Topic: Phaedrus: CB750 RestoMod - Update: 09/23/21 w/ new video

[Ecosse]

My two cents: the guards would look nice black. I agree with TFA it would give a more integrated appearance.

Nice touch attending to those welds!

[MCRider]

My two cents: the guards would look nice black. I agree with TFA it would give a more integrated appearance.

Nice touch attending to those welds!

I'm going for a gold frame, so the guards would be gold. true gold, like gold leaf. Hopefully no orange or yellow.

[Ecosse]

My two cents: the guards would look nice black. I agree with TFA it would give a more integrated appearance.

Nice touch attending to those welds!

I'm going for a gold frame, so the guards would be gold. true gold, like gold leaf. Hopefully no orange or yellow.

Seriously?! Can't wait to see that! As for the gold leaf I've often wondered how does one make something like that durable. I see craftsmen gold leafing architectural pieces thinking there obviously must be some way to protect it.

Sorry if I missed earlier mention of frame color.

[MCRider]

My two cents: the guards would look nice black. I agree with TFA it would give a more integrated appearance.

Nice touch attending to those welds!

I'm going for a gold frame, so the guards would be gold. true gold, like gold leaf. Hopefully no orange or yellow.

Seriously?! Can't wait to see that! As for the gold leaf I've often wondered how does one make something like that durable. I see craftsmen gold leafing architectural pieces thinking there obviously must be some way to protect it.

Sorry if I missed earlier mention of frame color.

Yes , a long time ago. Gold frame, purple tank and sidecovers, blue and magenta pin stripes. If you want, somewhere about mid-thread, there are pictures of Phaedrus I (pg 13) with a gold leaf wolf's head on the black tank, with engine turnings. It lasted very well, 10 years, till i hit it with a car wash sprayer and took some off. Had it been properly finished with clear, I doubt that would have happened. So its pretty tough if done right.

The new purple job is in the thread somewhere too (Pg 2 and 11), with a new rendition of the gold leaf wolf's head.

[FunJimmy]

Ron

Those welds are lookin might fine.
Here are the pictures of those frame welds after powder coating.
The powder does a pretty good job of smoothing things out.

Cheers
FJ

[MCRider]

Thanks for the close up. Looks thick and gooey. I like.

[mrbreeze]

Ron

Those welds are lookin might fine.
Here are the pictures of those frame welds after powder coating.
The powder does a pretty good job of smoothing things out.

Cheers
FJ

Thats what I'm talking about!!!!!.........Looks good man!!!!!!

[Terry in Australia]

I think I have a rubber wheel for the air tool in the photo. Guess I'll break down and figure out how to use it. I've used it with the wire brush that's on it for cleaning rust off my trailer and hitch. But never with a sanding wheel.

I wouldn't use a rubber wheel on that straight die grinder Ron, it'd just make it too hard to control.

But an electric 4" angle grinder with a medium or fine grit (80 or 120 grit) sanding disc with a rubber backing pad is a wonderful thing, and a lot easier to control than a Dremel, (still a toy, regardless of size) and will get rid of all those slaggy deposits and smooth the welds like magic, without any risk of weakening the welds.

I've been using the same old Makita angle grinder for over 20 years now, it may well be the best 39 bucks I ever spent! Cheers, Terry.

[MCRider]

I think I have a rubber wheel for the air tool in the photo. Guess I'll break down and figure out how to use it. I've used it with the wire brush that's on it for cleaning rust off my trailer and hitch. But never with a sanding wheel.

I wouldn't use a rubber wheel on that straight die grinder Ron, it'd just make it too hard to control.

But an electric 4" angle grinder with a medium or fine grit (80 or 120 grit) sanding disc with a rubber backing pad is a wonderful thing, and a lot easier to control than a Dremel, (still a toy, regardless of size) and will get rid of all those slaggy deposits and smooth the welds like magic, without any risk of weakening the welds.

I've been using the same old Makita angle grinder for over 20 years now, it may well be the best 39 bucks I ever spent! Cheers, Terry.

You've shamed me into it. Harbor Freight has what you suggest for $20 (4.5 inch) and probably $10 for accessories. They have a retail outlet about 15 miles from here, road trip!

The little that I used the straight grinder, my impression was it was hard to keep on track, and I extended that to all such tools. So the angle grinder is easier to hold and control? And you recommend electric over air?

[mystic_1]

Yup, and angle grinder is much easier to control for this sort of sanding than a straight die grinder.  Has to do with how the forces are transmitted through your wrist I think.  You'll see that I mean the first time you use an angle grinder.

Electric is more convenient than pneumatic if you have a smaller compressor.  Consistent tool speed and no waiting for the air to pump back up.

mystic_1

[MCRider]

Yup, and angle grinder is much easier to control for this sort of sanding than a straight die grinder.  Has to do with how the forces are transmitted through your wrist I think.  You'll see that I mean the first time you use an angle grinder.

