Finally, I've resumed this project! For those of you who don't remember what this is all about, I suggest you check out my earlier posts on the subject. For those who have a long memory, however, feel free to scroll past the links and up to the first picture.
Prelude: https://hive.blog/diy/@steampunkkaja/my-next-project
Day 1: https://hive.blog/diy/@steampunkkaja/diy-tractor-canopy-day-1
Day 2: https://hive.blog/bitchute/@steampunkkaja/diy-tractor-canopy-day-2
Day 3: https://hive.blog/diy/@steampunkkaja/diy-tractor-canopy-day-3
Days 4 and 5: https://hive.blog/diy/@steampunkkaja/diy-tractor-canopy-days-4-and-5
Day 6: https://hive.blog/bitchute/@steampunkkaja/diy-tractor-canopy-day-6
Because of the open tube construction, I was able to thread some wires through the short pieces, hook them round the edges, and hang the whole thing from the handle of my garage door.
I then sprayed down the frame with glass cleaner (which works surprisingly well on metal also) to prepare the surface for painting. I had previously scrubbed off all the rust with a wire brush, then rubbed it down with oil-type rust converter for good measure.
After the frame was thoroughly dry, I gave it a good coat of Rustoleum self-etching primer.
You might be able to make out the colour difference - the primer is dark grey when wet, then gets noticeably lighter as it dries. The pictures you've seen thus far have all been stills from my video footage, but actual stills from my camera show it much better.
Wet...
...and dry.
Once the primer was dry, I gave the whole thing a coat of Rustoleum gloss red enamel, which is close enough to the colour of my tractor (it's not a car, I DON'T CARE about matching the colour perfectly - besides, I really don't care that much about cars).
I then found a place to hang it up inside the garage overnight. Tomorrow, I will inspect it closely to see if there are any places that need touching up, and then install plastic caps to seal off the ends and make the whole frame look much more professional. After that, I will touch up the paint on the tractor's rollbar (just because), install the canopy frame for the last time, and take measurements for the canopy itself. The canopy will be made out of a vinyl tablecloth, and given its size, I may not have to cut it at all - just fold and sew. We'll see.
👋 Hi @steampunkkaja, I was flipping through the blockchain and stumbled on your work! You've been upvoted by Sketchbook / a community for design and creativity. Looking forward to crossing paths again soon.
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