AAAAAAAAAARGH!!! PAINT PROBLEM!!!!

[sanityfree]

MAJOR MALFUNCTION!!!!

i followed joris's web advice and painted my chainguard a really cool chrome color. while waiting for the paint to dry, i decided to paint my left boot chrome as well. it's an old boot, why not? that's where the problem comes from.

you see, after the chainguard was dry, the boot was not. i didn't realize this until i saw my bike this morning. now there is silver paint on my new gel seat from getting on the bike from the right side. there is also silver paint on my left rearset. the rearset paint doesn't bother me, but i'm worried about my seat.

how can i take the paint off of my seat without hurting the seat?

a friend suggested paint thinner, but i'm afraid that will hurt the material in the seat. the seat feels like leather, but i'm not sure if it is or not. he also suggested gas or kerosene.

what should i do?!

[JLKasper]

Your dilemma reminds me of my youth...   I always had the silver boot when I played Monoply.  My sister was always the Scotty-dog.  But I digress...

There are a variety of products that are made to remove relatively fresh paint spills.  OOPS! comes to mind, and there is an orange-based graffiti remover that should do a good job.  Paint thinner is also pretty harmless, and WD-40 might also do the trick.  Goop, Gojo, or some other waterless hand cleaner also is worth a try.  Before you try anything you're unsure about, try a little on the backside of the seat.  

[JamesG]

hahahaha  dumbass.
Maybe you should paint the seat silver to match?

hehehehehe<snork>

Ok. Just kidding. Could happen to anyone.

The seat is vynle, it may or may not react negatively to a pain thinner. I would use regular mineral spirits and test it on a peice that is on the underside where the staples are. See if the black starts to come off or it shrivels or cracks.
But hurry, the longer you let the paint cure the harder it will be to get off. And when you get done apply some vynle cleaner/restorer you can get from a auto parts place.

sorry dude <snork>

[sanityfree]

i used WD-40 and the paint came right off. i've got some vinyl protectant i'm thinking of using now. time will tell if the WD hurt it. thanks, guys.

[Jared]

WD wont hurt it with occasional use... we use it (well i don't work there now but "we" ...)..Anyway we use it al the time to clean new upholstery jobs where I used to work .... I wouldn't make a big habit of it tho ....
So no it shouldn't bother your vinyl.

[sanityfree]

i used WD to take the paint off, then used Goop to clean it, and it looks great.

[octane]

Cool. So what color are you going to paint it now? :lol:

[sanityfree]

is that a subtle way of mocking me? i don't pick up on subliminal messages, man. just come right out and say it...





i'm thinking about day-glow orange or hot pink. :nana:

[octane]

Sweet! I've always been a fan of flourescence!

[sanityfree]

the guys that were with me when i repainted my chainguard kept trying to get me to paint my frame school bus yellow, my chainguard hot pink, and my bodywork camo. such great help...

i want to take my gauge cluster housing off and paint it the same silver/chrome color i painted my chainguard. it sticks out, you know? black housing with silver gauges above it and a silver headlight below it...

[The Buddha]

OK Guage cluster should be black as should the triple clamp and the handle bar... nothing else works that well... I'll put up a pic if you want proof... the guages being black and everyhting being black it looks very very sinister... now if the guages were white face... I still think black is the way in that case as well... only thing is the 01+ guages had chrome rings... then black wont work that well.
Cool.
Srinath.

[sanityfree]

well, looking at the bike from the front, that's about the only black part you see. shiny silver chromy paint would make it blend in, know what i mean?

[sanityfree]

yeah, maybe you should give me those pics. i'm not sure we're on the same page here...