polishing Clutch Cover Case

[Hoomgar]

Re: Niiiccce

OBTW there is a spot of ugly on your front cam cover.

LOL!!!!


The bike is perfect Retrex, it can't help those kinds of blemishes :twisted:

[retrex]

I polished my cases to factory original look, Hoomgar was admiring them on the last PA ride.

Strip the clear with common paint stripper spray available at autoparts stores. After that take out the scratches with 220 then if you want the satin look use 320 to clean them up and remove the corrosion that is under the clear. Go in one direction with 000 Steel Wool to get a satin look or use 600 then polishing creme to make them mirrored. I use a dremel tool to get the tight spots.

CLean the part with lacquer thinner to remove the silicone from the polish and then IMMEDIATELY clear coat with clear engine paint. I did 3 coats, That was back in May and through the heat of summer not one turned yellow or fogged up. If you don't coat them you have to keep polishing every few weeks and tht is a drag.

I've seen Duane's work first hand. He knows what he is talking about here. You should see his ride. The engine looks BETTER than new. That is no joke. Wish I had a better pic to show you. And he did his a while ago and no yellowing or clouding. I recommend following his tips if you want a good outcome and a long lasting result. I promise you the photos below do not do it justice. You have to see it in person to fully appreciate it.

Rock on! 8)

I have done much of what Duane has specified, my only departure is that after the 600 wet sanding, I use water and simple green, I go to the buffing wheel. I then fininsh it off with Semi-Chrome. I never came close to Keith's finish, and I am no slouch when it comes to putting in the hard work. Keith has a secret process he is not sharing.

[BriTXbike]

Well I'll be taking lots of pictures but I'm going to start with my Rear Peg mounts on my 850 and see how they turn out. Wish me luck

[bwringer]

I feel so bad... I can barely force myself to wash my bike more than once a year.

I love working on it or riding the snot out of it, but something about wielding a sponge just makes me sleepy and bored instantly.

You guys with your clean machines are making me feel so guilty...

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Re: Niiiccce

OBTW there is a spot of ugly on your front cam cover.

LOL!!!!


The bike is perfect Retrex, it can't help those kinds of blemishes :twisted:

It was the lesser of two evils. If I took the shot straight on you'd get about 5 ugly spots.

[KEITH KRAUSE]

retrex, yes the cases are polished aluminum as are the forks, etc. As for any polishing secrets, I don't have any.
I simply started visiting websites and gathering info. I chose to buy products from www.eastwood.com
Then I just practiced. I will admit my cases were in decent shape and not pitted/severly corroded, so I didn't have much learning/work to do with sanding. They were just losing the clearcoating in places and some scratches from years of use. After stripping the clearcoat with stripper, two compounds and various buffs did the rest.
You just have to practice with different buff speeds, buffs, how much compound to apply, when to clean the buff or replace, how much pressure to use...
The problem I see in your post is you say after buffing, you finish it off with Semi-chrome. You can get a decent shine with Semi-chrome, mothers, Blue Magic...but you can't get the aluminum to "color" up like you can with a buff. That's because HEAT plays a big part in the best shine. Your hand can't simulate the speed/heat of a buffer. Always complete the job with a buff. Experiment with speeds, buffs, etc, as I said.
One other quick thought that many don't follow...always buff at a 90 degree angle from the previous pass. This avoids fine scratches and the extra work to keep removing them.
And as for the question about the site glass, don't remove it. You can easily double tape it from buff damage. Be careful around it.

[BriTXbike]

Well I got down to the Polish wheels with the drill this afternoon and a question for those that have used them. I bought black, brown, rogue, and Mother's White polish. What's the best way to prevent contaminating the other polish sticks? I've made allot of progress but this is new area for me. So far it has turned out quite well though.

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Well I got down to the Polish wheels with the drill this afternoon and a question for those that have used them. I bought black, brown, rogue, and Mother's White polish. What's the best way to prevent contaminating the other polish sticks? I've made allot of progress but this is new area for me. So far it has turned out quite well though.

You just reminded me of another of the basic rules with polishing...
never-never mix compounds. Always use each compound with its own buff. You need more buffs, but this is necessary.
Trying to use your rake to remove the previous compound to use another on the same buff also minimizes the buffs life and takes more time. Buy extra buffs dedicated to each compound.

[BriTXbike]

Yes I did buy separate wheels for each compound, remembered from my car detailing days, but after lacquering the metal after using black and moving to brown I still got allot of black on the wheel. I know some is from the polish taking out the tarnish of the metal but I just wanted to make sure. Also is it the same to use Mothers in place of a standard white polish? I know the Mothers has some additives but they are of the same polish level?