Electric is more convenient than pneumatic if you have a smaller compressor.  Consistent tool speed and no waiting for the air to pump back up.

mystic_1

Thanks! That'll happen this weekend. Its another one of those skills like polishing that I often wondered about but hesitated to try. I've got many other projects in the pipeline, so learning this will be good long term.

Now that you mention it, my air powered die grinder lacked consistency and torque, when used to strip rust with a wire brush attachment.

[BlindJoe]

Carbide bits and a die grinder are great for cleaning up welds also.

[Terry in Australia]

You've shamed me into it. Harbor Freight has what you suggest for $20 (4.5 inch) and probably $10 for accessories. They have a retail outlet about 15 miles from here, road trip!

The little that I used the straight grinder, my impression was it was hard to keep on track, and I extended that to all such tools. So the angle grinder is easier to hold and control? And you recommend electric over air?

Way to go Ron, I've got a couple of big compressors and air tools too, but I'm not a fan. The advantage of the angle grinder has already been discussed, but let me say that I am a tool nut, and have used every possible option, but the angle grinder with the sander attachment beats them all, hands down.

Have fun, Australia is going to be one of the hottest places on earth tomorrow with temperatures of up to 48 deg C (118 Deg F) here in Victoria, which is one of Oz's colder states, so I'll be sitting inside under a cooler vent, day-dreaming about the kind of stuff you're doing! Cheers, Terry.

[MCRider]

You've shamed me into it. Harbor Freight has what you suggest for $20 (4.5 inch) and probably $10 for accessories. They have a retail outlet about 15 miles from here, road trip!

The little that I used the straight grinder, my impression was it was hard to keep on track, and I extended that to all such tools. So the angle grinder is easier to hold and control? And you recommend electric over air?

Way to go Ron, I've got a couple of big compressors and air tools too, but I'm not a fan. The advantage of the angle grinder has already been discussed, but let me say that I am a tool nut, and have used every possible option, but the angle grinder with the sander attachment beats them all, hands down.

Have fun, Australia is going to be one of the hottest places on earth tomorrow with temperatures of up to 48 deg C (118 Deg F) here in Victoria, which is one of Oz's colder states, so I'll be sitting inside under a cooler vent, day-dreaming about the kind of stuff you're doing! Cheers, Terry.

Dang! You got any native girls with fans? And grapes?

We're having a heat wave too, 45 deg F. Had some below 0 F mid-week.  So I'll get some work done in comfort. Later.

[Terry in Australia]

Native girls? ha ha, no thanks mate, Aboriginal women are only attractive to Aboriginal men, there are no Diana Ross' or Bionce Knowles in that gene pool, sadly.

I worked in my garage until 2 pm when the "official" temp hit 46.4 Deg C, (116 deg F) our hottest day on record. It's a steel garage and the thermometer on the wall was reading 48 so I thought it best to get inside the house and get some cold fluids in.............

Did you go to Harbor freight yet? I had a look on their website, they've got some great stuff, I wish we had a Harbor freight here........ 

[Alan F.]

Did you go to Harbor freight yet? I had a look on their website, they've got some great stuff, I wish we had a Harbor freight here.....

We've finally got a few stores in the northeast US, I've had the Micro-Mill and a 7x10 Mini-Lathe for a few years, they needed an overhaul out of the crate, an a whole lot of modifications and tweaks to work accurately.  Last trip in I had to check out their English Wheel for $299 USD, it's also a good starting point, but with the amount of flex the frame has, I'd need to pick some sort of welder too, and maybe a decent angle grinder just to add some gussets.  It's a good start, but not pro quality.  I've got their 6" 1/3HP bench grinder for $39 USD, not bad for anything I'll throw at it, grinding lathe bits, or cleaning parts with a wire wheel, I'll be attempting to polish my engine covers with it in the near future also.  Most of their stuff is of mainland China origin, I wouldn't be too surprised if the same products were available in your area under a different nameplate.  Professional quality they are not, but I don't abuse tools much anymore, and I don't use them for 4  hours every day, so they'll do.  One of their tricks is that they'll try to sell you an extended warranty at the register for just about everything, I'll buy it if I ever wind up with one of their welders.
And Terry, Thanks for mentioning the centerstand interfering with a wide tire, you've helped me avoid making that mistake.

[MCRider]

I concur with Alan's post about Harbor Freight. Good enough for what one pays.

Time constraints led me to Loew's which is only minutes away. THey didn't have the super cheapo angle grinder models that Harbor Freight did, but I'm happy with a 4.5" 7.5 amp, with 3 position handle Porter/Cable for $40, very nice handle feel with trigger switch. The $30 model was 6.0 amp, had a fixed handle and one would hold on to the round of the motor, very thick and it had a thumb control switch. Not a good feel.

