• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

1984 Katana 7/11

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
Yes Pete, I look everyday for progress!

I have started talks with someone to acquire a Kat! Hope it comes through because I think the Katana is so ****ing cool!
 
Hopefully I can keep the momentum up guys! And Daryl, good luck!! Yes, they are cool bikes, I'm itching to get this rideable! I'm thinking I'll be finding reasons I need to ride places once she's done, even more so than I did once the 450 was freshly done :D You must post pic's and details if it all works out!

Larry, love it! And I 100% understand that smile on the dude's face!

Back on the power tools yesterday, managed to get the bulk of the paint gone. Incidentally I figured out how to use the spin saw thing properly so it doesn't eat all the fibreglass... just need to take the pressure off and let the grit do the work.

I'm back to block sanding now and that's working so much better now the glossy paint is gone.

Still a fair bit to go but aside from the awkward bits at the front under the headlight all the top coats of paint are gone and 99% of the high bits on the patches are gone.

Once I finish getting it all pretty even I'll get some filler in the few remaining spots on the patches that need building up (some screw holes didn't fill), then finish off with some blade putty for a nice smooth even finish.

I'll get a cheap tin of black aerosol paint to give me a guide coat once I get to that point.

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr
 
I'm assuming the pink colored areas is the factory primer, Pete..? Good progress. Always looks really ugly before it magically starts to look pretty again.
 
A tip for the holes that did not fill.

I use a countersink bit or large drill bit to create a countersink. It is easier to fill a bigger diameter hole than say a small 1/8" hole from a screw. I just counter the surface, be careful and don't make it a larger through hole.
 
Yep Larry, pink is the primer, not sure if it's factory or not but it's under what appears to be correct 13L silver, which is under the white paint. Trying to get it back to the white gelcoat where I can. There are some high bits where I've actually had to go through the gelcoat as well but that should all smooth out nicely once I get to that point.

Daryl, that's a great tip and makes perfect sense! I happen to have an old school hand drill here that would be perfect for that.

Do you guys do anything special to assist with sanding the concave areas like alongside the headlight protrusion? The flat cork block I use for block sanding is obviously no good there, and I find just using my fingers doesn't really get enough surface area sanded. I'm pretty sure I have some PVC pipe scraps around here somewhere that I can use to give me more surface contact area with the paper.
 
I just use my fingers or roll the paper to get a "close" shape to sand. Or I use a softer less dense foam which can be made to take contour by pulling the sandpaper tighter.
 
Anything that fits the shape of what you're sanding is good, Pete. If you have some PVC that is close, that's a good choice. This is the time you want to replicate the curves and shapes as close as possible. It's the foundation for everything that follows.
 
Cheers guys, I'll see what I have around, foam sounds like a good alternative too if I don't have the pipe I was thinking of.
 
Getting there slowly but surely... I did discover last night though that the 40 grit I'm hand sanding with is designed for timber which is probably not helping. Might explain why it seems to lose effectiveness pretty quick.

I also discovered a second shade of pink on the right side that seems to be body filler as opposed to primer, guess this cowl has definitely had a hard life!

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr
 
It's looking better and better all the time, Pete. Yeah, there are definitely wood and body work grades of sand paper. Hardware store sand paper is usually for doing wood work, auto body paint stores have the better/more aggressive stuff. Pricier, but lasts way longer and it really cuts.
 
Cheers Larry! I tried something different yesterday and cut one of the 5" 36 grit discs I have for the power drill attachment in half. The difference is amazing!

It's not as flexible as paper and is a bit awkward due to the semi-circle shape but the paint and primer comes off so much quicker and easier. I think different paper may have saved hours so I'll have to find where to get some.
 
Most hobbyists are unaware that the higher quality products really save time and effort. You want a sand paper that's gonna cut. Now. No matter what grit. Even a good quality 180-400-500-600 grit will do it's job so much better then the cheap stuff which looses it's tooth so quickly. Masking tape is the same story. Cheap hardware tape sucks so bad. All one has to do is use a high quality masking tape one time to see the difference. It sticks, it stays, it can be on for a week and still remain flexible and will pull off cleanly leaving no residue. More money out front, means more money saved in the long run and a better finished job later.
 
I'm learning that slowly Larry, probably too slowly... although I did learn the masking tape lesson with the 450 paint job and it's served me well with the little bits I've done since. This is the first time I've actually had to paint strip with paper, so far all the stripping has been metal work and paint stripper. I'm definitely understanding the difference now! The funny thing is in the long run doing it this way will definitely cost more.

Hopefully I can drop into the hardware on the way to work this morning and see if there's some better paper they have that I've been missing, otherwise I'll have to find another source.
 
I've enjoyed watching your learning curve and progress over the years, Pete. I understand how hard it is sometimes to find a balance between affordability and quality when it comes to materials. It was different for me doing it for a living where time really was money. Not only did I need the products to work well, and quickly, but there was always a bit of leftover from one project to help offset the cost of the next. A lot of hobbyists are on a tight budget and will opt for the less expensive materials. I totally get that.
 
What I have found with the quality sandpaper a is longevity and conversion to the next finer grit when worn. Use a 220 to its full potential and after its effective 220 work it is still good and becomes say 280 or 320 grit when worn. So I don't chuck them, I save them for finer grit use :D
 
Ah good idea! I didn't get to the hardware yesterday morning due to an urgent issue at work but I'll try again this morning. Fingers crossed they have some better paper there somewhere.

And yep Larry, the budget thing is annoying but sometimes it's best to think ahead a bit and spend a bit more on quality stuff. Learning when it's the right time to do that, and the right time to save the $$ is the tricky bit.
 
Two things... firstly I picked up some 80 grit wet/dry yesterday as that was the best I could find, and it certainly leaves the 40 grit timber paper behind, much better! Not quite as effective as the cut up 36 grit disc but it's far more easier to use, so I should have the cowl ready for filler and putty on the weekend.

Second thing is I got a call about the tank yesterday, and it's actually not repairable which has nothing to do with my over inflating efforts... turns out under the paint it's not good. It's been repaired before and has rust externally as well as bog over rust. I haven't laid eyes on it yet but it sounds like any form of rust treatment will likely end up with holes in it. So I guess I'm looking for another tank...
 
Fjbj40 said:
What I have found with the quality sandpaper a is longevity and conversion to the next finer grit when worn. Use a 220 to its full potential and after its effective 220 work it is still good and becomes say 280 or 320 grit when worn. So I don't chuck them, I save them for finer grit use :D
Click to expand...

Ha ha! That's exactly what I do, too. Great minds think alike. I use sandpaper till it's literally falling apart in my hands.

Sorry to hear about the tank, Pete. Might be a slog to find another.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

G
1982 GS1000 Z US Version
Replies
10
Views
223
slayer61
slayer61
T
1979 GS750 points
Replies
1
Views
78
Big T
Big T
oldGSfan
Something hinky with GS1100E starter or starter clutch?
Replies
16
Views
346
oldGSfan
oldGSfan
cowboyup3371
Gear Update Time
Replies
4
Views
122
salty_monk
salty_monk
dandypop
New Member, New to the GS World, Custom Build
Replies
4
Views
123
dandypop
dandypop
Back
Top