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"BLAHH"300!!
11-17-2001, 06:42 AM
remember awhile back i asked if you could sand aluminum
and if it would rust or not? i was thinking about painting it..
well the other day i got bored and went at it-
i got some fine grit papper in a long roll- tore o off about 2 1/2 foot and pulled it back and forth around the bars of my bumper nerfs and grab bar- .. then got an electric sander nd went to town.
the nerfs on the outside edge were scratched the front had little nics all in it,, and the grab bar was wasted- but all three are as smooth as a babbies- (*cough*)-hey leo- :D
the grab bar is what i'm happy about most though- it was all scratched from where i first learned how to walk it- but now it looks as if it's never touched the ground- ____smooth____
it was dull before now it's shiney- did one half first and compaired side- looks good man- if your loomy's not chrome
do it man- it's not going to hurt it and it'll look 10 times better

decided not to paint

Pur Pony
11-17-2001, 01:57 PM
i just installed durablue front spacers... while everything was off... I sanded my spindles and calipers.... then polished them.... they are to a "chrome" mirror finish now- they look bad a#@!!

Clay
11-17-2001, 07:28 PM
My quad is stripped down for the winter, i guess ill have to try this. I want it to look as trick as possible.

max400EX
11-17-2001, 10:02 PM
rule of thumb: if a magnet sticks to it, its steel and will rust, and if u sand it, put a clear coat of paint.

If no magnet stickage, its aluminum and it won't rust :)

Clay
11-18-2001, 07:24 AM
:confused: Could somone please post some pics of this, and some techniques? (grits of sandpaper, wet/dry, etc etc.) thanx alot.

300eXTraILRyDeR
11-18-2001, 08:09 AM
I never sanded aluminum But i do use my dads buffer and just polish it, alot easier i would think.

crday98
11-18-2001, 09:46 AM
Originally posted by crhye250r
:confused: Could somone please post some pics of this, and some techniques? (grits of sandpaper, wet/dry, etc etc.) thanx alot.

use a medium grade for the rough stuff then a fine grade.then use a brillo pad until it starts to shine then polishing away for a chrome-like finish.i don't remembet the actual of grade i used the first time but i ended up using those foam sanding pads(blocks) and got the same results and they were alot easier to use than paper.they are definitely less torture on the fingers too.you can get them at wal mart.

Pur Pony
11-18-2001, 11:43 AM
It depends how rough the aluminum is to start with. The more rough it is the lower grit(60+) to start with... then go to around 150-.. sand smooth, then to around 400- sand smooth..
The 1000-1500- once its super smooth... buff with an aluminum polish and or rouge.
there is an awesome polishing sight on of my friends has on-line... i have to find it- ill post

"BLAHH"300!!
11-19-2001, 09:10 AM
i'm always looking ,adding ,,taking away,, stuff on my bike
to make it look better-

what else could i do to make it a little shineyer- from stock parts i mean- what about that ugly (edit) headpipe that came with that d.g.- it's all rusted up looks horible-
is there no chamging that fact- i hit it too when i sanded the rest of the stuff from the first post- but you know it still looks like pooh- anything i can do to change that??

300eXTraILRyDeR
11-19-2001, 03:36 PM
well about your headpipe. I would get some silver or black high temp. exhaust or grill paint. it would look nice i would think.

51
11-19-2001, 06:40 PM
i work in a body shop and on aluminum i would start with 220 then got to like a 360-400 then go to like a 600 grit...from thre i'd hit er witha good shot of compound then glaze it good and watch it shine..i did it to my nerf's and couldn't believe it...i think if you start with anything lower than 150 then you'll just scratch it up more there for creating more work for your self..

Clay
11-19-2001, 10:52 PM
I just wanted to let you guys know. I took on a project with my R today. i am polishing the entire outside of the cylinder, i am using multi sanding and polishing coats. I dont know if you guys know what im talking about, but the outside of a 250R cylinder is textured. I am sanding all the texture off until its smooth. I am then going to polish it out to the best shine i possibly can. I spent about an hour and a half today. I just worked on the pipe side of the cylinder on the out side of where the bridge ports are (very small area), and i am still not satisfied with the look. I will post some pics as i go, i hope:huh. It should be pretty trick when i get done (I know it will look good because i am an extreme perfectionist). Well, sorry for the small book, just thought id let yall know.

crday98
11-19-2001, 11:41 PM
a word to the wise to anyone with polished engines or cases.don't ever use aluminum wheel cleaner on them unless you try it on a small area or you could be sorry.i figured id shine mine up the easy way and watched all of my hard work drip away in a few seconds.it turned my side cases and bottom half of the motor brown.the jug and the head brightend up for some reason.it worked great as far as cleaning nerfs and the bumper.it just messed up the important stuff:mad: i figured it was safe to use because it said it was safe for polished and anodized aluminum but it wasn't:( i spend about 5 hours to get them looking good again but there are alot of spots i can't get to wothout taking the covers off again:grr i just figured i'd share this with everyone,it might save them some misery.:)

Clay
11-20-2001, 06:16 AM
I am using 3m polishing compound and Mothers Aluminum Polish, will that work? What exactly did you use that made your engine turn brown?

crday98
11-21-2001, 08:04 AM
Originally posted by crhye250r
I am using 3m polishing compound and Mothers Aluminum Polish, will that work? What exactly did you use that made your engine turn brown?
i think it was Eagle 1 aluminum wash and cleaner.i already threw out the bottle but im pretty sure that is what it was.

Clay
11-21-2001, 05:19 PM
I just wanted to post my progress for you guys really quick. I have worked approx. 4 1/2 hours on my cylinder, and i have most of the right side almost to my liking. It looks chrome. I am extremely pleased with its look. Ill post some more once i get it.

Clay
11-23-2001, 04:14 PM
Heres a pic of one side thats almost finished. I will post another one of the undone side for a comparison too.

Tommy 17
11-23-2001, 08:05 PM
thats sweet i can't wait till i get all this stuff on mine chrome my engine mounts and head pipe are finaly done.

beerock
11-24-2001, 09:16 PM
hey crhye250r, i did the same thing to my cylinder and head. I used sand paper and then I switched to a dremel and used a felt polishing tip and some compound.

yours looks better than mine, but my whole cylinder is close to mirror shine.
good luck with the nooks and crannies.

by the way do you have a messanger of some sort crhye250r?

our bikes pretty much have the same setup, we should chat sometime.

good luck polishing that cylinder.

hmm what else could I polish this winter???

Clay
11-25-2001, 12:54 AM
Yes beerock, i have MSN Messanger. MY addy is clay_rhye54@hotmail.com, if you want to add me. Id love to chat sometime man.