Topic: Whats everyones secret to polishing their motorcycle parts?!?!?!?!

[cadman]

First buy commercial compound from someone like Caswell.  I have found these products to be far better than what you can buy at any store.  I use a 1/4 sheet sander and a "mouse" sander.  #320 grit is about the finest you can find for the mouse (also steel Wool) - you can put any grit in a 1/4 sheet sander.  I also use a Dremel type tool but it is 1/4Hp motor with a flexible shaft - it will take Dremel pieces.  Also have a 1 1/2 horse buffer.

Generally the coarsest sanding I do is with #400grit I will drop down to #320 on particularly bad parts. Usually never sand with anything finer than #600 or #800 prior to buffing. Going #1000, #1500, #2000 is a waste of time.  I always wet sand.

You can use a 3/8 inch drill with a smaller wheel.  I use a corded drill because it will turn faster than a battery powered one.  Fast is good.  Use a black compound for "bad" pieces - it will leave fine scratches that are easily removed.  Caswell sells a compound for aluminum that works very well.  Keep the buffing wheel clean - run a screwdriver or ? across it ever couple of minutes then apply a "small" amount of compound and start buffing again. I use a separate wheel for each compound.  Your final buff should be with a wheel that is only used for that.

You will find out that nonstructural parts (Side cases, etc) wont buff as well (cheaper aluminum) and structural parts (forks, brakes) will buff out much shinier (much better aluminum and casting).

Some old aluminum has discoloration that will not come out. I will be shiny but the discoloration is still seen. Note that British bikes and Harley's have terrible aluminum.

I have a small retirement business (Nochrome) polishing parts mostly for those restoring.

The pics are the before and after of a  particularly bad rear brake - early Honda

[socal1200r]

My hat's off to you guys that do all this polishing.  To me, it's just more stuff to keep shiny.  I had a 2005 Harley Sportster 1200R, and I did my best to "de-chrome" the thing, replacing most of the shiny hardware with grade 8 allen heads, black mirrors, black handlebars, black exhaust, etc.  My days of spending hours polishing up a bike are over, thus my preference for black powdercoat.  It's not a showbike, but a daily driver, and if it looks good in the process, so be it, but at least all it takes is a quick wipedown and she's good to go.  But there's definitely something to be said for a nicely polished older bike...

[Garage_guy_chris]

Ive been using one of these oscillating multi tools and something home made similar to cartridge rolls to do the rough sanding, then i switch to a 3/4 horsepower treadmill motor i scrounged up with 8" wheels. i start with black emery and a sewn wheel then go black emery with a loose wheel and stopped there as it looks good enough to me at this point. I also REALLY hate polishing so that factors in too. After reading this i think i might try to find a proper buffer or a bigger motor...


the sander works remarkably good and gets into all the small spots pretty good,


something like these work surprisingly good to get around rounded corners

[chewbacca5000]

If you want to be a barbarian, you can do this:



Note: I do not recommend that anyone do this.  It's horribly unsafe and not the "right" way at all.  It'll put a shine on your parts, but not anything like the quality of  edwardmorris' parts.

That said, sometimes it's easier for Mohammad to go to the mountain, than the other way around.

Is this you in the youtube video

[mystic_1]

Nope 

mystic_1

[chewbacca5000]

Nope 

mystic_1

Any idea how many hp that buffer is?  He is attacking that aluminium.

[mystic_1]

I'm not sure about the one in the video.  The one in the picture I posted is a crappy Harbor Freight angle grinder that I don't mind thrashing on, maybe 1/3 or so at a guess. 

mystic_1

[Cqyqte]

I believe the real secret to be years of polishing practice during puberty.... 

[rocs]

I believe the real secret to be years of polishing practice during puberty.... 

Shop class??

[chewbacca5000]

I believe the real secret to be years of polishing practice during puberty.... 

Shop class??

That is just wrong!

[flatlander]

If you want to be a barbarian, you can do this:



Note: I do not recommend that anyone do this.  It's horribly unsafe and not the "right" way at all.  It'll put a shine on your parts, but not anything like the quality of  edwardmorris' parts.

That said, sometimes it's easier for Mohammad to go to the mountain, than the other way around.

fellow barbarian here.
all that fine print above applies here as well.

[Deltarider]

As long as it doesn't rust, why bother?