Clutch steel plates sandblast??

I ordered new friction plates for my Honda CB350 but was wondering if I could sandblast the steel plates since they have slight rust to them. Would it just be best to buy new ones and are they still available besides looking on ebay?


Thank you

pics?

sandblasting is a bit too aggressive, clean glass beads are fine but sandblasting may leave a surface that is too abrassive rough possibly causing wear on the frictions

xb is right. Don't sandblast them. The clutch will grab, but the coarse surface will file down the friction plates. Sand blasting will also turn them into pretzels. Glass beads will work (used to know a drag racer that swore by it), but I suggest simply sanding the rust away with some 400 grit wet sand paper. If you are picky, lay a sheet on a piece of glass and have at it. If they are really bad, there may be some pitting. Do not try to sand until the pits are gone, just remove the rust on top. Good clutch operation relies on the steel plates being perfectly flat. The small reduction in surface area due to pitting (within reason) should have little impact.

If you're worried about keeping the plates flat when hand sanding you could also try lapping.

Basically lay down a sheet of sandpaper on an extremely flat surface. Drag or push the plate across the sandpaper without putting any downward pressure on it. Start with a rough grit and work up to whatever grit you think will give the closest to stock finish (probably around 400 or so). Use a little bit of water to help lubricate the process. Repeat until it looks good!

Here's a guide on how to do it for a computer heat sink:
http://www.overclockersclub.com/guides/lapping/

Just don't use soap to lubricate!

They make lapping compound, too. It's not too expensive and is much better than sandpaper.

That's overkill for clutch plates and likely to leave lapping compound in the "pores" of the plates.

I'd just hit them with a wire wheel ie wire brush them. If you have the time and money and good blasting guy, get them glass bead blasted, but that's not necessary. Even sandpaper would be fine in a pinch But always wash them after and wipe clean with a clean rag - not an oily old one.

Thanks everyone for the info. I will post some pics of the quality of them.