Accessories for $20. BOught the rubber disc and medium and fine grit grinding discs, which fit over the rubber disc, but are not sandpaper. THe fine grit says "for smoothing and finish" and supposedly lasts 3 times as long as sandpaper. We'll see.

Today is work for a living. Tomorrow is "church".  45 deg F, perfect.

[mystic_1]

Since you have air, you should consider getting a small pneumatic angle grinder as well.  HF has some that are very affordable.  Takes 2 inch discs and is very nice for finer detail sanding where the 4 inch disc is too much, like small inside corners and such.  I think I paid like $20 for mine.

mystic_1

[mrbreeze]

There are tools at Harbor Freight that make sense to buy because of the affordability and there are others that don't make any sense at all because of lack of quality.
I bought a kit for compressing pistons on certain automotive brake calipers that have the Ebrake incorperated into the service brake.You have to turn the piston as you compress it. $20 Harbor Freight compared to $80 Mac Tools.......does the same job.A digital caliper for $15 that measures the same as $100+ name brand caliper. I wouldn't buy an engine stand  or a 3 jaw puller from them.....just examples.
When they send out their fliers.....you can get awesome deals on little stuff like cut off wheels,parts cleaning brushes,wire brushes,air tool fittings,etc.

[MCRider]

Since you have air, you should consider getting a small pneumatic angle grinder as well.  HF has some that are very affordable.  Takes 2 inch discs and is very nice for finer detail sanding where the 4 inch disc is too much, like small inside corners and such.  I think I paid like $20 for mine.

mystic_1

Not a bad idea.

I couldn't wait and hooked up my new toy. Touched it on a weld (tab that holds on the sidecover) and BAM it was smooth. 20 minutes worth with the Dremel. Terry was right. Back to work.

[Terry in Australia]

I couldn't wait and hooked up my new toy. Touched it on a weld (tab that holds on the sidecover) and BAM it was smooth. 20 minutes worth with the Dremel. Terry was right. Back to work.

Ha ha, if you want a job done right, get a lazy man (like me) to do it, he'll expend the minimum effort for the maximum result.............

[MCRider]

I couldn't wait and hooked up my new toy. Touched it on a weld (tab that holds on the sidecover) and BAM it was smooth. 20 minutes worth with the Dremel. Terry was right. Back to work.

Ha ha, if you want a job done right, get a lazy man (like me) to do it, he'll expend the minimum effort for the maximum result.............

Thanks mate! Time to go to church. But I just heard on the radio about the terrible wildfires in Australia. Hope you're safe!

[Ecosse]

yeah read that too. hope you're alright TFA!

[Terry in Australia]

G'Day Guys, we're ok, we live on the far northern side of Melbourne, but the closest fires were about 10-15 miles away from here. Lots of smoke and red skies, but little danger, thank God.

I rang SteveK0 last night to see if he was ok, and he told me that the fires were only about 1000 yards from him, but luckily the wind changed and the fires moved further north-east, but these fires were the ones that did most of the damage, claiming 70-odd lives around the Kinglake and Marysville areas.

The official death toll now stands at 108, but they are expecting many more once the army and police get into areas that were previously too hot to enter. I'm waiting to see if the Princes Highway has been re-opened, so I can drive my elderly parents back to their home in the country, the area that we'll be driving thru has many fires still burning out of control, with around 30 deaths recorded so far. Luckily the area where my mom and Dad live is out of harms way.

This is officially Australia's worst natural disaster ever, so we're all waiting with "bated breath" to see where it's gonna go........... 

[MCRider]

G'Day Guys, we're ok, we live on the far northern side of Melbourne, but the closest fires were about 10-15 miles away from here. Lots of smoke and red skies, but little danger, thank God.

I rang SteveK0 last night to see if he was ok, and he told me that the fires were only about 1000 yards from him, but luckily the wind changed and the fires moved further north-east, but these fires were the ones that did most of the damage, claiming 70-odd lives around the Kinglake and Marysville areas.

The official death toll now stands at 108, but they are expecting many more once the army and police get into areas that were previously too hot to enter. I'm waiting to see if the Princes Highway has been re-opened, so I can drive my elderly parents back to their home in the country, the area that we'll be driving thru has many fires still burning out of control, with around 30 deaths recorded so far. Luckily the area where my mom and Dad live is out of harms way.

This is officially Australia's worst natural disaster ever, so we're all waiting with "bated breath" to see where it's gonna go........... 

Oh Man! I guess that's as good news as we could hope for, about you that is, but the rest is tragic and scary.

Wife and I were in Estes Park CO one year when wildfires were within sight. Truly a horrifying situation, one is so helpless. Wishing further good luck to you and yours.