polishing

[kidwitha400ex]

will somebody give me the steps on how to polish............

[redrider ex]

and buffing wheel for it and some polish and your ready to get started you can get all of this from Lowes.

[DantheEXman]

Not to say his way is wrong or anything, but this is how i do mine and it comes out like chrome:

1. Strip the paint. You can use eather paint stripper, a sandblaster or sandpaper for this step.

2. Sand with coarse sandpaper (200-220 grit) Then, sand with fine sandpaper (around 600 grit)

3. Use fine steel wool to get it smooth and somewhat shiney.

4. Then go out and buy a small jar of MOTHERS MAG AND ALUMINUM POLISH.Follow the directions on the back, all you need is a rag. This stuff will shine it to the point to where it hurts your eyes to look it lol.

5. OPTIONAL- If you want ur lustfullness to last, slap a couple of coats of clear spraypaint on it (enamel works well). Remember, two thin coats are better than one.

I did not have to use any power tools for any of my polishing. You now know the secrets to polishing. So have fun and polish everything you can. :devil

[redrider ex]

:D

[redrider ex]

all these parts are like looking at a mirror

[redrider ex]

:D

[redrider ex]

:D

[redrider ex]

:D

[kidwitha400ex]

well ya all no wut im gonna be working on this weekend...:D




i got my 400 like 2 months ago and i love the power and ofcourse the air..... i went for a polaris magnum 4*4

[DantheEXman]

Yes, his way is probibly much faster and easier, but I didnt have a buffing wheel for my bench grinder, so I did it with out power tools. I was just making a point to show that it is possible to get a mirror finish without power tools.

[kidwitha400ex]

thank you..

[QuadTrix6]

i love poishing :cool:

[DantheEXman]

If there isnt a thread about polishing in the faq forum, someone should put one of these in, because this question is asked all the time. :D just my oppinion

[redrider ex]

:D

[2002_300_EX]

Im in the process of polishing my throttle cover and brake thingy cover..?

[skinrider440]

there is a product called white rouge. it's a stone that will polish metal to where i looks like chrome. it's like a very fine emery cloth. it's pretty cheap, and looks great.

[CBW]

www.eastwoodcompany.com and click on metal finishing/buffing

They have all the stuff you will need. And not that mothers isnt good.........but it is made for "maintining" something that has already been polished.

Get some real polishing compounds that have varying degrees of cutting capabilities and stuff will turn out well.......and sorry but you will have to have powered tools to use it

[2002_300_EX]

Where can you get this white rouge...?

[CBW]

Originally posted by 2002_300_EX
Where can you get this white rouge...?

www.eastwoodcompany.com


and you need to start out with tripoli compound first,,,,,,,,,then use the white rouge as a finishing compound

[CBW]

Originally posted by skinrider440
there is a product called white rouge. it's a stone that will polish metal to where i looks like chrome. it's like a very fine emery cloth. it's pretty cheap, and looks great.

White rouge,,,or sometimes called jewlers rouge is really not a stone,,,,,,

but rather a hard polishing compound that has to be applied to a spinning buffing wheel or etc,,,,,,and then the compound melts onto the wheel and then is ready for application to the work piece and the white rouge has very fine abrasive particles in it and is therefore the finishing or "coloring" compound

[Live2Ride300]

Chris, what are the steps involved using the tripoli and white rouge compounds? First you strip the paint off using sandpaper or paint stripper, then do you go straight to the buffing wheel and the tri poli compound??

BTW, youve heard this a million times, but, ur 400 is a work of art, that case looks so good!

[mod300ex]

r they ur stock cases or r they aftermarket??????

[Live2Ride300]

If your talking about the 400ex in that pic, thats his stock case

[Live2Ride300]

If your talking about the 400ex in that pic, thats his stock case
Chris is the man of powdercoating and polishing:D

[DantheEXman]

Ben, you should probibly put this in the FAQ forum since Chris is gettin involved. I feel some good info about to happen.;)

[mod300ex]

if i took the paint off my 300exs cases and polished them would it look liek that?

[CBW]

yep....but i dont use mothers polish:huh

[mod300ex]

would mothers work..is there anotehr polish i can get from walmart or an auto store better then mothers

What experiences has everyone had with clearing over the polished aluminum parts?

I am getting tired of the maintenence and having to re-polish this stuff over and over.

[CBW]

Originally posted by 440EX4me
What experiences has everyone had with clearing over the polished aluminum parts?

I am getting tired of the maintenence and having to re-polish this stuff over and over.


others have sprayed clear laquer over stuff,,,,,,,or eastwood makes a clear specially for that purpose........

or clear powdercoat works great also like these calipers


Mod300ex........all the stuff sold at auto parts stores or walmart is strictly for maintaining chromed or previously polished parts. Can you use it ??? Yes but the results will in no way come out like smoothing it and buffing it with compounds made specifically for that purpose.......

i am confident that the shop that polished the calipers i clear coated for old#7 did not use mothers;) They used buffing wheels and buffing compounds

[ChadEXer]

I just have to have my cases and calipers done like that! Chris how much will it cost me??

others have sprayed clear laquer over stuff,,,,,,,or eastwood makes a clear specially for that purpose........

So then I would guess that I would be ok using a urethane 2 part clear like what is used on cars etc.

Does the aluminum oxodize under the clear?

[CBW]

Originally posted by 440EX4me


So then I would guess that I would be ok using a urethane 2 part clear like what is used on cars etc.

