Topic: Another project-1976 Honda CB550K

[denward17]

Got the paint off the "new" used valve cover today, did some polishing.

Hope to install early next week.

[RAFster122s]

Dang that looks nice, how long did it take to sand and polish that up?

[denward17]

Dang that looks nice, how long did it take to sand and polish that up?

Thanks!

About 4-5 hours or so..

[Oddjob]

As someone renowned in the UK as a polisher I can say with intimate knowledge how hard it is to get any sort of finish on a 500/550 rocker cover, lots of casting marks on them that needs to be removed and very small intricate areas that make it very hard for a polishing mop to reach. I'm doing a camcover ATM but not going the polished route, need to get it really smooth so the ceramic coat finish is as best as it can be.

Well done, I may do one of my spare covers after and polish it, I've done a carb as a laugh and it came out pretty well considering.

[MauiK3]

Wow!

[Oddjob]

I don't want anyone to think that's as good as it looks, it was just one side of the carb and just the one carb, I did however consider doing a whole bank along with a ceramic chromed hanger bracket, just to see how it looked. However that's a 550 069A carb and my bike uses 623B carbs so I'd really have to start again. I was testing out some new polishing tools, quite expensive but they turned out to be excellent at really getting into tight spaces, hence why I choose a carb body to test them out on, I finished one side just because I was curious as to how it would look and TBH it's not bad at all, how long the finish would last though is up for debate 

I even considering have the throttle butterfly and the linkage system gold plated, just for the bling factor 

[denward17]

^Wow oddjob, that carb looks fantastic!
I could have used those expensive tools on that valve cover.

[grcamna2]

I don't want anyone to think that's as good as it looks, it was just one side of the carb and just the one carb, I did however consider doing a whole bank along with a ceramic chromed hanger bracket, just to see how it looked. However that's a 550 069A carb and my bike uses 623B carbs so I'd really have to start again. I was testing out some new polishing tools, quite expensive but they turned out to be excellent at really getting into tight spaces, hence why I choose a carb body to test them out on, I finished one side just because I was curious as to how it would look and TBH it's not bad at all, how long the finish would last though is up for debate 

I even considering have the throttle butterfly and the linkage system gold plated, just for the bling factor 

Do you have a picture of the set of new polishing tools ? 

[Oddjob]

Seriously though, if you saw a bike parked up with a full bank of carbs all looking like that, what would you think? Way OTT or wow or something else, I'm curious to know. I've seen carbs chromed before BTBH they don't normally last, they flake off within a short period and look awful, mainly because Japanese alloy is so poor, Mazac I believe it's called. It's why your clutch cover chrome flakes off so easily. I'm in the process of restoring my 500 again, the last time it was done back in the late 70s early 80s the bike had a huge amount of chrome on it, however it didn't last the first winter so all told it turned out to be a waste of time and money. This time I want the bike to look the part but without the problems of the first restoration, so I'm testing having parts done in ceramic chrome instead of chrome, I'm doing more polishing instead of chroming. However I do like chrome, it's my age, so if I can get a part to look like it's been chromed when it's not that's a way forward for me. The carb actually isn't really polished at all, it's just sanded to a very high level but the tools used do contain polishing compound at the same time so maybe it's partly polished?

I like to try and restore parts that most would throw away, it's just a quirk of mine, the worse it is the more of a challenge so to speak, covers that have been thrown down the road are a good test.

Like this one.



Which after some hours spent on it ended up like this. It's the one on the left, the other was another cover I rescued. I gave the one on the right away to a mate, cost me almost nothing it was so bad.

[Oddjob]

I don't want anyone to think that's as good as it looks, it was just one side of the carb and just the one carb, I did however consider doing a whole bank along with a ceramic chromed hanger bracket, just to see how it looked. However that's a 550 069A carb and my bike uses 623B carbs so I'd really have to start again. I was testing out some new polishing tools, quite expensive but they turned out to be excellent at really getting into tight spaces, hence why I choose a carb body to test them out on, I finished one side just because I was curious as to how it would look and TBH it's not bad at all, how long the finish would last though is up for debate 

I even considering have the throttle butterfly and the linkage system gold plated, just for the bling factor 

Do you have a picture of the set of new polishing tools ? 

I'll see if I can find a link, they may not be available to buy in the USA or they may be made there, who knows?

You'll need a Dremel or similar to use them though.

Found a couple of links.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/196361686546

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/116039030208?itmmeta=01HYTSMXT0RBD754NYAD2AY690&hash=item1b047715c0:g:QLkAAOSwONtlo7ir&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8MT9z53rKTamXgU3%2BklSsW%2FOdgMbwdM%2BWKYg6sr3Ix27%2BXkcP4lwRYAVT8%2BZFGZ0Ced6dPMpEqGgbWTo7myzmIQZk2QtCXE5y1szI08AdxIu1xOaTwletpYsL50AbcPgEoXF0c%2BZWAtCleUONy%2FGKG%2FGpjMiICdZGnKv2iRDcgwjBRiIwUjxJRjsR0yQhDYkbK0PPXqTBu4uQ3Or9dfsZUibCUxnWTN%2F5UgsjXoUoYjxsInPfBo%2BNXOZbMA%2BQz6Cr1slpOMItXkFQXkR9qhoPQ39M9YBxkolnAblcXpLFMTI3BUhjaW%2BaTlpF%2FSE9hxSnw%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR57d09n2Yw

The needle point ones are really good at getting down into the deep places, however they wear quite quickly, the cylinders are better and cheaper, you can even put them in a pencil sharpener and give them a point if needed. If buying the needle point ones just use them on the areas that you really need to, use the cylinders on the others. I found they spun off the mandrel too easily as well so try the mandrels that Dremel supply for the felt tips, they fit better but can split the rubber so be careful fitting them. The rest of the body was sanded using abrasive discs, same as I use on the covers above to get rid of the damage and corrosion.

