Aluminum cleaner/polish

[Jaguarjoe]

The front facing surfaces of all the aluminum parts on my bike are pretty ratty looking. They're not corroded but they they look like the finish wore off of them. Is there a good aggressive aluminum cleaner polish that can bring these parts back to life again?

 

[Mike_H]

Not to sound like an A$$ here, but use the search feature. There are pages and pages of posts on polishing aluminum. Mother's works good, but you gotta strip the clearcoat.

Welcome to the forum BTW

 

[Jaguarjoe]

I tried searching for "aluminum cleaner" but nothing obvious jumped out at me- sorry.

So then that's a clearcoat finish that's peeled away from my parts.

 

[J_C]

Probably. Strip the clear with aircraft remover (OFF THE BIKE, WATCH ALL PAINT! stuffs vicious). Then polish. You can use mothers if its not that bad, else you can use a variety of methods including steel wool or polishing rouge. Do some searches and see if you can find some posts by reno bruce, that dude's polishing is epic.

 

[Nessism]

Different parts have different finishes from stock. It's the engine cases that are clear coated, some other parts are anodized and require a different treatment to bring them back.

I recently redid some engine cases by first using paint stripper and then progressively finer sand paper, used wet, followed by mothers. I don't like the mirror polished finish and prefer it to look like stock - which is pretty close to 600 grit wet paper. I used automotive clear on my cases but I'm not sure it's going to hold up to the heat. We'll see. The rattle can clear I've used before looked like crap compared to spraying with my own gun. Wish there was a high quality catalyzed clear I could buy that was made for the purpose.

 

[J_C]

True, some pictures would help in this situation in determining the best steps forward.

 

[Beaker]

Mate,

I had a similar problem on my GSX1400 - my side covers were lookin pretty shabby - corroded and butt ugly - and they were laquered. I got hold of one of these polishing kits for use on a drill and within about 30 minutes they were a near mirror finish. \\/ You can kinda see the finish acheived in the pic below....

 

[emjay]

WOW, nice looking bike! What year is it? Looks great, bet rides pretty well too. Any mods?

 

[Guest]

For the engine cases, scrub, scrub, scrub with Simple green or Purple power. Use a toothbrush and baby bottle brush to get into the crevices. I also use a screwdriver witha rag wrapped around it to get in the crevices and in beween the fins. Rinse with water. I could be wrong, but I don't think the cases have clearcoat on them. I tried to strip mine to see if anything came off, and nothing did. The side covers do though.
As mentioned above, strip with aircraft stripper and then sand and polish. I used 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit wet-sanding. Then polished with Mother's with a polishing pad on my drill.



I've been painting my new project engine and had to scrub it down before painting (obviously). Here's a pic of the head after cleaning:



and here it is painted (I know, nothing to do with this topic) :-D

 

[Beaker]

WOW, nice looking bike! What year is it? Looks great, bet rides pretty well too. Any mods?

She is a K4 GSX1400 - pretty much stock except for the Yoshi system and a PC3. And yes, she rides very, very well. (Apologies to Jaguarjoe for hijacking your thread )

 

[txironhead]

Wish there was a high quality catalyzed clear I could buy that was made for the purpose.

Eastwood's got some clears specifically designed for protecting aluminum. Haven't used them myself, but I've used other products of theirs with outstanding results.

 

[Regent]

Has anyone tried VHT Clearcoat?

http://www.caswellplating.com/vht/vhtclear.htm

That site also has a pretty comprehensive tutorial on polishing aluminum.

 

[Schweisshund]

DO NOT ... I will repeat that for the sake of repeating it ... DO NOT ever use aircraft stripper on plastic. Just in case you didn't know.

 

[txironhead]

I just saw a product at Wal-Mart that was specifically designed for stripping plastic. Two products, actually, one was designed for stripping plastic bumpers and one claimed to be able to take layers of paint off, so you could take the clear and topcoats off and leave the primer. They were made by the same company that sells the "aircraft stripper" at Wal-Mart, I just can't remember the name. Both were in aerosol cans.

 

[Nessism]

Has anyone tried VHT Clearcoat?

http://www.caswellplating.com/vht/vhtclear.htm

That site also has a pretty comprehensive tutorial on polishing aluminum.

I've use VHT clear, the one for headers so it's super high temp. Has a yellow cast to it and is not very chemical resistant.

I've never tried the Eastwood products but I'm pretty certain that any rattle can paint is going to have poor durability compared to the catalyzed stuff.

 

[GaThumper]

Different parts have different finishes from stock. It's the engine cases that are clear coated, some other parts are anodized and require a different treatment to bring them back.

I recently redid some engine cases by first using paint stripper and then progressively finer sand paper, used wet, followed by mothers. I don't like the mirror polished finish and prefer it to look like stock - which is pretty close to 600 grit wet paper. I used automotive clear on my cases but I'm not sure it's going to hold up to the heat. We'll see. The rattle can clear I've used before looked like crap compared to spraying with my own gun. Wish there was a high quality catalyzed clear I could buy that was made for the purpose.