Does the aluminum oxodize under the clear?


umm,,,,,,,,,nope

it takes contact with the atmosphere to oxidize;)

and yes i would think that the 2 part urethane would work good and be very durable and have a nice gloss to it:D

[CBW]

Originally posted by ChadEXer
I just have to have my cases and calipers done like that! Chris how much will it cost me??

the calipers i did not polish,,,,,,,#7 sent them to me already polished,,,,,,,,

but if you really want a price just pm me,,,,,,,,,,or ask oldnumberseven where to send the stuff to like he did

[luvmyex]

thanks for the tip Chris.Just one more question.What do u use to remove the black residue after you've polished something?

[Chef]

Excuse the condition of the side cases....they have been on for about a month and a half now without any maintenance work on my part...

[CBW]

Originally posted by luvmyex
thanks for the tip Chris.Just one more question.What do u use to remove the black residue after you've polished something?



mothers workd good for that:p

but personally i like the polish called heavy metal polish.....the fine...white kind....i got some when i was at sandfest 2000 from the booth they have there...........

i think lrd distributes it now:confused:

[Chef]

Mod300ex, no, if you strip the cases then hit them with some mothers, they will be somewhat shiny, but not nearly like chris's and mine are. He used the three stage stuff and a high speed buffer, and I used a professional shop who does our truck wheels and stuff.

[racerx573]

Mine.

[mod300ex]

how much does all this sh*t coast? i can get a bench grinder for free and a polishing wheel but how can u get in all the lil places???

[kicken250x]

i spent 15 bucks and i was up and running!:D all my stuff came out looking just like chris's. what i used was break cleaner and all that black/dark brown stuff came right off i use egle(sp?) one mag aluminum polish and a blue shop towel after every wash and it still looks pretty good. i think ima take everything off and put some kind clear coat on it

[racin 400]

I just finished my side cast and throtle cap.I am almost done with my side cases.Ps for the small places i got a very tiny polishing set for like $3.

[stocktires]

Polishing isnt cheap
I got chris to polish my sidecases and alota lil stuff. Then send it to Kenny for clearcoat. Glad I did this, the clear looks AWESOME! It makes the polish look wet and I wont be polishing it for a long time from now! Clear is DEFINATLEY worth the $

[shamisc]

Hey stocktires, How 'bout some pics of your cleared polished items. I was thinking of clearing mine, but I'm not sure how it'll look.

[mod300ex]

ok i did my 300ex case and it came out like urs!? i used air plain paint remover and then steal wool then a lil dremal set i got form walmart and used mothers on it ill post a pix when i figure my scanner

[stocktires]

sure!
http://www.exriders.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=29896&highlight=stocktires

like I said, I kinda makes em look wet, which looks really trick and custom. It makes it look better than just a regular polished part, and you wont have to keep it polished for a very long time. But it does dull the polish like 5% (which I also like sometimes)

[luvmyex]

heres how mine looks now after messing with it last week.

[luvmyex]

one more,I also did my levers,throttle cover and tierods

[Live2Ride300]

That looks really good luvmyex, is that stock headpipe polished? That looks awesome. What did you use to polish? Great work

[luvmyex]

THanks man.I like the way it all turned out.And it sure is a stock pipe.I used the same thing Chris used,a jewlers polish.And a buffing wheel.Oh and a lil sand paper.It did turn a lil bit of a copper color near the head today after riding but still looks nice.

It did turn a lil bit of a copper color near the head today after riding but still looks nice.

Thats the problem it just doesnt stay good for long, and I just did mine again to work out some frustration with the machine shop screwing me up for an extra two weeks :grr and its the last time also cause for the amount of time it takes I could have made enough $$$ for the LRD system.

[ChadEXer]

Chris,
Like we were talking about in PM, i got a buffing motor, all the compounds and wheels and stuff, well everything I have hit so far looks just like chrome except for the Tinner air scoops?? They still look pretty scratched up when Im through,,,I tried the sanding process on one and just went straight to the polishing wheel on the other, the one I sanded looked a bit better but they still look scratchy?? Do you know why it does that??
I also polished my rear caliper, it looks real good but i went a little too course on the sandpaper(120 grit) I used a dremel and 120 grit sanding bands to sand the pits out of it,,,,its looks like chrome but the dremel scratched it a little too deep!!! Im getting this polishing stuff down pretty good I think!!! This is the way to learn!!

funny you said caliper and I read carrot, but thats a diff thread :D

[ChadEXer]

Does anyone know what will take the paint off the cases?? ive heard its hard to find something that works! I would use sandpaper but the less scratches you put in it the easeir it will be and the better it will look. Plus that way takes forever!!!
Thanks

[CBW]

Chad,,,,,,

you need to use aircraft coating remover

[ChadEXer]

Chris,
Where is the best place to get that stuff and what brand is it???
Thanks

Chad, the brand is Aircraft remover aka the one with the plane on the can.

Should run around $24.00-32.00gal and should be found at any decent auto or auto body supply store and I think I have even seen it at walmart or kmart or was it pepboys. Well you get the idea.

Good stuff and if you arent carefull your gonna feel like you on that plane on the label so keep things well ventilated.

[z400ex]

i assume you could use that airplane stripper on anything with paint right???? or is that just for the cases?

Its one of the better paint removers left around since the govt outlawed most of the real good stuff and yes it works on it all.

[ChadEXer]

Can it only be bought in a gallon??

[Pappy]

Originally posted by ChadEXer
Can it only be bought in a gallon??

you can buy cans of it .....but the stuff in the gallon is stronger. and yes.....it will take the stink off a skunk so becareful

[z400ex]

I wounder if i could do my grab bar??? do you think i could?

[z400ex]

Originally posted by z400ex
I wounder if i could do my grab bar??? do you think i could? meaning if it is possible?