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Saintly
Posted on Sunday, February 18, 2007 - 08:26 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I stripped the powder coat off my lower triple tree with a wire wheel and proceeded to polish it by hand with aluminum polish and a cloth.











Looks pretty good, but my hand sure is sore from rubbing it.

Maybe next weekend I'll do the top tree.
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Tx05xb12s
Posted on Sunday, February 18, 2007 - 09:03 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

That's beautiful work! Time well spent. Thanks for sharing with us. I may just have to try my hand at polishing something.
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No_rice
Posted on Sunday, February 18, 2007 - 09:17 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

i thought this was going to be a thread i didnt want to open
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Ft_bstrd
Posted on Sunday, February 18, 2007 - 09:26 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Wow! Your "parts" sure are shiny! ;)
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Molly_hatchet
Posted on Sunday, February 18, 2007 - 09:41 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

aircraft stripper....u wont have to rub it all day...unless u really want too..then well...yike..
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Molly_hatchet
Posted on Sunday, February 18, 2007 - 09:42 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

is the rye bread part of the process cause i havent tried that yet.
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Saintly
Posted on Sunday, February 18, 2007 - 09:48 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

aircraft stripper....u wont have to rub it all day...unless u really want too..then well...yike..

It wasn't the stripping that took all day, it was the polishing.

Besides a gallon of aircraft remover was $24 at the auto parts store, while my bench mounted wire wheel was free to use today and only took 10 minutes to rid the tree of its dull silver powdercoat.
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Saintly
Posted on Sunday, February 18, 2007 - 09:52 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

is the rye bread part of the process cause i havent tried that yet.

Well, now that the cat is out of the bag. The seedless rye is the key to the really high luster!

I cant stress enough that it be seedless, as the seeds will scratch the hell out of the soft aluminum.
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Houharleyguy
Posted on Sunday, February 18, 2007 - 09:53 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Looks good, but I have E-Glide full of shiny bits to polish & maintain.....I keep getting rid of shiny bits on the XB. I am thinking the next bike will be totally wrinkle black and flat powder coat....nut'n shiny at all!

Kevin
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Tdiddy
Posted on Sunday, February 18, 2007 - 10:00 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I used the aircraft stripper on some of my bmx bike's a few years back to make it easer to check the welds for cracks. That stripper is very strong stuff. Powder coat just drips off with very little elbow grease. I left the frames raw for that factory look. Dark grey sandblasted texture. I still like that factory look.





Damm, now I'm looking at my Lightning and thinking about what I should strip the paint off of.
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Bake
Posted on Sunday, February 18, 2007 - 10:18 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Get a polishing wheel for the top tree!
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Molly_hatchet
Posted on Sunday, February 18, 2007 - 10:47 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

well the rye bread works ..looks damn nice ...i might have to try that myself...rye bread..who knew...what other kinda secrets ya'll hidin.
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Mortarmanmike120
Posted on Monday, February 19, 2007 - 01:10 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Damn Fritz, looks good. I'm going the same route actually. So far I've polished the seat rails, chopped tail and a spare swingarm that I'll swap out later. I've wanted to do the trees but haven't gotten around to taking the front end apart yet. I'll probably do that when I replace the fork oil.

Here's a trick I discovered for polishing. I gently use a paint stripping wheel like you get at walley world. Not the super strong abrasive kind, the softer type that is like a scotchbrite pad. I few passes with it and the part is smoothed to about a 400-500 grit. I use it gently and at somewhat low speed so that it doesn't dig deep. Then I follow with a buffing wheel.

I was wondering how the trees would look polished. Mine look like wadded up grey chewing gum they've got so much filler/powdercoat on them. Thanks for the example.
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Mikexlr650
Posted on Monday, February 19, 2007 - 09:22 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

how did the pipes come out?

checked out a guzzi down at rockwell on saturday, they appear to use the same supplier for the exhaust pipe's as buell. at least before they switched to the newer "dimpled" coating.
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Hellonwheels
Posted on Monday, February 19, 2007 - 09:36 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

LOL I though it was going in a different direction.... Looks good
I am on the fence it i want everything shinny or flat black after the paint job,
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Sjh
Posted on Monday, February 19, 2007 - 01:17 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I have done the same thing with my ABS trees. There are some pretty heavy casting marks to remove, but they do polish to a very high luster when finished. I do not think I would have had the patience to do it by hand. I have did all the polishing that I am going to be doing. Everything else will be powder coated or chromed due to the massive labor and maintenance.

