Polishing my Forks...

[psnw]

While I am down I am doing some detail work.  My lower forks had military base stickers permanently attached. I scraped them with a razor, wet sanded out the scrape marks with 1500 girt. Need to get a little finer but with the aluminum polish it looks very promising.

Any suggestions on how I can keep those lowers nice and shiny?  I was thinking of using rattle can clear and coat them...

Suggestions?

[Blaine]

Mar 31, 2015 15:11:06 GMT -6 psnw said:

While I am down I am doing some detail work.  My lower forks had military base stickers permanently attached. I scraped them with a razor, wet sanded out the scrape marks with 1500 girt. Need to get a little finer but with the aluminum polish it looks very promising.

Any suggestions on how I can keep those lowers nice and shiny?  I was thinking of using rattle can clear and coat them...

Suggestions?

As you stated I think I would "clear" them with the rattle can.That way chips are easly touched up.

[psnw]

Thanks!!

Read this y'all..... The 1500 grit wet sand did leave some fine marks on my aluminum.  It was necessary to buff out the razor marks.  There is a grit finer called Crocus cloth I have yet to get my hands on.  Without it, it is going to take some real buffing to turn it perfect...it looks good...but I can see them.

The take away here... if you use a razor to remove stickers on your forks, expect to sand some and buff allot. There may be a better way to remove them... I am going to try some Goof Off and will get back to you.

[psnw]

After watching a few Youtube vids, I decided to go for it.

I scraped those dang sticker off....hand filed the casting marks.  I started sanding with 120 dry and sculpted/molded the castings.  I Need to get some more 320 & 400.  A test spot with 800 and some Mothers gave me a really nice shine. Good enough to pass. 

I am going to take it all the way through stepping up the grit table and finishing off with a buffing wheel. As of right now the shine is as good as chrome. There are some lightly noticeable scratches and swirls.  That will come out as I start with the 320 and work up.

The end result should resemble chrome....oh ya.

[cpainter11]

I never thought of using sandpaper that coarse on my shiny things haha. Good info, though! I'm glad I found it. Have you tried using steel wool with some buffing compound? It worked pretty well on a set of rusty old wheels I had to detail up at work. But, if you already have a method that works I'd go with that.

[psnw]

I would suggest putting in some YT time before you do it.  I still have hours of sanding left to do.
I tried some 0000 and Mothers, there was just too much oxidation build up. I am getting down to the 1985 metal. -  (air guitar )
There was also a mess of hardcore stickers, Military post, WA safety, College Pass from 1986, and the stock Kawa sticker....all gone now.

At first I felt sick when I tore into it with dry 120....but end results look good.  I tried a vertical stroke but that would not polish up. Seems to polish up best when using a round the trunk stroke.  Even with the wire wheel, it seems to like that too. Will be even better when I get more paper and a buffing wheel for my drill.

[cpainter11]

It sounds terrible but the proof is in the results lol. I would've though to wet sand them with fine grit, but I will definitely have to look into this for my bike.

[psnw]

oh yes, everything else after the 120 is wet sanding. Give me a few days and I will see if I can get it finished up.  You are totally right about proof in the puddin'. I will see if I can get my old digi cam to work and transfer ....better pics and I think I can do some vid with it.

have my fingers crossed....lol



A pic from earlier to today. 

The right side I am working that casting marks and seam you can see it a little bit.
Left side I started polishing on top....bottom is original.

Having a hard time sanding out the casting pits. Gonna have to settle for good and better....can't get them all out.

[cpainter11]

They are really coming along, brother! That's some long, hard work there but man is it going to be worth it! You can definitely tell the difference already

[psnw]

Sorry about the vid quality...working on it

Just a quick vid to update.  This project needs to be done - yesterday.

Gonna try to knock this out today.... time to move on to other things.  I will post up a final here...gonna be sweet.  As time goes on, the engine covers and sissy bard will be getting buffed out too. Although they will not be as extreme as the forks.

[psnw]

Done ... Finally!!!

So I skipped ahead to the ending and it turned out great! I discoverd I didn't have any 800 so I skipped from 600 to 1000 and spent allot of time with that.  Finished off with 2000 and Mothers with a buffing wheel.  There are a few places that have shadows or sanding marks; Only because I just wanted it to be done. I figure I can to touch up as I go or this winter.

Worth it in the end...but on to other things now......

[Blaine]

Good job......Looks awesome!!!!

[pitrage]

Looking great. I am about to start hitting mine up like this aswell.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using proboards

[cpainter11]

Those look phenomenal!!! I was looking through these again and noticed your radiator cover. Do you know what it is? I love it.

[psnw]

I don't know off hand....

I was down at the bike shop and seen it on the wall.  It is the luggage rack off of something.  I thought I might try to see if it fit....it didn't, way to big.  Then I just started trying to see if it would work for anything at all, and ended up there on the radiator for a MadMax/Jesse James look.

I will swing by and see if they guy can figure out what it was off of. With a little mod it has potential.

[cpainter11]

I never would have thought that that was a luggage rack. But now that you say that, I see it Don't go out of your way to find out, I can just measure the radiator and find a luggage rack to fit. I wonder... Would there be a way to fabricate an engine guard/highway pegs that could bolt on to the radiator cover/luggage rack? Or is that not a very stable hookup? Sorry to highjack the thread lol. You can PM me instead of responding here if you like. But those forks look great! I've got to detail mine but I jut can't quit riding it

[pitrage]

I ended up finishing my forks last night. Not as chrome as this as I did everything by hand and no buffing. Looks pretty nice. Now to experiment with polishing the raw aluminum on the front rim and the hardware for my brakes and wheel mounting. Good thing its cold and rainy outside right now. Makes sitting on the couch polishing metal more enjoyable.

[psnw]

Awesome!! 

I kept going finer and finer up the grit chart until polish.  Ending with 1500 or 2000 and then a buffing pad on a drill and some Mother's.

Lets see those pics when your done! 

[rustbuckett]

You did a real nice job polishing those forks. Must have taken a lot of elbow grase!

About removing old stickers - I've had good luck heating them up really hot with a hairdryer; keeping the hot air going as I use my fingernail to start a corner of the sticker and then keep slowly pulling at it once the heat starts to work well.

The heat softens the adhesive underneath and makes it less sticky. With some careful heat (watch out don't burn your fingers) the stickers tend to peel off pretty easily and most of the adhesive also comes off, stuck to the sticker's backside. The leftover adhesive still on the item then comes off by rubbing using a solvent, like goo-gone or Zippo/Ronson lighter fluid.

It helps avoid razor-blade scrape marks this way.

[psnw]

I thought about that but didn't have a hair dry to steal 

One of the sticker was 1986 college pass... after being on there so long they leave a shiny shadow of where they have been. It was allot of elbow grease but it is worth it in the end. I still can polish more on them this winter.