CB750 No Plunger Hellride Freedom Machine

irk miller said:
Speaking of fork legs, I dropped the pressure to 15psi.
I would personally run AT LEAST 25 p.s.i.

But that's just me ;)

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Because of different seal and plunger areas, different forks have different maximums. My KZ750H forks max at 36 psi (250 kPa). I've seen others list 15 psi as max. Even with 36 as max, 15 is very reasonable considering the angle that these forks are at. I'd think softer would be easier on the tubes, allowing the forks to compress more instead of bending. You've put so much effort into this ride, it only makes sense for it to be safe and comfortable for you to ride the fool out of it!
 
I’m working on building up the patina to match the new hardtail to the original front half of the frame...



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What the hell is that? Is it rust? Im sure you've already done all your homework on this "browning" process. FWIW...

If it is REAL rust. It will be very fragile at first. If it turns a copper color you will need to add more humidity.

The "copper" colored coating will prevent the acid from doing its "rusting" job. And will have to be sanded back to bright and re-done.

You can buff the new rust using soft old denim. BTW - buffing rust is called "carding". Or even steel wool.

Carding, between acid coats, will give the rust a mice smooth, darker, semi-gloss type finish. (probably what you want) If you dont buff it will get rougher as you build it up.

Carding all that by hand will be a big job. Maybe wrap a drill buffing wheel w denim. working at a slower speed.

But you will need to remove a lot of stuff from the frame to get it all nice and even.

You can stop the browning process w water and baking soda mix once you reach your desired goal.

Which you're probably there now.
 
trek97 said:
What the hell is that? Is it rust? Im sure you've already done all your homework on this "browning" process. FWIW...

If it is REAL rust. It will be very fragile at first. If it turns a copper color you will need to add more humidity.

The "copper" colored coating will prevent the acid from doing its "rusting" job. And will have to be sanded back to bright and re-done.

You can buff the new rust using soft old denim. BTW - buffing rust is called "carding". Or even steel wool.

Carding, between acid coats, will give the rust a mice smooth, darker, semi-gloss type finish. (probably what you want) If you dont buff it will get rougher as you build it up.

Carding all that by hand will be a big job. Maybe wrap a drill buffing wheel w denim. working at a slower speed.

But you will need to remove a lot of stuff from the frame to get it all nice and even.

You can stop the browning process w water and baking soda mix once you reach your desired goal.

Which you're probably there now.
Yes, I already know. And I'm not yet finished. As I stated "I’m working on building up the patina." I've been doing this kind of stuff for 25 years. Thanks for the rant, anyway.
 
irk miller said:
Yes, I already know. And I'm not yet finished. As I stated "I’m working on building up the patina." I've been doing this kind of stuff for 25 years. Thanks for the rant, anyway.

haha no rant. simply info. :D

I was just surprised to see it. thats all. and yeah I knew you'd know.
 
trek97 said:
haha no rant. simply info. :D

I was just surprised to see it. thats all.
It's pretty clearly a rant. It's always a rant. I'll be happy to mail you a copy of my resume, if it helps. My portfolio is available online. There are many ways to do this this and several processes. The front half of the frame is already rusted naturally, so (as I stated before) I'm just making the back section match. I don't want it "even".
 
I promise not a rant. I smiling to myself when I wrote that.

A combo of surprised and impressed. Yeah I went back and looked at the front of the frame.

Its pretty cool your going for the match. It will be a neat finish.

Im betting fine steel wool will better achieve the uneven "worn" appearance, letting some bright shine through.

Really dude its super cool.

I prefer the browning of rifle barrels as opposed to more modern blueing. An art thats fading fast.
 
trek97 said:
I prefer the browning of rifle barrels as opposed to more modern blueing. An art thats fading fast.
I totally agree. Same as I much prefer wood stocks ( I assume you do, too) to the plastics they're using nowadays.

On similar note, I'm also trying to patina the seat. Partly because I dripped brake fluid on it (yes, I'm an idiot), and partly because the color tone was too consistent and light and didn't seem to match the ride.
 
irk miller said:
I totally agree. Same as I much prefer wood stocks ( I assume you do, too) to the plastics they're using nowadays.

On similar note, I'm also trying to patina the seat. Partly because I dripped brake fluid on it (yes, I'm an idiot), and partly because the color tone was too consistent and light and didn't seem to match the ride.

I don’t care for the color of the oiled hide I bought. Used it on the stool I made. Let me do some experiments on it. I got stripper and also gonna try some alcohol.
To strip current tan finish off and re-dye dark brown. I’ll send pics tonight.
 
trek97 said:
I don’t care for the color of the oiled hide I bought. Used it on the stool I made. Let me do some experiments on it. I got stripper and also gonna try some alcohol.
To strip current tan finish off and re-dye dark brown. I’ll send pics tonight.
Bleach or acetone will remove the dye in leather. You then can add color back in with wood stains, or shoe polish. I cut the shoe polish/stains with saddle soap or leather conditioner and rub it in. Coffee grounds make a great dye for leather and if you want more of an oxblood tone then boil red onions or beets. If you can soak the leather, then rusting some steel wool in a solution of vinegar (search: vinegaroon dye) to make a great black dye. By trying, it's not a question of knowing. It's a process of effort.
 
Coffee grounds might be awesome for a mottled look. I will give it a shot and see how that goes.
Thank bud
 
The frames natural patina was that of sitting in the desert outside Belen, NM. And I might have peed on it. Maybe.
 
I finally got the front forks sorted by taking all the air out (yes, 0 psi) and swapping the 2.25" shim that came in these forks for a 5" shim I made from PVC pipe. Yes, these now have a 5" long shim. LOL. I was getting way to much sag in the front end before the swap, but now I get zero. The ride is a little on the stiff side, so maybe I cut it down a bit, but I thought it rode pretty well. It also got me much better clearance for my pipes, which help my right turn lean.

The other bit of work this weekend involved converting the seat more to black and more patina on the frame. This black in the seat is achieved by mixing a 3:1 solution of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide and dropping a wad of steel wool in the solution. Then, with sandpaper and steel wool, I buff the leather and follow up by soaking a rag in the solution and wiping down the seat. A rub down of leather conditioner follows that and I'll finish with some mink oil. I don't want it solid black, but just darkened up and the look of some wear.

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dayyyum Eric, she looks purdy.

Wish I could get my 750 running good enough to go for a ride with you.

Course Saturday sucked, but yesterday was a good day to do some riding.
 
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