• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Aluminium engine casings clean up

I have never seen the results of vapor blasting in person, but I have seen many pictures that are rather encouraging. I need to learn more of the details of the process, but I understand that it is still an abrasive media (might be as inoccuous as ice) that is applied with a water stream, not just dry air. Soda blasting might be an option, too, but the powder it produces definitely needs to be controlled.

I would definitely caution you against media blasting on the covers that you might intend to polish. I have tried some small parts with aluminum oxide, glass beads and walnut shells. Each of them left a surface too rough, and had to be sanded anyway. Now I just use chemicals to remove any leftover clearcoat, then a fine fiber disk in my drill to fine-tune the surface before using my buffing wheel and white rouge polish.

.
 
Steve said:
I would definitely caution you against media blasting on the covers that you might intend to polish. I have tried some small parts with aluminum oxide, glass beads and walnut shells. Each of them left a surface too rough, and had to be sanded anyway. Now I just use chemicals to remove any leftover clearcoat, then a fine fiber disk in my drill to fine-tune the surface before using my buffing wheel and white rouge polish.

.
Click to expand...

A sisal wheel and black cutting compound will remove blasting surface texture. It takes some contact pressure so thick gloves are needed because the part will get hot in the process.
 
greg78gs750 said:
member chuck hahn swears by "wizards power seal" on bare aluminum parts.
Click to expand...

My experience with it has been good, but it still needs to be re-polished by hand with a metal polish occasionally. Then re-apply the Wizards. It definitely last longer than without.
 
These worked well for me recently.... You could go further with wet n dry but these easily got rid of the clearcoat & got it to a pretty good finish. I have the tube extension thing for the dremel that lets you hold it like a pencil, worked great with these.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Abrasive-W...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

https://www.amazon.com/Dremel-225-0...ocphy=9031046&hvtargid=pla-382543036079&psc=1

I have used that Power seal stuff so I'll see how it holds up... (great in the garage & I don't exactly have the most corrosive conditions here! ) :)
 
Casings
Fortunately I have a dremel and that attachment .
Doing up bikes they are essential I agree.

I think it is manual polishing for casings as they cant be
as demoralising as doi g wheels and then painting the spokes.

Q)I'll start with 180 and go fine and fine
as I do with forks but can I confirm there
is no need to do straight strokes rubbing ?
the lesser and lesser paper will
get the swirls out in the end as will polishing ?

(didnt want to start when someone says you must
do straight lines polishing.......
 
It depends how fine you go but in general no... Personally from recent experience I would use the wheels I linked you to & then go further from there as necessary (the finest wheel is about 400 equivalent).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top