[retrex]

retrex, yes the cases are polished aluminum ... After stripping the clearcoat with stripper, two compounds and various buffs did the rest. You just have to practice with different buff speeds, buffs, how much compound to apply, when to clean the buff or replace, how much pressure to use...The problem I see in your post is you say after buffing, you finish it off with Semi-chrome. You can get a decent shine with Semi-chrome, mothers, Blue Magic...but you can't get the aluminum to "color" up like you can with a buff. That's because HEAT plays a big part in the best shine. Your hand can't simulate the speed/heat of a buffer. Always complete the job with a buff. Experiment with speeds, buffs, etc, as I said. One other quick thought that many don't follow...always buff at a 90 degree angle from the previous pass. This avoids fine scratches and the extra work to keep removing them.

Thanks Keith, I'll give it another try using the above info. BTW can you list what compounds and buffs you are using from Eastwoods? I think that the ones that I have been using aren't of Eastword quality and that may be a contributing factor to my just ok shine.

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Yes I did buy separate wheels for each compound, remembered from my car detailing days, but after lacquering the metal after using black and moving to brown I still got allot of black on the wheel. I know some is from the polish taking out the tarnish of the metal but I just wanted to make sure. Also is it the same to use Mothers in place of a standard white polish? I know the Mothers has some additives but they are of the same polish level?

Maybe it's too early in the morning, but I'm not clear on what you mean about "laquering the metal and so on..." I thought you meant you may have mixed compounds on the same buff in your earlier post.
As for the polish level of Mothers vs Eastwood, I can't say because I've never compared them. I just know that Eastwoods products work well for me. I'm ordering some more stuff today in fact. I also use their products on my Blazers mags.

[KEITH KRAUSE]

retrex, yes the cases are polished aluminum ... After stripping the clearcoat with stripper, two compounds and various buffs did the rest. You just have to practice with different buff speeds, buffs, how much compound to apply, when to clean the buff or replace, how much pressure to use...The problem I see in your post is you say after buffing, you finish it off with Semi-chrome. You can get a decent shine with Semi-chrome, mothers, Blue Magic...but you can't get the aluminum to "color" up like you can with a buff. That's because HEAT plays a big part in the best shine. Your hand can't simulate the speed/heat of a buffer. Always complete the job with a buff. Experiment with speeds, buffs, etc, as I said. One other quick thought that many don't follow...always buff at a 90 degree angle from the previous pass. This avoids fine scratches and the extra work to keep removing them.

Thanks Keith, I'll give it another try using the above info. BTW can you list what compounds and buffs you are using from Eastwoods? I think that the ones that I have been using aren't of Eastword quality and that may be a contributing factor to my just ok shine.

Yes, some makers compounds are not as good as others.
The only two compounds I've used from Eastwood are "Tripoli" and "White Rouge". Tripoli is a coarser/more aggressive compound used with tighter sewn buffs. I haven't had to use that much at all.
The white rouge brings out the high shine and color. Use this with loose sewn (very soft) buffs.
Check out their website or others to learn more about buffs. I'm not sure what you're using but there are different buffs too that give a brighter shine. Experiment with speeds too. Also, about 2 lbs pressure on the buff gives best results for final polishing.

[Hoomgar]

Re: Niiiccce

OBTW there is a spot of ugly on your front cam cover.

LOL!!!!


The bike is perfect Retrex, it can't help those kinds of blemishes :twisted:

It was the lesser of two evils. If I took the shot straight on you'd get about 5 ugly spots.

:mrgreen: :twisted:

[retrex]

Re: Niiiccce

OBTW there is a spot of ugly on your front cam cover.

LOL!!!!


The bike is perfect Retrex, it can't help those kinds of blemishes :twisted:

It was the lesser of two evils. If I took the shot straight on you'd get about 5 ugly spots.

:mrgreen: :twisted:

Hmmm that being the case, I suppose then if I ever want post a pic of my bike I had better not use Keith's and Duane's polishing techniques. I would not want to tarnish the image of my beauty with Ogre face (mine)stains on the shiney parts.

[BriTXbike]

Anybody have a specific brand clear coat they picked up at their local auto store? I just finished the piece I've been working on and when I went to spray the clear coat it takes away ALLOT of the luster it had. It is Dupli-Color T125. I'm thinking I got the wrong product.