This is what I used, it works very good and is a must for PM wheels

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=0 19&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=2900 83039738&rd=1&rd=1
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Tx05xb12s
Posted on Monday, February 19, 2007 - 04:04 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

question - Now that you've got such a pretty finish, how are you going to keep it that way? Can you clear-coat polished aluminum so you don't have to keep polishing it periodically?
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Saintly
Posted on Monday, February 19, 2007 - 05:19 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Looks good, but I have E-Glide full of shiny bits to polish & maintain.....I keep getting rid of shiny bits on the XB

I'm normally not a "shiny happy people" person, but the lower tree on this bike was badly scuffed from tie down straps which were used on a trip back from deals gap last year. It was a choice between Fugly, replace w/new, re-powdercoat, or polish. Polish was free, so it won out.

how did the pipes come out?

Have'nt gotten around to them yet.

question - Now that you've got such a pretty finish, how are you going to keep it that way?

That's easy. I sell the bike & let the new owner do the upkeep!
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Tx05xb12s
Posted on Monday, February 19, 2007 - 05:41 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

No really, can you clear-coat polished aluminum to keep it shiny, or will the clearcoat get cloudy or turn yellow?
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Eman
Posted on Monday, February 19, 2007 - 06:20 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Mastrionni Bros bread, huh? Good stuff...
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Jimduncan69
Posted on Monday, February 19, 2007 - 06:27 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Fritz, looks great! so are you going to do mine next?????

Phil, yes you can clear-coat polished aluminum but you have to use a self etching clear-coat. if not done right it could get cloudy or yellow. at least thats what my buddy told me, and he does it for a living. he is the one that painted my bike.
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Saintly
Posted on Monday, February 19, 2007 - 06:35 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

No really, can you clear-coat polished aluminum to keep it shiny...

No really, I'm going to sell it!


.
.
.
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Mastrionni Bros bread, huh? Good stuff...

Rotterdam's finest!



(Message edited by saintly on February 19, 2007)
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Buellfighter
Posted on Monday, February 19, 2007 - 10:47 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Hey Saintly, I here ya brotha!!

My freakin hand, forearm and shoulder took days to stop hurting from the hours of stroking my fork legs to polish them from a knurled finish to highly polished. Plenty of jokes going around at my shop as I was "working" it!
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Luvthemtorts
Posted on Monday, February 19, 2007 - 11:27 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Saintly,
You mentioned selling your bike. Are we still on for the end of March?
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Saintly
Posted on Tuesday, February 20, 2007 - 06:56 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Saintly,
You mentioned selling your bike.

I'm selling my "03" I'm keeping the new "07" and we're still on.
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Luvthemtorts
Posted on Tuesday, February 20, 2007 - 01:36 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Right on man.
See ya' then.
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Liquorwhere
Posted on Tuesday, February 20, 2007 - 02:47 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Phil,
You can clear powder coat or clear liquid paint the polished parts..the clear powder coat has a tendency to be a bit orange peel looking over polished surfaces as well as dulling the shine a bit, but it will be well protected, I am not versed in the liquid clear techniques or results..maybe someone is...
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Buellfighter
Posted on Tuesday, February 20, 2007 - 08:06 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I polished the fork legs and triple tree on my S1 a few years back and haven't experienced any dulling with them like I do with the PM wheels and engine cases. I'll polish my wheels and cases and within two to three weeks they already are dulling. All I use on my triple clamp and legs is a clean rag. Have not polished them since the original job. I believe the legs and triple clamp could be a better quality aluminum and might not need coating?
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Saintly
Posted on Tuesday, February 20, 2007 - 09:15 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Ok, after two days of rest my hand was back to normal.

So, I did some more rubbing. This time it was on my headers:























It's tough to photograph them now due to the glare. They look like chrome!





This turtlewax polish is great stuff! The rye bread makes a perfect applicator too!


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Mikexlr650
Posted on Wednesday, February 21, 2007 - 08:02 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

did you do the whole job with the compound or start out with sandpaper?
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