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General Category >> The Cafe >> Ohhhh, look what I discovered!
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Message started by justin_o_guy2 on 04/05/12 at 11:36:54

Title: Ohhhh, look what I discovered!
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 04/05/12 at 11:36:54

If your clear coat has gone all spidery & the aluminum below has started to oxidize, its a bit of a daunting challenge to get the old crud off & buff the aluminum out, but, Ive just found a reasonably easy way. Skotch Brite pads. Ive got a box of them,, & decided to just try it. I expected it to do almost nothing, but its much easier than 400 wet dry sandpaper & leaves a smoother, more satiny finish,
Ive got several hours in the job & have tried different approaches, determined to not use chemicals, cuz theyre nasty.. This is the easiest way so far. In fact, this is such a quantum leap away from "This is Hard" toward "This is no big deal" that Im not gonna look for any other approaches.

If your chrome is a bit spotty w/ rust, wipe it w/ oil & wait a couple of days. Wipe it off,, get a suede shoe brush, brass, & give it a quick buff,

If you want to pop the peg off on the shifter side so you can handle that rust w/o rasslin with all that stuff, cut some all thread & gently drive the motor mount bolts out, the motor wont fall down that way,

REmember to pull the 3rd bolt out of the peg mount. 14 mm, easy to see it from the other side of the bike.
I can clean the brake pedal & that side easier than I can pull the cables,,

Mark the trans shifter where the slot on the shifter arm lines up.
Pay attention to the kickstand interlock wiring routing before you pull it.
10 mm.

Im leaving the covers on,, except the pulley cover.
I hung a rope in the shop, tied the bars up & layed it over.. & Youd better do something like that b4 ya pull that left peg,, Ohh, YEA..

Loosening that pinch bolt isnt enough, gotta pull it, cuz its in a groove in the shifter shaft coming out of the trans. & No,, I didnt have to fight it, I saw it coming.

Title: Re: Ohhhh, look what I discovered!
Post by Boule’tard on 04/05/12 at 12:38:16

Interesting. Are you using the green scotchbrite pads, or the red ones? I think the red ones might be more abrasive/go faster but leave a rougher finish.

There are a few fans of scotchbrite pads on the ADV forum. Guys use them to restore old BMW airhead jugs and get good results. I don't have time to dig up a link right now but it is sort of a "colorwash" technique. Once the part is good and clean, grey engine paint is added to the scotchbrite pad and rubbed in. It fills all the pits in the aluminum, leaving the part looking almost brand new, and with a protective finish.

Title: Re: Ohhhh, look what I discovered!
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 04/05/12 at 13:00:44

All I have is the green ones, if red is meaner, then maybe that would make a good first pass,, w/ the green ones to smooth things out.
Sure did a nice job on the edge of the fins, & the carb bowl ( I used a used one for that).
Ill pass on rubbing paint in,,

Title: Re: Ohhhh, look what I discovered!
Post by Savage_Rob on 04/05/12 at 14:45:58

Just brought to mind how we used to treat the brightwork (brass) like belt buckles and such in the Navy. A lot of folks would used lighter fluid on a cloth and then use Brasso. I found I could skip the naphtha and just use Brasso or better yet, just use NEVR-DULL (http://www.nevrdull.com/). Great stuff and works perfectly on aluminum too. Still, the greenie-meanie might be the best first pass.

http://www.nevrdull.com/wpimages/wpefd43e35.jpg (http://www.nevrdull.com/)

Of course, if the laminate is gone and it's just tarnished, soak it in double-strength (unsweetened) kool-aid overnight and the tarnish comes off easily. Then polish normally.

Title: Re: Ohhhh, look what I discovered!
Post by Boule’tard on 04/05/12 at 15:11:48

7D6264637E7948784870626E25170 wrote:

All I have is the green ones, if red is meaner, then maybe that would make a good first pass,, w/ the green ones to smooth things out.

"Metal Finishing" Scotchbrite pads :D

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15179380

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/melvillelgz868/BMW166.jpg

Title: Re: Ohhhh, look what I discovered!
Post by Savage_Rob on 04/05/12 at 15:37:45

Gots to get me some.

Title: Re: Ohhhh, look what I discovered!
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 04/05/12 at 15:48:12

Okay, I lied,, I decided to try Ooooone more thing,, I stuck a hunk O that stuff on a small orbital, spritzed it with water, hit the engine, too,,, & shazzam! That was quick, now I need to hit the other side, nice satin finish, itll look great with a fresh dose O clear on it.

Title: Re: Ohhhh, look what I discovered!
Post by kimchris1 on 04/05/12 at 19:52:07

Justin, any pics of before and after?
Sounds good and thanks for
sharing the great information. :) kim

Title: Re: Ohhhh, look what I discovered!
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 04/05/12 at 21:30:27

Naaah, Im doin good to get anythyng done,, If I tried to load pics & all that, I would weasr out before I got any sandin done,,But it was raspy,, white spots of oxidation, & dark lines in the clear coat..Looks pretty dang good,, Im gonna give the other side a buzz with that orbital.Then, Ill run some fresh stuff by hand, to clean up the little circles it makes in tight places, just gotta run it one direction, make lines that flow with the shape of the cover on the outer edges, the alt cover, Im leaving with the pattern, I think.