polishing questions

[beechfront]

What's the deal with this clearcoat removal? I'm new at this and all i know if clearcoat is that it's used as a protective coating on paint. Is it the same concept with aluminum?


I'm also in the process of removing the blueing from my stock exhaust using a product called "blue job". It's working.... but very slowly and expensively. any other suggestions? this is hard on the fingers.

[xssiveone]

Clearcoat on aluminum is there for the same reason it is on paint, to protect the surface it is covering. The easiest way to remove it is with spray on paint remover, or spray on gasket remover. You can also "cut" it off using a buffing wheel and polishing compound such as tripoli or jeweler's rouge but it's a slow process unless you have a powerfull grinder. Once it is off, use a good polish such as Autosol or Mother's and polish to a high gloss.

[beechfront]

thanks for the tip - i need something to work on while i'm waiting for parts.

[Robert Haller]

Re: polishing questions

Originally posted by beechfront
I'm also in the process of removing the blueing from my stock exhaust using a product called "blue job". It's working.... but very slowly and expensively. any other suggestions? this is hard on the fingers.

I've heard that those blueing removal products may work when you're using it, but after the pipes get hot they turn blue again. I'd be interested to hear what your experience is.

[beechfront]

well i'm really hoping that isn't the case. the pipes turned blue one day this winter when I was letting the bike warm up. Had it running with the choke on for quite awhile. Don't know why this whould cause the blueing, but that's all I can think of.

[Bob Falter]

All my pipes were blue when I got the bike. I figure that it was from getting hot and that it was normal. I thought that was why they put the chrome heat sheilds over the pipes on Harelys, to hide the blue pipes. They would sure look a lot better if there is a way to keep them chrome.

[RiskyBusiness]

I used blue job and buffed it in using a cloth wheel on my drill. I got all the blue off and then put the bike back together. As soon as it got hot they were blue again. It could be that my bike is just that lean and that hot... it also could be that blue comes back fast on pipes that were already blue. I was blue again in less than 50 miles.

BTW, choke on should not make em blue. The starter jets (aka choke on the xs1100) should make the bike run rich which would be cooler than running a little lean.

[xssiveone]

Checkng the Tech Tips, I came across these:

Polishing Tips
ClearCoat Removal

[beechfront]

thanks - i've seen these tips already... EXCELLENT STUFF!

It appears that the clear coat is gone already. I think I am going to need to get a buffing wheel or something. I just can't get it to shine like it should. I was hesitant about using steel wool but decided to give that a shot - and even it's not helping. Maybe I don't know what the heck i'm talking about, but there is something messed up with this aluminum. I'm not sure what it is but it's mostly on the upward facing parts -- for example the clutch cover looks terrible except for on the bottom side there are a couple spots that look like new. Hopefully it's just the oxidation being really stubborn - but it just seems to be coming off really hard - pretty soon i'm going to lose my thumbs. Besides - I thought if it was oxidation it would be pretty much the same everywhere.

Wll I'm just going to keep trying different things because as much time and money as i'm spending on this bike i'm sure as hell gonna get that aluminum to shine!


Thanks for the responses!

[sixtysix]

go to Caswell Plating and down load thier free booklet on how to buff and polish.

[xssiveone]

I was hesitant about using steel wool but decided to give that a shot - and even it's not helping.

It's not recommended that you use steel wool. From what I have read from other members, the aluminum and steel wool don't get along. You will get tiny steel wool fibers embedded in the aluminum covers and it is supposed to accelerate oxidation.

Riding season is now upon most of us, so you might want to hold this over untill winter but in my opinion, the easiest way to polish these the first time is off the bike. That way, you can lay them on newspaper and spray the gasket remover or what have you, (had Kleen-Flo aircraft stripper highly recommended to me but didn't use it) Once that is done, then polish the daylights out of it with a buffing wheel on a bench grinder. Minor scrapes and scratches can be polished out with emery cloth and then buffed to the same shine. It's not a really quick process but it does produce nice results.

[Robert Haller]

Originally posted by beechfront
the pipes turned blue one day this winter when I was letting the bike warm up. Had it running with the choke on for quite awhile. Don't know why this whould cause the blueing, but that's all I can think of.

I put on new pipes last spring and rode over 6 months & 3000 miles with no discoloration at all. This winter I rode just a couple of times in 30-40 degree weather and they turned dark golden suddenly. I think a big swing in temperature from very hot to very cold will cause them to discolor.

[RiskyBusiness]

I have heard that the golden color is the result of running rich and the blue is from the heat of running lean.

I do wonder, however, about the external temp inplications.

[kf4anm]

clear coat

i myself just went down the clear coat road. i didn't want to have the mess using paint stripper so i took some fine grit sand paper and sanded off the clear coat. 800 seemed to work well with 2000 it smooth it out. afterwards i used mothers mag polish and a buffing wheel on my drill to shine them up. i was able to do my handle bars and side covers. i still have the seat trim to go. it works pretty well. my neighbor has had all these parts chromed on his xj and mine almost looks as good for way cheaper. it is also a good idea that when you polish your chrome or aluminum to apply a good coat of carnuba wax to protect and keep it shiny. on the blueing problem, i had the same prob with my 79 kaw. as soon as it got it clean it would come back. thats why i'm thankful my xj has black pipes with chrome slip ons.

cheers
daryl