[grcamna2]

Oddjob, I was looking at the links;the large rubber 'cylinders'? you mentioned.
I imagine you can shape them to fit inside small areas;I want to know,do you put the rubber tips right into the jeweler's rouge to coat them and use it that way ?

[Oddjob]

The cylinders are actually really small, around 6mm I'd say in thickness, they are impregnated with polishing compound so you just use them dry as they are shown. They are only a soft type of rubber so yes you can shape them, they won't last long BTW and don't press hard or they'll wear out really fast and come off the mandrel. As I said, ONLY use them when you can't reach with the abrasive discs, you know about those? if not get these off Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/ICAMAS-Bristle-Abrasive-Polishing-Accessories/dp/B0BVBK64GD?pd_rd_w=CsljY&content-id=amzn1.sym.c8a5b9ab-9876-4c56-aa13-e746c73e193d&pf_rd_p=c8a5b9ab-9876-4c56-aa13-e746c73e193d&pf_rd_r=S4HZ6RG0MWD23B66J27C&pd_rd_wg=proUG&pd_rd_r=6ee047ab-c4f1-4c64-abb7-9df6402dcfea&pd_rd_i=B0BVBK64GD&ref_=pd_bap_d_grid_rp_0_2_t&th=1 get the mix of colours at first, the grades are Dark Green is 80, Dark Blue is 120, Red is 220, light blue 400, purple 600, light green 1000 and white is 2500. Use red and upward on carbs dark green on covers then do again with dark blue and work upwards, they'll remove paint, rust, corrosion and will even polish brass etc so good for doing the float pins, just use either light green or white on brass.

The abrasive discs are the BEST thing you will ever buy, they are incredibly hard wearing for nylon, have a multitude of uses and are cheap as chips as we say over here. Try and buy the Icamas ones, they seem to be better than the others. Best tip, don't press hard and make sure the discs are orientated correctly on the mandrel or the fronds will just flick off after a few minutes. 2 on a mandrel is perfect.

That carb was done using red and upwards and ending in light green, took me about 4 hours to do. The covers were done first in dark green to remove all the damage, then upwards through the colours till light blue then polished.

[RAFster122s]

I have used these kind of abrasive Dremel bits, yes they wear quickly but for light material removable in tight places they cannot be beat.
Dico makes a synthetic abrasive string wheel that dies some quick work on the rough casting of wheel hubs finned areas smoothing but eroding as well.
Thanks for the links!
Imagine there are US sources for these too...
David

[grcamna2]

I've never purchased or owned any buffer wheel or rouge,etc.
I have done it all w/ finger-tips & it's labor-intensive 
I Like the look of those little Dremel abrasive discs 

[Oddjob]

I introduced the SOHC UK forum to those discs, they are now extremely popular with a lot of members. However they don't seem to appreciate just how versatile they actually are. For instance, I use them to derust the inside of rear mudguards, they get into the tightest of spaces, it's just a matter of tilting the wheel and working out what works best, sometimes just one on a mandrel is better than two if the area you're trying to get at is really narrow.

I've found uses for them for almost anything, some are quite popular with the wife. For instance, any stainless steel pans at home, bottom all covered in burnt grease etc, 20 mins with those discs and the pan will look brand new, just test to find the colour that removes the stuff without scratching the surface. Wife will be very pleased and you get brownie points etc. I've used them to clean her jewelry for instance, the whites are so fine they remove almost nothing but god do they shine silver/gold up. Use the higher grade wheels to clean up wiring harness connectors, the copper strips inside the handlebar switches for instance. The uses are endless, just use your imagination.

In the carb pic you can just see my polishing rig, use grey soap and felt mops for some serious polishing, I can polish a cover that I've sanded to a mirror finish in 30 minutes.

Sorry to the thread starter for this deviation but sometimes things just go off tangent. 

[denward17]

^No problem Oddjob, we are all getting an education here, Thanks for the info.

[denward17]

Was installing the new used valve cover today and thought I was on the downside of the repair.

I was adjusting valves when this happened.........................my feeler gauge broke and fell behind the valve spring.

Luckily, when I removed the valve cover I could see it and was able to fish it out.


Starting over again.........

[wolf550]

that is usually how it went with my builds. its just the universe showing you are on the correct path.

[BenelliSEI]

Take a break……. The get back at it. “If this was simple, any idiot could do it”.

[grcamna2]

Denny, this set of narrow. 002-.015" feeler gauges are excellent:they bend rather than break.
I have had my original set since 2015' and use them alot.
These feeler gauges work especially good on points because of their narrow 1/4" wide size.

[RAFster122s]

Where can you find those feeler gauges,not familiar with the brand

[newday777]

Where can you find those feeler gauges,not familiar with the brand

Do a search of Lang 1610.
I just ordered a set on Amazon

[denward17]

Thanks Guys, just ordered a set as well.  Don't want to go through that again.

I can only imagine the heartache if that happened on my 750......ugh.

[denward17]

About a 20 mile shake down run today after installing new used valve cover with pinned shafts.

Sounds like a sewing machine now, much better than before.  Still have to do some tuning, but that can wait a few days.

[BenelliSEI]

Looks great and now sounds great! Well done.