory paint jobs
Post by: hardhead on April 15, 2012, 09:54:27 AM
When I bought my bike it was painted a flat blue with USAF and numbers painted on the tank with stencils and also on the fenders,. I was told by po that he thought  some kid painted like this ,but with pictures I've seen I'm wondering if this was an Air Force bike.  What do you all think?       Tom
Title: Re: Simplex factory paint jobs
Post by: Ricks on April 15, 2012, 12:01:37 PM
I would guess there is a good chance that it is original. Post some pictures so we can see it.

Rick