Been doing some reading on the subject and somewhere I read that Yamaha sold some clearcoat that works. This writeup said it was the only one he could recommend. I have no first hand knowledge of this, but I'm going to check it out.

Another write-up recommended VHT clearcoat... looks interesting.


Tired of continually polishing aluminum or pot metal?

Here's the complete long term answer! Clearcoat It.​

1. Polish the part (for the last time), spray on a coat of Clear VHT and allow to dry.
2. Take the bike, or car, for a spin, and the engine heat will cure the coating!
3. That's it! Finished - for good!
4. Ideal for Use on:
   • Automotive Exhaust
   • Snowmobiles Jet Ski
   • Motorcycle Exhaust & aluminum parts
   • Barbecues Franklin Stoves Fireplaces Mufflers

VHT FlameProof coating was originally developed some 30 years ago and is now used as a protective coating for the white-hot surfaces of space-bound and re-entry vehicles.
Since its inception, new ideas for applications have been developed by numerous industrial, automotive, and electrical engineers. These include aerospace hardware, smoke stacks, jet engines, heat exchangers, boilers, heaters, exhaust manifolds, mufflers, steam pipes, barbecues, electrical hardware, and countless other applications where resistance to high temperatures and/or weathering is required.
Leading major industrial firms have come to rely on VHT FlameProof coating to solve many of their most difficult problems. Firms such as IBM, Corning glass, Colt Industries, B.F. Goodrich, Bechtol Corporation, Combustion Engineering, Air Research, Alcoa, RCA, Raytheon, NASA, Hughes Aircraft Lockheed, Cessna, North American Rockwell, and countless others equally impressive have benefited by VHT's progress in high temperature coatings.
Surface preparation:

1. No special surface preparation is required, except removal of oil films, etc.
2. Anodized, irridited and alodyned surfaces can be directly coated with VHT FlameProof for lower temperature use only.

Thinning:

Thin as necessary with a quality grade lacquer thinner available from local supplier. Do not thin more than 25% by volume.
Application:

Apply a THIN, even coat - just enough to thoroughly COLOR. Excessive build-up is not necessary or recommended. In applications requiring heavy coating, build-up should be done in stages, each successive coat being cured as recommended below nominal coating wet thickness .0015" - .002". VHT FlameProof coatings require no primer.
Curing:

On non-traffic surfaces and where solvent resistance is not required, VHT FlameProof coating may be used as is. Air-dried curing may be accomplished by the inherent heat of operation such as encountered in engine manifolds and exhausts, boilers, heaters, etc. or by following the curing instructions below. VHT FlameProof coatings will air dry in 15 to 30 minutes and, if handled with reasonable care, may be put to immediate use.
Heat curing method for maximum resistance to solvents, salt spray, humidity, thermal shock and heat:

In a dedicated electric oven:

• 15 minutes at 250?F
• 30 minutes at 600?F
• 1 hour at 800?F
• 30 minutes at 1,000?F.

 

[txironhead]

Someone here reported that they did that and it still yellowed fairly quickly. I recommend POR-15's two-part clear, it's specifically designed to NOT yellow, nearly bulletproof and pretty cheap. As a bonus, it can be brushed on, it's self-levelling. You can buy it directly from their website for about $32 a pint, including hardener, and that's plenty to do all of the polished parts on a GS.

 

[GaThumper]

Someone here reported that they did that and it still yellowed fairly quickly. I recommend POR-15's two-part clear, it's specifically designed to NOT yellow, nearly bulletproof and pretty cheap. As a bonus, it can be brushed on, it's self-levelling. You can buy it directly from their website for about $32 a pint, including hardener, and that's plenty to do all of the polished parts on a GS.

Interesting you mention POR-15. I was just reading about it and was coming back to edit my post and add it to the options. Glad to hear that is is a good option. I'll be doing my case covers this winter.

 

[Regent]

I recommend POR-15's two-part clear, it's specifically designed to NOT yellow, nearly bulletproof and pretty cheap.

Did you use any of their prep products before applying the POR-15? Please share any info on how you prepped the surface proir to application, and how long it's been since you applied it! :-D

So who has some pics of a POR-15 application after a year or so?

I don't mind spending a day polishing once a year, really. But if somebody has found this to be a long term solution to re-polishing, let's hear it!

 

[Guest]

So who has some pics of a POR-15 application after a year or so?

I don't mind spending a day polishing once a year, really. But if somebody has found a workaround, let's see it! [-o<

I have to agree with this statement. I have only machine polished my aluminum once, which was about 1 1/2 years ago. My cases are not cleared. Every couple of months I put some Mother's on by hand and wipe it off. They still look great.





I, however live in a very dry climate, and the bike is always garaged. Maybe that matters. But I would think if you keep them dressed up they shouldn't corrode that fast. To me, clearing the cases is alot of work and maybe a waste of time, especially if they turn yellow in a few months. Plus you would have to consider the prep AFTER you polish and before you clear them. Wouldn't you have to make sure all the polishing compound is removed, etc.?