Topic: Can I leave this bare?

[RodPlunger]

Hi All,
Can I leave my front caliper bare? What would happen to it? Will it "rust"? Or just oxidize? Anything else to be aware of? And if I need to paint it, do I need to primer it first? Or just go with a "brake caliper" paint to compensate for the heat?

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks....

[Bankerdanny]

I believe that you can. I have seen bikes with polished front calipers rather than painted.

[ncstatecamp]

Mines been polished and bare for a year, no problem. I'm pretty sure they're aluminum so no problem there.

[RodPlunger]

Cool, I will probably leave it bare then... Next question, how/what did you polish it with? I have literally just been going very easy with a wire wheel.

[martin99]

I wouldn't go anywhere near it with a wire wheel. Tiny bits of wire can embed themselves in the aluminium, and you may end up with rust spots all over it. Better to rub it down with ever-increasing grades of wet and dry, and finish on a buffing wheel and polish.

[tomkimberly]

Clear coat it and forget it.

Tom

[CycleRanger]

I used VHT epoxy black on mine.
The paint is holding up very well after three years.
I've used Duplicolor clear on bare aluminum with good results also.

[BobbyR]

Mine was stripped by the rebuilder. It turned a little gray, no white deposits after 8 years.

[jackseattle]

I used my dremel and picked up one of their polishing kits.  Left mine bare.  The caliper housing is aluminum so it won't rust.  The two caliper bolts (steel) are another story….

[lrutt]

unless you use dot 5 fluid, any paint will get dissolved by the dot 3/4 fluid. So....plan accordingly. You'd have to use a 2 part epoxy paint or PC to keep it looking good. I'd leave it bare unless you are doing a resto.

[ncstatecamp]

Cool, I will probably leave it bare then... Next question, how/what did you polish it with? I have literally just been going very easy with a wire wheel.

It's been a while since I polished that bit, did forks and master cylinder all at the same time, but I started with 400 600 800 then used a cotton wheel with the different rogues

[pampadori]

www.youtube.com/embed/e13dafqipFc

That video will give you an idea of how to do it. Afterwards, you'll have a nose full of black buggers.

[RodPlunger]

Before you address the outside of that caliper, clean the ever-loving dog pee of the INSIDE of that thing. It needs to be cleaner than you believe to provide the best results. There is a square sectioned groove for the piston seal and it must shine. Then, when you reassemble with a new seal, soak that seal in brake fluid beforehand.

While it's apart, a good aluminum wheel cleaner spray or paste is plenty of cleanser to help it look and stay good looking. Then reassemble with properly with piston and pads installed. Make sure your pads slip and slide freely and that the piston is installed correctly. A little anti-seize on the ends of the caliper bolts to aide in proper torque and protection going forward.

Any good tips on how to clean the groove for the seal? I have the interior fairly well cleaned already. Not polished, but clean. However, I am a bit at a loss on how to fly get into that groove...

[RAFster122s]

Brass wheel brush in the Dremel tool is safe and effective for cleaning the deposits out of the corners of the groove. The abrasive rubber wheels then can be used to remove a tiny bit of the surface and make it shiney. The bore can be polisjed with felt buffs but they cut quicky so go easy. The cotton bobs and buffs on die grindere shafts (1/4“ normally) can be used in 1/4 drill or 1/4 shaft drive. Just don't buy cheap brass wheels or you will buy 3-5x as many as a good quality dremel brand, or areputable place that does polishing supplies.
CAUTION: most wire wheel with 1/4 shafts are brass coated Steel wire brushes. DO NOT use brass coated steel wire brushes  or steel wire brushes on the inside bore. They are too aggressive and like TT says, not recommended.
The rubber abrasive bits are good to use on corners of the exterior that are hard to reach with buffs. Then lots of time with hard felt buffs in those corners to blend it out to where the buff can reach.

Strip the paint before buffing then polish to even sheen with sandpaper from 400, 600, 800, 1000 if you want a mirror polish. Then you use your brown, white, and blue polishing

[faux fiddy]

Hey welcome to sohc4. I put a thread in tricks and tips  for  hammer flattening and  bending a piece of thin 1'8 or 3/16 copper tube scrap into a spoon shape for prizing out the seal. The copper is soft and won't scratch the groove.

Do not use any of the usual solvents anywhere around the inside of the cylinder. Use nothing or only products made specifically for cleaning brakes especially around seals. If the seal looks good as new I put mine back in, use only soap and water on it.  Use  disc brake assembly lube or nothing. Dispose of brake fluid properly .  Bla bla bla

[trueblue]

Hey welcome to sohc4. I put a thread in tricks and tips  for  hammer flattening and  bending a piece of thin 1'8 or 3/16 copper tube scrap into a spoon shape for prizing out the seal. The copper is soft and won't scratch the groove.

Do not use any of the usual solvents anywhere around the inside of the cylinder. Use nothing or only products made specifically for cleaning brakes especially around seals. If the seal looks good as new I put mine back in, use only soap and water on it.  Use  disc brake assembly lube or nothing. Dispose of brake fluid properly .  Bla bla bla

Don't use soap inside the caliper.  Metho is the weapon of choice