buffing/polishing a bare metal tank?

D

duncan

Been Around the Block
i bought a couple of used tanks about a month ago, cleaned the rust from the inside and stripped the paint from the outside.

one of them looks pretty good in its naked state (dents and all) , so i might mount it to the bike as it is. but the surface is a bit uneven....some shiny sections and some dull sections.

any suggestions on how to finish a bare metal tank?.... grades of sandpaper/steelwool/scouring pad... wet/dry... buffing/polishing compounds.... by hand or an electric drill ....finish off with wax or clearcoat, etc? does the buffing and polishing make it all shiny or all dull?

thx :)
 
duncan said:
i bought a couple of used tanks about a month ago, cleaned the rust from the inside and stripped the paint from the outside.

one of them looks pretty good in its naked state (dents and all) , so i might mount it to the bike as it is. but the surface is a bit uneven....some shiny sections and some dull sections.

any suggestions on how to finish a bare metal tank?.... grades of sandpaper/steelwool/scouring pad... wet/dry... buffing/polishing compounds.... by hand or an electric drill ....finish off with wax or clearcoat, etc? does the buffing and polishing make it all shiny or all dull?

thx :)
Click to expand...

THanks exactly what I did with my cb550f tank.
Its sanded down to bare metal... I just used 2 cans of clear coat in the hot summer sun and it seems OK...

Ive heard that it would be better use polyeurothane clear varnish (for Exterior floor finish),that you can get from Home Depot.
I belive you need to brush it on... I plan to do the same with my other cb750f tank, (once I get it back from Tim.. LOL.. hint hint...), polish it right down then varnish it...

Cheers
N
 
duncan said:
i bought a couple of used tanks about a month ago, cleaned the rust from the inside and stripped the paint from the outside.

one of them looks pretty good in its naked state (dents and all) , so i might mount it to the bike as it is. but the surface is a bit uneven....some shiny sections and some dull sections.

any suggestions on how to finish a bare metal tank?.... grades of sandpaper/steelwool/scouring pad... wet/dry... buffing/polishing compounds.... by hand or an electric drill ....finish off with wax or clearcoat, etc? does the buffing and polishing make it all shiny or all dull?

thx :)
Click to expand...


I found this video, I think it will be very helpful. I think the guy on the video is Jaws from James Bond 007.

http://gordsaluminumpolish.com/
 
WOW.. that is pretty interesting.. I was wondering that JAWS was up to these days... ;D
Seems like a good product but I think you;ll still need to clear coat that tank to stop the rusting process..
Also, I found the hard way that Clear coat doesn't stick very well to highly polished metal... It peels off like plastic wrap..

Interesting though.. might be worth getting the free 4oz sample...
 
Just an FYI... JAWS from Bond:
http://imdb.com/name/nm0001423/

Here's what he's been up to lately besides polishing tankers:
http://www.richardkiel.com/

LOL...
 
"I found the hard way that Clear coat doesn't stick very well to highly polished metal... It peels off like plastic wrap.."

That's what I've always heard. So- did you find a solution to the problem. Polish with WD40? (just kidding, I think that might be a bad idea if you ever want to paint it)
 
thx for the info and link. just found this one too (polishing aluminum):

http://forum.caswellplating.com/showthread.php?t=1755

polishing steel:

http://forum.caswellplating.com/showthread.php?t=4330&highlight=polish+steel
 
I think there is a clear powder, Ontario Coatings is a very reasonably priced place for all powdercoating, I've recently seen their "nickle" look and it's nice too. I'm not sure their contact details (I'm at work now). But if you look them up it's probably worthwhile. I intend to use them for my buildoff bike exclusively.

I do know that they are located around Brownsville, which is just north west of Tillsonburg....

Easiest just to check'em out on the web.

G...
 
A quick Google produced this link - they say it does and with varying finishes available.

http://www.powdercoatinginc.com/FAQ.htm

These guys do recycled aluminum countertops and clear-powdercoat them.

http://www.eleek.com/tiles.html

So yes, I'd say definitively it does exist.
 
One word of caution...

I looked at powder-coating my tank last winter... figured it would be more durable.

One thing both the powder-coater and I were worried about was the heat's effect on the tank liner. He had never done a MC tank before and was unsure how the heat would affect the lining. The last thing you need is to try to clean flaking liner out of a pristine polished and coated tank!

Now I ended up painting because I wanted the tank and fenders to match and you can't powdercoat fibreglass. So I don't know what would have happened.

So do a bit of research or possibly a test piece... see if anyone you know or a local shop is doing a tank liner anytime soon. Take down a piece of similar metal to your tank and coat the peice with the lining, let it cure and then throw it in the oven at 400f (better yet have your powder-coater bake it for you in a batch... if fumes are going to be released better in an industrial oven than your kitchen!)
 
Clear powdercoating would prob. be the way to go.
I know it sticks to smooth/shiny surfaces because a few buddies of mine have their
polished alum. wheels coated so they don't have to spend hours cleaning them.
 
CanadaDan said:
I looked at powder-coating my tank last winter... figured it would be more durable.
Click to expand...
Someone say they wanted a durable tank ?
TANK1.jpg

And yes - that's Line-X on their;D
 
ProTeal55 said:
CanadaDan said:
I looked at powder-coating my tank last winter... figured it would be more durable.
Click to expand...
Someone say they wanted a durable tank ?
TANK1.jpg

And yes - that's Line-X on their;D
Click to expand...

No worries about drops of gas from the nozzle huh  ;D
 
CanadaDan said:
One thing both the powder-coater and I were worried about was the heat's effect on the tank liner. He had never done a MC tank before and was unsure how the heat would affect the lining. The last thing you need is to try to clean flaking liner out of a pristine polished and coated tank!
Click to expand...

As an ex-Honda owner I can say that most of us don't have the concern of a factory-installed tank lining to be concerned about :) Of course, now I can't say that seeing as I'm one of those prissy BMW owners who has a flip-face helmet to facilitate sipping lattes.

My XS650 will cure me of that though ;)
 
The line-X'ed tank is still on the CB750, but will be repalced by another tank I bought awhile back.
If ya want it shoot me an email .....
 
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