Help me with my buffing technique

[Guest]

From Harbor Freight I bought a Chicago brand seven-inch variable speed Polisher/Sander.
Model 92623
It cost 34.99 and 5.99 for a full replacement one year warranty.
I like it.

 

[pancho47]

These engine covers were done with a sisal wheel and heavy gray cutting compound. Matches the factory finish pretty well and didn't take all day to do.

Nessism,did you have to remove the engine from the frame to get that good of a result.Will a sisal on a hand held drill work to get a good finish?thanks

 

[ukilme]

I did not rear all the replies as I have to head off to work. But I just polished my rims and it was my first time. I did something similar to cutting and polishing clear coat.

Started with 320 as some scratches were bad. Then 400 grit (wet sanding using a spray bottle with water and dish soap) and work your way to 1000 or 1500. I did that with one rim. The second I worked my way up to 800 then buffed with the coarsest compound black then to white and then red. Then mother billet polish and it worked out great.

Remember to cross sand. 400 in one direction then the 600 in the other and pay attention to make sure all of the 400 scratches are gone with 600 before moving to 800 all the way up.

It does take time.

 

[Nessism]

I recommend taking all the parts off the engine/bike before polishing. If you use paint stripper first, the clear coat comes off very easily. Sanding off the clear coat is way more work than using stripper, plus it's very difficult to get around the bolt hole lugs. And speaking of that, a small stainless steel wire wheel in a dremmel works well around the nooks and cranies on the covers.

Have fun.

 

[spyug]

I forgot to mention, I have done quite a few pieces on the bike. Its harder to do but with the right size "bobs" and smaller wheels you can do it. The key is using a drill or power tool of sufficient speed and power. I recently got a 3/8" drill that goes to better than 3500 rpm and I have one of the 1/3 horse grinders that I've adapted along with a dremel tool with flex shaft for tighter spots.

When my buddy was selling his XS400 last year we took a Saturday afternoon to clean it & tart it up. I polished all the shiny stuff including the forks and it turned out quite presentable. Not a showroom finish but nice enough to get him a few hundred extra on the deal when he sold.

Best way is still to do pieces on a bench mount device but I just wanted to mention there are some alternatives that will produce decent results.

Good luck withyour projects and don't forget to show what you can do.

cheers,
Spyug

 

[Theo]

Just a quick update. I was able to borrow a bench grinder (lucky for me I''m friends with the superintendent of my building). I also went to home depot and got a spiral sewn wheel - they didn't have a sisal wheel - and at autozone I got 400-2000 grit sandpaper and a sanding block. I just finished sanding one fork leg with some 320 grit. I didn't realize it but I was going at it for 4 hours straight. The hardest part was getting rid of the bumpy texture around all of the bolt mounting holes. What causes that texture by the way? Anyways, just taking a short break and will be back at it pretty soon. Thanks for all of the help, this fork leg is going to look sweet. I'll post pictures of my results later.
-Theo

 

[Theo]

I have another dumb question. I've read numerous posts saying always sand in the same direction and then go 90 degrees for the next finer grit. When they say the same direction, does it mean in the same plane or only in one direction? Like if I was sanding in the horizontal plane, can I sand left and right, or only right or left? Thanks.
-Theo

 

[ukilme]

I have another dumb question. I've read numerous posts saying always sand in the same direction and then go 90 degrees for the next finer grit. When they say the same direction, does it mean in the same plane or only in one direction? Like if I was sanding in the horizontal plane, can I sand left and right, or only right or left? Thanks.
-Theo

I basically just sand back and forth. Then the next step 90 degrees back and forth again.

I meant to mention in my last post to wash in between each step as well if someone else has not mention this already.

And as you move on t the higher grade paper it gets easier to sand and shorter time wise. In my experience.

Also, if you ever use a paint stripper. Use aircraft quality stripper. It is strong and will get most paint off but you have to get at an auto body supply store and not the local Home Depot but it is not safe for fiberglass.

 

[Theo]

I basically just sand back and forth. Then the next step 90 degrees back and forth again.

I meant to mention in my last post to wash in between each step as well if someone else has not mention this already.

And as you move on t the higher grade paper it gets easier to sand and shorter time wise. In my experience.

Also, if you ever use a paint stripper. Use aircraft quality stripper. It is strong and will get most paint off but you have to get at an auto body supply store and not the local Home Depot but it is not safe or fiberglass.

Ok thanks. That's kind of what I figured. And yeah, it definitely does get easier which each finer grit. Now I'm stuck on how I want it to look. I have one sanded with 600 and really like the way the brushed aluminum looks. I also have one sanded to a shinier appearance and like the way it looks a lot as well. Decisions, decisions.
-Theo

 

[ukilme]

Glad it is working out for you.

 

[Theo]

So I did it - well I finished one fork leg that is - and it looks awesome. I took it up to a 1000 and then buffed it with a loose cotton wheel and white rouge. It's got a good balance between not being too shiny and still being able to see the grain. I also did the sprocket cover. That one I only took up to 800, then buffed it with a spiral sewn wheel and tripoli, and finished on the loose cotton wheel with white rouge. Below are some things I learned. They may be obvious stuff to you experienced folks, but it's all new stuff to a beginner like me.

1. Take your time. Don't try to rush it. If you do, it will looked rushed.
2. If it's getting hard to remove the marks from the previous grit, it's time for a new sheet of sandpaper
3. It may take many passes over the same spot to completely remove the marks from the previous grit; even with a new sheet of sandpaper
4. Take your time.
5. Wear gloves; It gets very messy.

Well that's all that I can think of at the moment. Below are some pics of my work. Thanks to everyone for the help and advice.
-Theo


My new setup (buffing wheel not pictured):

After 320 grit:

After 400:

After 600:

Finished (Looks much better in person):

Sprocket cover before:

Sprocket cover finished:

All together (you can see my greasy prints on the fork already):

 

[Steve]

Nice, even satin finish there. :clap:

Just a little more time on those pieces and you could have them looking like chrome, but that's not everybody's cup of tea.

.

 

[Theo]

Nice, even satin finish there. :clap:

Just a little more time on those pieces and you could have them looking like chrome, but that's not everybody's cup of tea.

.

Wow. Coming from you that means a lot. I thought about taking them further, but I like it the way they are. I don't want it to look like too much bling and I don't want to have to stay on top of keeping the bike clean. Oh, I also forgot to mention that every piece, after buffing was cleaned up withe Nevr-Dull. Man I love that stuff.

 

[Larry D]

Looks great !! My forks being shiney are on my to-do list.

Oh, and......the "L's" are all about the BLING !!!!!

 

[Theo]

Oh, and......the "L's" are all about the BLING !!!!!

Not my L.

 

[Steve]

... and......the "L's" are all about the BLING !!!!!

Not my L.

Well, not YET, anyway.



.

 

[POE_333]

MAN!! that's BEAUTIFUL THEO!!!

 

[ukilme]

Man, that is a great job. Gloves are a must. I even wear a very old shirt as it turn black doing my rims and a dust mask is a good idea.

 

[Theo]

Man, that is a great job. Gloves are a must. I even wear a very old shirt as it turn black doing my rims and a dust mask is a good idea.

Thanks. I just wear no shirt, that way I don't have to do any laundry. Also a mask is a must as well. There have been studies linking aluminum oxide dust to alzheimers.