So I have a 76' KZ400 that I am starting to polish parts from. Right now I am working on the gauges. First I removed the factory black and got them down to bare metal with a wire wheel. Then sanded with 120 grit paper, and 220, 400, 600, 800, 1000. With the last 5 all being wet sanding with WD40. Then I started to use a buffing wheel on my bench grinder, first with emery, then red rouge. I did not even bother to go to the white because I was not super happy with how it looked. It has some shine but it was not that amazing. I did realize one mistake I made which I think is that I only sanded in one direction, but I think I have heard that on each successive step up in sandpaper you should rotate directions. Is this correct? Also how long would you go over a particular area, or a about how long should just the polishing process on one gauge take. I did not polish them that long so maybe that is part of my problem. Any suggestions or improvements that I can make would be greatly appreciated.
Polishing/Sanding aluminum
- Thread starter slushie07
- Start date
Yes. by changing direction 90 degrees you can ensure you remove each set of previous scratches.
I don't know why peiople on this site insist on using a wire wheel to remove paint. Typically under paint is a very smooth surface that needs very little polishing. If you use a wire wheel to remove the paint you pit the metal and then need to start at 120 grit and work all the way up. If you remove the paint with stripper and leave the surface underneath smooth you can start around 800 grit.
I don't know why peiople on this site insist on using a wire wheel to remove paint. Typically under paint is a very smooth surface that needs very little polishing. If you use a wire wheel to remove the paint you pit the metal and then need to start at 120 grit and work all the way up. If you remove the paint with stripper and leave the surface underneath smooth you can start around 800 grit.
Aircraft Remover made by Klean Strip works pretty well and can be found at most auto parts stores. Thanks for the tip about the stripper that is a pretty good idea, I just am so used to using the wire wheel to clean off rust and etc. so I started to use it for paint removal as well
Also how many passes should you make with a cloth wheel when polishing. I will use three succesivly finer compounds, but am not sure how many passes on the same area i should make with each compund. More specifically when do I know I have gotten the max polishing out of the compound I am using
use the heaviest compound as long as it takes to remove all visible scratches. Use the medium until the shine is as uniform and bright as possible. Then do the same with the lightest compound. One engine sidecover took me three hours this way. Steel will take much longer. When you've reached the final shine on steel you should immediately wipe with laquer thinner and coat with clear laquer or enamel.
I've not personally tried it yet. However I've bought several polished metal items with clearcoat applied so I'm certain it can be done. A good clean with Laquer thinner and a very soft cloth should remove any solvents or particles left behind from the polish. Then a few very light tack coats of clear sprayed on to act as a base. Then a couple wet finish coats should do it. The only reason metal rejects paint is oil. It can be an obvious amount or miniscule. Just a touch of your finger on polished metal will in effect mask the area. It must be absolutely clean of oil and partcles of any kind.
rockcitycafe
I make things.
keeping aluminum shiny isn't that big a deal really, after a season of riding, you'll need more polishing with a cloth and some mothers, it'll look good as new
Yes you can. How effective it is in preserving the finish will depend on the quality of the wax and frequency it is applied. Aluminum and stainless steel are quite forgiving and will polish up quickly. Polished steel however is not forgiving. Any moisture reaching the surface will quickly be noticed as rust. If you do not clearcoat polished steel you must be persistant in keeping it waxed or protected with vaseline or some other product.slushie07 said:
saucer
Coast to Coast
i've tried all kinds of paint strippers, nothing works on the top triple,or master cylinder, or caliper, wire wheel, sanding mop at 600 grit,smooths out all the casting pits, 2 minutes with blk compound on a bench grinder, 5 minutes with red compound, looks like a mirror, the key is to get it super flat before using the compound,i've found also that no matter how good your hand sanding is, a sanding mop is way better, easier on the joints and the surface is way flatter, btw i make my own mops, cost $2,
rockcitycafe
I make things.
saucer said:
i think the stripper isn't working because those parts were anodized I think... I had the same issues, turns out you can use a solution of sodium hydroxide (lye) carefully to remove the anodizing... i think it's best to un-anodize chemically anyway because that stuff is worse than aluminum oxide in terms of hardness, so it'll really clog up your abrasives
ll''
saucer
Coast to Coast
slushie07 said:
yeah i can post some pics, but it's just cutting up strips of sand paper, 2 inch longx1 inch wide, stack them you'll need about 40 pieces, drill a hole right in the middle of the stack, then bolt it right on your bench grinder,when it spins, it creates a ball of sand paper, put your parts up to it, works like a charm, best of all no more hand sanding,i use cloth backed sand paper, 600 grit,cuts your polishing time in half, takes off anodized parts like nothing,super flat surface,
rockcitycafe
I make things.
GENIUS!
