Topic: the final word on polishing?

[Greg]

hey all
just picked up another 76 750 supersport, been sitting outside in the rain for the last 2 years. most of the chrome is rusty beyond repair, which i plan to paint black.
However, I want to do a nice job on this bike. sold my old supersport to fund this project, so planning on doing some good work.
I got a bench grinder in preparation for some serious polishing, but don't really know where top begin.
Would it be valuable to collect some collective wisdom on the steps and materials involved in polishing chrome/aluminum/etc to throw in the FAQ?
I know some of you out there have some shiny bikes, how did you do it?
thanks!
greg

[KB02]

I know some of you out there have some shiny bikes, how did you do it?

Time... Patience... Elbow Grease...

Not necessarily in that order.   

[comcrx]

I just started this project yesterday on my bike. I don't plan on pulling the engine out until next winter, so I am just doing what I can get to with my drill. what I have done is to clean the loose debris/dust first

then start with red polishing stick to get the surface ready. this should remove all oxidation and leave a 'brushed' look. it may take a few passes. make sure your buffing wheel has a good coat of rouge on it
then use the gray/black stick
then do a couple passes with the white and voila

do not use a cordless drill. the batteries wear out much faster then they charge, even with 2 batteries its a hassle.

these are the basic steps I followed. for more detailed explanation, just do a search for polishing in the tech forum and a ton of stuff will come up

[Greg]

are those kinds of rouge appropriate for all metals? ie - same red rouge on aluminum and chrome? what about the buffing wheel? any old polishing wheel will do?
thanks

[BobbyR]

Greg, you can use all the rouges on all of the metals. The trick is to go from the roughest to the finest in proper order. If you can get the wheels at a decent price, try to use one wheel per color. If the Aluminum is pitted you should start with a mild sandpaper to get past the pits. With Chrome the best you can hope for is to reduce the pits to the smallest size you can and hope they get lost in the shine around them. On small parts Krylon Chrome paint is surprisingly good.  I use it on nuts and bolts, and have used it on engine mounts. Parts bigger than that it will start to look funky.

[seaweb11]

There is a good Thread here on subject
http://www.sohc4.us/forums/index.php?topic=5932.0

Here's my 2 cents  All my parts were very pitted, water had obviously got under the factory clear coat. Very rough looking.
* Started sanding with 400 grit wet sand paper.
* Sanded again with 600 wet.
* Sanded again with 800 wet.
* Sanded again with 1000 wet
* Then hand polished with "Mothers Polish"
* Wiped it off and better than new!

1st bike no clear coat. I left it as it was. 1 year later, I'm not real impressed. ....needs maintenance.
2nd bike I used a spray can clear coat. Won't know how that works for a year or so.
Others here have said the only way to get it right is to spray it with a 2 part clear at the end. Next one I will try it.

Good luck

[Magpie]

I wimped out and took it all to a professional polisher for the major parts - fork legs, engine parts, brake parts. That's 3 years ago or so ago and they just need a bit of touching up with Mother's or Blue Magic. The parts were not clear coated. I just didn't have the patience or time to do it myself. I like the results.
Cheers, Cliff

 

[byurko]

I just started the process of cleaning up my newly acquired 78 CB750... I plan on getting a buffer from Harbor Freight to polish my engine - the covers I can take off. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=40668

I've been using my 3/8" drill with a wire wheel to polish all the corroded bolts, etc.  It works great!

I read today that the best way to strip the pitted chrome off the fenders is to sand/media blast it or take it to a chromer to have it dipped.  I plan on painting my fenders the same color as my tank, but haven't decided how to strip them.
 

Here's another way (quoted from a car forum) -

"1) sand with 180 grit on a dual action sander. this seems like a coarse grit, but you are anding metal, not paint or primer,it is not going that deep. Make sure that the whole thing looks flat and dull and ugly. Use a sander if possible to give the cross hatch sand pattern. A linear sand scratch feels rough, but look at the sand cuts in a microscope to see that they are smooth cuts in the same direction. Paint will not stick very well to this.

2)Clean off with thinner to remove dust and oils from your hands etc.

3) Etch prime area to be painted. I use Sherwin Williams GBP etch in a spray can. It's killer!

4) Prime with good urethane primer.

