Topic: Polishing the covers

[eigenvector]

Lots of talk on this subject, getting the aluminum to shine on old points covers and valve covers.

I have the sand paper, 800, 1500, and 2400 grit.  My question is - would I better served using something like a dremel or a grinding wheel rather than doing this by hand?  I tried my hand at it with a sanding block and noticed that there are hardly any level surfaces on a small points cover - even the "flat" part where the word "Honda" is, is actually domed a little bit.  This makes the sanding go very unevenly made ever worse by the small size of the cover (4" point cover).  To say nothing of the bolt wells.

[CycleRanger]

I did my 750 covers with a buffing wheel and several different compounds.
It's helpful to have at least two different sized wheels. (Small & larger)
I didn't need to sand but my covers weren't too bad to start.
I used brake cleaner/acetone to strip off the remaining clear coat.

For my XS650 I had to strip and sand prior to buffing.
The aluminum was more badly oxidized and Yamaha didn't spend as much time finishing at the factory as Honda did.
(The fork lowers were especially rough compared to any Honda I've ever seen.)
For the 650 I started wet sanding with 800 and worked up to 2000 then buffed.
I hate polishing...

[eigenvector]

I'll give it some thought then.  I might do myself a favor and try the wheel first.

[CycleRanger]

I'll give it some thought then.  I might do myself a favor and try the wheel first.

I just have a cheap-o buffer from HF.
More torque would be nice, but it worked ok.
The best thing I did was buy good buffing wheels, not the crap ones from HF.
Wear a face mask and gloves. And do it outside if you can. Buffing makes a mess.

[eigenvector]

I don't think it will look like that!

But it would be nice if it didn't look like it has been sitting in the mud for 20 years.

I have 3 parts to polish - the engine is painted gloss black, so no polishing there.  Points cover, crankshaft cover, generator cover.

[Bankerdanny]

I used paper wrapped around foam blocks. Slow and tedious, but it works.

[BomberMann650]

+1 for buffing wheel.

And those plastic laced polishing wheels actually work wonders for aluminum.  Watched a guy go at a dull looking Airstream with one on a drillbit chuck.

[Johnie]

My first tip would be to forget the sandpaper and get a good buffing wheel. I have a 6 inch Craftsman bench buffer I use. You need to get the alumimun hot to let it flow a little when you are buffing and a drill will just not generate that much heat. The first thing you should do is use a chemical stripper to remove the clear. The red rouge will take it off, but it does take a while. It is much easier if you let the stripper get it off for you. But go ahead and experiment with it. The red rouge is a rougher system which will cut faster and deeper. The green rouge will take out the marks from the red. The white will take out the finer marks from the green and give you a nice look. When done some guys clear it again, but I never clear as I want to be able to touch it up whenever I feel like it. However, I have never had to touch it up with the wheel. I just use Semichrome or MAAS polish to make it look great again. A caution for you, use safety glasses and a dust mask as it is dirty work. Plus, a good thick work glove as the aluminum gets hot. Take your time and let the rouge do the work. Use one color rouge per wheel. Do not use the red wheel with green rouge. You do not want to cross contaminate the buffing wheels. Good luck with it...

[kevykev66]

Yep, chemical stripper is the way to go. This is my CA95 clutch cover 2 minutes after application. The clear and base coat just bubble right off..



After a bit of buffing pic from the points cover side...


Have fun