Author Topic: advice for whoever needs it (balls!) (Read 5368 times)

comcrx · « **on:** June 19, 2006, 02:30:19 PM »

so my neighbor was telling me last week about this great acid that he uses to clean his wheels and various other parts on his 68 camaro. said that truckers use it to clean their aluminum tanks and what not. said it'll clean my engine right up.

to backtrack a bit, I've been working on polishing my engine for a few weeks now. its taking a while b/c I only have a cordless dewalt and even with two batteries, theres a ton of recharge time. withthe exception of the nooks and crannies I just can't get to, its looking damn good, except for the flaking paint on the heat fins around the cylinder and head.
ok, back to present day
so last night I'm out walking charlie-dog, and neighbor guy says he has a present for me. he brought me some of that miracle acid back. after class today, I went outside and together(I'm taking responsibility here) we do a test spot, then proceed to spray this #$%* all over the engine and let it sit for a minute or two. I wanted to cry after we rinsed itoff. it honestly looked worse than when I bought the bike.
needless to say, I'm pretty pissed. however, I discovered that the shine will come back, it'll just take going back over everything with the buffing wheel and jewelers rouge, and waiting through another million and a half recharges on the battery.

maybe now would be a good time to invest in a regular drill

so, my advice is: nothing cleans better than good ole fashioned elbow grease.
and don't trust your beloved bike in the hands of a friend with his magic acid.

andy

cbjunkie · « **Reply #1 on:** June 19, 2006, 02:38:56 PM »

was it brown?

Patrick · « **Reply #2 on:** June 19, 2006, 02:41:00 PM »

I used that magic acid on the cases of my '78 CB400T about three years ago. You're right. You pretty much have to start over after you apply it. I'm told that's because the acid is meant for pure aluminum and it works wonders on that. My neighbor is a trucker and he swears by the stuff. It works remarkably well too. Unfortunately, vintage motorcycle engine cases, I've also been told, are not pure aluminum. They are an alloy, so the acid makes things worse before it makes things better. Not being trained in the science of metallurgy, I can't say this is absolutely true, but I can say it use true not to use this acid on vintage motorcycle cases unless you have a lot of time and energy you really need to get rid of....

Gordon · « **Reply #3 on:** June 19, 2006, 04:10:41 PM »

So what did the "test spot" look like after you tried it? And definitely get the corded drill. You can get one that will work fine for polishing for about 20 bucks.

Steve F · « **Reply #4 on:** June 19, 2006, 04:40:31 PM »

For about $50 you can get the whole engine media blasted with plastic media. Had mine done and was super pleased with the results. But then again I wasn't going to polish the whole engine either. If you do go with the media blasting idea, talk to the blaster and tell him what you're trying to do. There are other medias out there like walnut shell and corn cob to name a couple. They may be more suited to polishing as they're less agressive. You may find the media blasting would remove 99.83% of all the junk in those hard-to-reach places (like in the fins and between the cylinders). Makes the job go so much faster.

The only prep you have to do is protect all the openings and seals on the engine with double or triple layers of duct tape.

Jonesy · « **Reply #5 on:** June 19, 2006, 08:42:34 PM »

Some places can even do dry-ice media blasting- if it gets in the motor or anywhere else, no problem- it sublimates away in a few seconds and leaves nothing behind!

cbjunkie · « **Reply #6 on:** June 20, 2006, 05:13:02 AM »

...mmm...sublimation...

Patrick · « **Reply #7 on:** June 20, 2006, 05:15:41 AM »

The problem I ran into when I used the magic acid is that it raised a dull black film over all the metal I put it on. It just sort of drew it out of the metal. Black appeared where no black existed before. This, my trucker buddy told me as he watched the process over my shoulder, was from the impurities in the aluminum. At first I thought it was dirt being drawn from the pores of the metal. As I rubbed it, however, I realized I had evoked the devil's own black soul from hell. Removing it was like rubbing varnish from a table with a banana peel.

