Topic: Polished switches

[apex_seeking]

I've hunted through the site and the internet but I can't find any examples of someone polishing their hand controls/switches. I know I've seen a posting on here with pics of someones highly polished controls but can't seen to find it. Any help?

I started shining my 550 controls up and was going for a nice satin look. Left side turned out pretty good. I got on the right side and out did myself when the thing looks like I dipped it . I suppose I can go ahead and hit up the other side to match the chrome look but how on earth do I get sand paper in all those little tiny nooks?

[the technological J]

im gonna guess a dremel would help

[swellguy]

I believe that most people who do this have their switch covers de-anodized first.

[faux fiddy]

There are scotch brite belts that fit on  sanding stations. Amazing how they can put a shine on aluminum, but I think they can take off material beyond just the oxidized layer if you don't moderate.

It's great for broad areas like an engine cover, hand controls probably require a bit more detail, but it makes quick work of anything you can use it on.

[apex_seeking]

The process I've used has been to take off the anodized surface with a sanding abrasive buff that dremel makes. Then I get to sanding by hand with 400 for deep scratches, then 500,600 and 1000. That leaves it looking ok but I use the black compound and then white and it turns out nice. I'm just having a hard time getting down deep in the undersides of these things with wet/dry paper. I'd love to find so high grit dremel paper but I think 220 is the highest I've seen. I'll post some pics later today.

[apex_seeking]

Sorry about pic quality. I feel ok with the top piece, its all the detail on the lower section that I'm having issues with.

[mrrch]

I used Easy Off oven cleaner to remove most of the anodizing then buffed them to a polished finish.
Don't leave the cleaner on for too long or they will discolour black again.

[domer]

yeah, i polished mine. and id never do it again! took me forever with some 400 wet and a dremel... then i lost the little ball bearing for the kill switch, then some crusty old connections broke while putting it back together... it was just a friggin nightmare, and i never did get them perfect. oh well... ill see if i have some pics for ya though.

oh and i should have a .pdf for you today

[apex_seeking]

Nice to see your around, Domer. Thought you got lost in Christmas purgatory with your decoration issues. Pics of your controls would be awesome. The "mirror" finish is starting to grow on me but I can't stand the little scratches left by the abrasive pad in some of the tight spots I can't get my fat fingers into. 

And I'm looking forward to see your work on those pdfs.

[domer]

im not sure if "lost" is the right term! brother in-law got me a 30 pack and a bottle of Jameson. wife got me a ps3, mix that with a 55" and a fat bag'o'green and you got one hell of a christmas. so now that i have come back to earth....

[Really?]

I started going the polished route but quit.  Too much work, trouble getting to the tight areas and the thought of doing again later when it was time stopped me.  Not to mention I could not get a lot of the anodizing off.  Oven cleaner was useless.  I sanded them smooth and painted them and mounted them.  Done and continued on to something else.

[apex_seeking]

I got time and nothing else on the bike to do until I get the money or pdfs  . I've taken them this far, may as well do it. I might just focus on the spots that get seen and let the bottom half slide a bit.

[JBMorse]

Looks great apex!  I'm gonna try this on my 350 twin project.  Domer, I don't suppose you have to take the switch housing all apart, but I'm sure it makes the buffing easier.  Maybe it's worth it to try buffing the complete switch.  Of course now there's a great thread on these switches in the tips and tricks section!

[domer]

kinda crappy pics.... and they need a once over with some mothers, and shes pretty dirty    but they get the point across! oh and it was much easier to completely disassemble them rather then to leave em intact. sanding around they starter button would be damn near impossible... just dont lose the little ball bearings!!!

[Really?]

Kewl! Oh yea, I did polish the MC cover.

[Steve F]

I started out with complete disassembly of all the internal things, sandblasted with NWE glass beads and low air pressure.  That seems to give the surface a nice finish to start with.  Then I used a NORTON BEARTEX wheel in a pedestal grinder at high speed, followed with a hard cotton polishing wheel and cutting rouge and then a soft cotton wheel and polishing rouge.  Cleaned everything really well with acetone and then denatured alcohol and clear coated with clear wheel coating.

[apex_seeking]

Those look really good Steve. Any links to disassembling the left hand control? I'd rather not tear into it and loose half the springs that jump out not expecting then to be there.

[domer]

there really isnt much to it, lay out a solid colored towel to catch any runaways. one of the hardest parts is the small circlip that holds the kill switch lever on. just be gentle and take your time. the real hard part is polishing all those little areas like between the m/c and mirror post.... that one is fun.

[apex_seeking]

I used Easy Off oven cleaner to remove most of the anodizing then buffed them to a polished finish.
Don't leave the cleaner on for too long or they will discolour black again.

So I just did the MC cap and it had a little black still on it and all the words. Tried the oven cleaner. I was really nervous about this because I've read that it will pit the metal. I poured the cleaner into a small can and dropped in the cap. I almost immediately saw the cap start to fizz like soda!  I quickly pulled it out and checked it. It looked OK so I gave it another go. I did this routine for about 5 min. and the metal was clean as a whistle. I still had a bit of the lettering on it but some 440g took care of that. Works like a charm! Thanks Mrrch!

Pics to follow when I get it all reassembled.

[Really?]

I wonder why some of y'all got this to work.  It didn't do #$%*e to mine!

[-CB-Jamie-]

got mine from this


to this

in about 25 mins using three different polishing mops and compounds on an electric drill. I never bothered deanodizing just started with the roughest mop and compound and worked my way up to the smoothest, by far the easiest option I think.

I'm not finished the one in the first pic yet and I never took a pic of the one in the second pic before I started just in case your wondering why they're different switches.

[jakecb420]

I'd rather not tear into it and loose half the springs that jump out not expecting then to be there.

time to take off the pink panties and put on blue ones! ha

 come on man, your gonna have to mess with it eventually, may as well do it now and then you know its been refurbished.

[Duanob]

Anybody got any ideas about those faded looking red kill switch thumb-buttons? The casings look so nice polished, the old dirty buttons take away from all that work.

[the technological J]

got mine from this


to this

in about 25 mins using three different polishing mops and compounds on an electric drill. I never bothered deanodizing just started with the roughest mop and compound and worked my way up to the smoothest, by far the easiest option I think.

I'm not finished the one in the first pic yet and I never took a pic of the one in the second pic before I started just in case your wondering why they're different switches.

how did you get em from left in to right hand switches? i dont think i have the patience for that kind of work!

[Really?]

The cap was a beater enough for me.  I flat blacked the rest of it.  I figured it turned out perty good looking.

[apex_seeking]

I'd rather not tear into it and loose half the springs that jump out not expecting then to be there.

time to take off the pink panties and put on blue ones! ha

 come on man, your gonna have to mess with it eventually, may as well do it now and then you know its been refurbished.

I actually polished it with it still on the bike. Thought it would be easier than it turned out to be. If I had it all to do over again, I would tear that thing apart with reckless abandon.

Anybody got any ideas about those faded looking red kill switch thumb-buttons? The casings look so nice polished, the old dirty buttons take away from all that work.

I painted mine (black...I know it's not model correct but I didn't have red) with model paint. It was so weathered that it took about 4 or 5 coats to finally hold a sheen. The contrast makes the mediocre polish job look not so mediocre.

[Really?]

I have not tried but i wonder if peanut oil will clean some of that up.  It seems to work on the airbox for some folks.

[apex_seeking]

OK, here are some shots. The levers still need a little TLC but I'm sorta sanded out and I just got the new allens for the MC and they look a lot better than the hex heads that were there before.

[Stev-o]

Looks great!