5)Sand with 400 or finer paper up to 800 prior to the painting process. Due to the new high solids paints these days, finer scratches are ok, the paint will stick to them.

6) Shoot a good coat of sealer on and then paint.

I have never had a single panel of painted chrome come back to me for chipping or peeling. You won't go wrong if this procedure is followed. I gave you the body shop fix for all this... if you do not have access to the tools and materials I mentioned, have a body shop get to the etch prime stage. The rest can be done with rattle cans and hand sanding. If you really want this to look good and last, spend the money and do it right. Good luck! I hope this helps."

[pmpski_1]

"1) sand with 180 grit on a dual action sander. this seems like a coarse grit, but you are anding metal, not paint or primer,it is not going that deep. Make sure that the whole thing looks flat and dull and ugly. Use a sander if possible to give the cross hatch sand pattern. A linear sand scratch feels rough, but look at the sand cuts in a microscope to see that they are smooth cuts in the same direction. Paint will not stick very well to this.

2)Clean off with thinner to remove dust and oils from your hands etc.

3) Etch prime area to be painted. I use Sherwin Williams GBP etch in a spray can. It's killer!

4) Prime with good urethane primer.

5)Sand with 400 or finer paper up to 800 prior to the painting process. Due to the new high solids paints these days, finer scratches are ok, the paint will stick to them.

...

No need for sanding between the etch primer and the urethane primer?

[theunrulychef]

If you're really serious about getting into polishing, I would recommend getting at least one more motor - for a grand total of 4 wheels (or more if you can afford it).  My current setup is with 6 wheels & I use every one of them.  First two are for black/emory - one is a large wheel for fast cutting (8-10" relatively hard), the other is a normal wheel (I believe they're 6").  Next is for red, then brown (may have these backwards - check on the packages), & 2 for white (all 6" - last white in the row is very soft). 

For aluminum, I start off by bead blasting, sanding, or wire wheeling (I have a rough wire wheel & a very soft wire wheel) to clean off dirt, paint, crap etc.  The part's condition & shape will help you to know which to do.  Heavy paint & grime or a really odd shape will best be suited for blasting.  Flat pieces w/o much dirt or paint can just be sanded or wire wheeled with little effort.  Anodized parts will usually require alot of blasting, sanding, oven cleaner, or a combination of the 3.

Once the piece is cleaned off to bare aluminum, I inspect for rough casting marks, dings, pitting from the sand blaster etc.  If required, I'll sand it with 400 - all in one direction if possible.  I try to sand in the same direction I think I'll be using the wheels at for each surface. 

Once I've obtained a relatively shiny flat surface from sanding, or if the part is already quite flat, I'll move on to the first black wheel.  Apply quite a bit of pressure, being careful not to let the wheel pull the piece away from you & onto the floor. Be conscious of the piece's edges & try to have the wheel's direction glancing off the edge rather than into it.  Pull the piece up against the wheels direction for more cutting/smoothing.  Move the piece downward in the wheels direction for more of a coloring motion.  I usually will do two passes on each wheel, one against the wheel direction, then one with.  When I get to the final wheel, I only polish with the wheel's direction, so I don't create any swirl/scratch marks.  Polishing with white is really more of a buffing & should really not take too much pressure.

I don't really have much experience polishing chrome, although it's all the same sort of process.  Chrome is just much much more hard, and all of the chrome on my bike was pitted, so I never bothered.

Safety:  Just make sure you set up in a place that you don't care about getting dirty, as wheel polishing will throw fibers & polish all over.  Wear a dust mask & glasses, a shop apron if you've got one, and some cotton gloves.  You'll be angry at yourself the first time you don't & are spitting up black crap for the rest of the day - not to mention the "coal miner" look one tends to take on after a long bout of polishing.  It's really dirty would be the point I'm trying to get across here  .

You can, of course get great results with just sand paper & mothers, but it sounds like you'd like to go with the easier route.  Many of our members don't have a good space or don't want to put out the money, and they do great things with great results.  But if you've got a decent place for it & have the dough, a good polishing setup is a great addition to your shop.  I would recommend starting with some simpler pieces (control housings are a good starting point) & moving on to things like the valve cover & MC later.

Good luck & happy polishing,
Jay in Philly