Jonesy · « **Reply #8 on:** June 20, 2006, 05:29:01 AM »

Quote from: cbjunkie on June 20, 2006, 05:13:02 AM

...mmm...sublimation...

Chemistry terminology, meaning when a solid goes directly to a gas....

cbjunkie · « **Reply #9 on:** June 20, 2006, 05:30:52 AM »

yes - also commonly used as a metaphor in 16th Century poetry to indicate the sublime and transient nature of romance...

it's hard to imagine John Donne writing about "offgassing"...maybe leave that one to Samuel Johnson...

KB02 · « **Reply #10 on:** June 20, 2006, 05:36:36 AM »

Quote from: Jonesy on June 20, 2006, 05:29:01 AM

Quote from: cbjunkie on June 20, 2006, 05:13:02 AM
...mmm...sublimation...

Chemistry terminology, meaning when a solid goes directly to a gas....

You know, I had a chemistry teacher in high school that told me such a thing was not possible. I even got 5 points off on a test once because I said it could. Looks like I get thse five points back!!! Ha!!!! ... granted, that was over 13 years ago, somehow I doubt those five point are going to amount to much now...

Bob Wessner · « **Reply #11 on:** June 20, 2006, 05:48:42 AM »

Quote

You know, I had a chemistry teacher in high school that told me such a thing was not possible.

He never played around with dry ice I take it.

jph550 · « **Reply #12 on:** June 20, 2006, 07:58:00 AM »

Sublimation can occur with water too. Imagine hanging wet clothes out to dry on a winter day.
The water freezes, the wind blows, and the ice (solid) evaporates (gas) and your clothes are dry. Never makes it back to liquid.

tsflstb · « **Reply #13 on:** June 20, 2006, 08:19:29 AM »

Quote

...mmm...sublimation...

Chemistry terminology, meaning when a solid goes directly to a gas....

Also occurs frequently after I eat Mexican food.

Dennis · « **Reply #14 on:** June 20, 2006, 08:29:19 AM »

Quote from: tsflstb on June 20, 2006, 08:19:29 AM

Quote
...mmm...sublimation...

Chemistry terminology, meaning when a solid goes directly to a gas....

Also occurs frequently after I eat Mexican food.

This is more information than we need to know ................

Klark Kent · « **Reply #15 on:** June 20, 2006, 08:38:48 AM »

Has anyone ever tried to chart the average time it takes for a technical thread here to turn into a fart joke. Can't find it in the FAQ.
-KK

cbjunkie · « **Reply #16 on:** June 20, 2006, 09:12:22 AM »

i'm sure TT has all the figures at his fingertips...

TwoTired · « **Reply #17 on:** June 20, 2006, 11:34:33 AM »

Quote from: cbjunkie on June 20, 2006, 09:12:22 AM

i'm sure TT has all the figures at his fingertips...

I'm a tactile person. I love having figures at my finger tips (see avatar); sublime experience. Problem is, so few volunteers.

eldar · « **Reply #18 on:** June 20, 2006, 11:36:22 AM »

Well we all know once terry gets here, things will go south. get it... go south!

Stormer · « **Reply #19 on:** June 20, 2006, 11:57:06 AM »

OK Andy, thank's the tip.

kaceyf2 · « **Reply #20 on:** June 20, 2006, 12:03:27 PM »

I never had five whole points to start with, so they could not be removed without sending me to the horrid place of "negative points" or " - points"

Fish · « **Reply #21 on:** June 20, 2006, 03:47:44 PM »

Andy,
Thanks for the warning. Mind if I ask what you are using to polish with a drill? What sort of attachment, poishing compound etc?

- Chad

techy5025 · « **Reply #22 on:** June 20, 2006, 04:21:05 PM »

I wandered into the Harbor Freight store the other day and one of the other
toy hunters heard me discuss polishing and suggested a small right or 45 degree
angle air powered drill. The speed is controlled by throttling the air pressure, and
with the low pressure a small line can be used. One can be had for around 30 bucks
or less.....of course you need an air compressor.

