how do I make he engine shine?

[brenno]

I just buffed it like everything else. The emblem is aluminum but I'm not sure it's 100% aluminum. It actually polishes up a bit better than the cases.
I first tried masking off the emblem and just wanted to polish the raised lettering. After doing so, I removed the tape and the black came up with it. I was pretty mad until I started polishing the whole emblem and saw that it still looked good. So that wasn't my plan but it turned out OK.

G'day Keith

I have a couple of annual leave days next week and after seeing how sweet your bike looks you have definately given me the inspiration to shine the old girl up.

Thanks for the pics and info.

Cheers

Brenno

 

[ikazuki]

keith; is top notch at everything he does . from mechanical to appearance tips he's got the mind of an nasa engineer . it's great to have him on board . ikazuki

 

[jeeptrix]

I have been using 0000 steel wool with great results except for the bottom of the cases. I tried using 600 wet sandpaper on those parts. It was way too course but it did work.

I will attack the "Suzuki" symbol and hopefully make it look as good.

 

[J_C]

My polishing has left me a little bummed.... I went over it from 400 up to 2000 grit then polished but I'm not getting the results I want. I'm considering trying 0000 steel wool and then repolishing

 

[bostrom155]

JC, What kind of polish are you using? after the 1500 or 2000, I hit it with a medium (some cutting) bar and the buffing wheel on a drill then work up to fine or jewlers Rougue (no cutting). Also noticr when you sand or polish, just like wood, metal has a grain of sorts one way is cutting, one is polishing.

 

[J_C]

I'm using the Mother's aluminum polish with a drill mounted buff. When I polish I continue polishing the same direction as the grain of the sand paper, right?

The cover that I'm polishing... it's not like you can really see grain going in one direction or another. You see a bunch of very very light swirl marks. Can't see them until youre very close up, but it significantly detracts from the shine at a distance

 

[jeeptrix]

The "Suzuki" plate on the left side case didn't respond to paint remover and it seems like it is a plastic insert. Any suggestions out there?

Since it is a separate piece how does one remove it?

 

[KEITH KRAUSE]

The "Suzuki" plate on the left side case didn't respond to paint remover and it seems like it is a plastic insert. Any suggestions out there?

Since it is a separate piece how does one remove it?

The Suzuki emblem is aluminum or some kind of aluminum alloy. It polishes up very well. I treat it the same as the cases, fork legs, wheels, etc.
Don't attempt to remove it. It's very thin and you'll damage it beyond repair. It's held on by a strong 3M adhesive.

 

[KEITH KRAUSE]

I'm using the Mother's aluminum polish with a drill mounted buff. When I polish I continue polishing the same direction as the grain of the sand paper, right?

The cover that I'm polishing... it's not like you can really see grain going in one direction or another. You see a bunch of very very light swirl marks. Can't see them until youre very close up, but it significantly detracts from the shine at a distance

When you polish, you make passes at 90 degrees to each other. Go left to right on a pass, then up and down. Don't make circles.
It can take some time and practice to polish metal right. So many things can make or break the shine.
The real "secret" to a mirror shine is heat. You simply can't get the same shine with only your hand. I could show you a part polished to the max by hand and if I just made a very quick pass with a drill mounted buff you'd see how much brighter the shine can be with little effort.
The kind of buff...condition the buff is in...amount and type of compound...buff speed....pressure applied....I still have problems now and then and it takes me awhile to be happy with the work.
I learned by visiting various websites and picking up tips here and there. I then decided to visit www.eastwood.com and ended up buying their supplies. I'm not saying they're the best but I'm happy with them. They answered some of my questions over the phone too. Nice people.

 

[KEITH KRAUSE]

keith; is top notch at everything he does . from mechanical to appearance tips he's got the mind of an nasa engineer . it's great to have him on board . ikazuki

Thanks for the compliment but I've just learned stuff through a lot of trial and error, not from being smart. :lol: I then pass on what I've learned to try to save others from making similar mistakes.

 

[KEITH KRAUSE]

G'day Keith

I have a couple of annual leave days next week and after seeing how sweet your bike looks you have definately given me the inspiration to shine the old girl up.

Thanks for the pics and info.

Cheers

Brenno

Thanks for the compliment on my bike. Be aware that you have to keep at it to keep the shine. Depending on your climate, you have to re-polish at least once a year and possibly more. It takes some effort. It depends on what level of finish you want too. I have cases, forks, wheels and several small pieces to keep up and it's a chore sometimes. I always try to look at polishing as a way to get me off the couch and munching chips all day. So in a way, polishing is good for you. :lol:
Thanks for visiting my website and signing my guestbook.

 

[J_C]

Thanks Keith!!

 

[bostrom155]

Eastwood and http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/buffman.htm are probably 2 of the better ones, I got stuff from caswell awhile ago when I started, They have good reads too.
JC you will not see the grain till you start sanding, then you'll notice the differance. get a couple of wheels, use a sisal wheel for hard compounds and the loose for softer compounds (final).
Save the mothers for maintaining the shine once finished, I like wenol and semichrome too


here's some great info http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/Buffbook.PDF

 

[brenno]

Thanks for the compliment on my bike. Be aware that you have to keep at it to keep the shine. Depending on your climate, you have to re-polish at least once a year and possibly more. It takes some effort. It depends on what level of finish you want too. I have cases, forks, wheels and several small pieces to keep up and it's a chore sometimes. I always try to look at polishing as a way to get me off the couch and munching chips all day. So in a way, polishing is good for you. :lol:
Thanks for visiting my website and signing my guestbook.

Thanks Keith

Brenno

 

[J_C]

Thanks guys, after finding this thread in a search: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=70918 and reading here I'm going to buy the brown and white compounds and give them a go. I already have a semi loose buff I use on a hammer drill, so I'm partway there at least.

To put compunds into a different perspective... Would brown be kind of like wetsanding with 400-800 grit and white be like 1000-2000 grit+polish?

 

[J_C]

Well well well! I went out today to sears and bought some cheap craftsman white rouge and went to town. I think I could have gotten better results with something from eastwood or caswell, but I am happy with this now. There are still a few microscratches in the light (thats why I took the pic in the sun so they could be seen), but here is the before and after of my sprocket cover!

Note, the entire process went 400 grit wetsand, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, polish, white rouge

 

[Guest]

Looks Great!! :-d

 

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Yup. Nice improvement... except for that reflection.

 

[J_C]

:grin: \\/

 

[prefect]

Can you have the covers chromed or would it affect they functionality? I can get most parts done for free, but I've been reluctant to have it done out of fear .