Sounds like a great idea. I find they polishing with the drill revolving at right angles
to what I am holding is ideal. Unfortunately, there are lots of sandpaper pad holders
out there, but I have yet to find one that is right for small parts....maybe a two or
three inch pad. Also, where do you get small round sandpaper pads....such as sticky back...in
400 and up grit. All I can find are 150 and less.

I can't believe that everyone uses these bench grinder types with six inch buffing
wheels to do the small bike parts with many nicks and crannies. And hand sanding
is guaranteed to remove your fingerprints.....

Jim

Fish · « **Reply #23 on:** June 21, 2006, 03:59:21 PM »

comcrx,
You still there after the fart jokes

?
I was just wondering what method you use to polish with a drill.

- Chad

Terry in Australia · « **Reply #24 on:** June 21, 2006, 04:29:50 PM »

Quote from: eldar, Master of the K8 Thunder! on June 20, 2006, 11:36:22 AM

Well we all know once terry gets here, things will go south. get it... go south!

Well I can't ignore you Eldy, (even though it looks like everyone else has) but as interested as I am in fart jokes, I'm more interested in this particular thread's purpose. I'm wondering if this "magic acid" contains some percentage of caustic soda? When I stripped my F2 engine's cases etc, the local blasting shop had closed for Christmas so I went to the hardware store and bought some "non-caustic" paint stripper, and that worked incredibly well, removed all the paint with no problems.

I ran out though, so tried a brand of oven cleaner (located conveniently under the kitchen sink) on my lower crankcase, and it went black too. Not a nice black mind, but a crummy blotchy dark grey, so I spent another hour with my "bucket blaster" (which I hate, because the stuff goes everywhere) removing that mess before I could etch prime and paint it.

What I have found though, particularly with fork legs, is that if you beadblast them first, they're a snap to polish. I beadblast them in my little cabinet blaster, then buff them on my bench grinder with 6 it's inch polishing wheels, and they come up like chrome. I then prep-wash and clear-coat them with 2K clear, and on my K2, they're still as good as new 4 years later! Cheers, Terry.

jdpas29 · « **Reply #25 on:** June 21, 2006, 04:34:09 PM »

i took my neighbors magic acid once...

comcrx · « **Reply #26 on:** June 21, 2006, 06:52:11 PM »

sorry guys, I have been relying on one mf my neighbors unsecure wireless connection and either he forgot to pay his bill, or he moved or something

anyways,
Fish, I bought a set of three different sized buffing wheels and 3 different grades of wax sticks(red, gray, and white) and have that attached to my cordless drill. it works ok, but for nooks & crannies I will need something smaller, probably a dremel with a felt cone or something along those lines. I'll tackle that over the winter, right now I just want it to look better than it did.

the test spot that I did was on the cooling fins, and they have a coating on them

I'm glad to know that I'm not the only person who has done this, and even happier to figure out that it is fixable

andy

eldar · « **Reply #27 on:** June 21, 2006, 08:16:10 PM »

best thing to get is just an aluminum polish. I need to do this too. my engine is in serious need of a good cleaning. Roads are dirty especially when it rains!

Has anyone tried mothers mag polish?

comcrx · « **Reply #28 on:** June 22, 2006, 11:26:29 AM »

no, by the rec. of the guy at o'reilly's I went for the eagle one nano instead of the mothers, and I won't be asking that guy for advice anymore.
not saying the eagle one is bad stuff, but we even went out and looked at what I wanted to do and he just tried to sell me something rather than telling me what I need

dusterdude · « **Reply #29 on:** June 22, 2006, 01:33:06 PM »

hmmm acid,i vaguely remember that

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Author Topic: advice for whoever needs it (balls!) (Read 5368 times)

comcrx

eldar

comcrx

eldar

comcrx