Wire wheel used - any way to salvage?

[Agemax]

bead blasting is a lot rougher than 600 grit. for a better easier to manage finish you need vapour blasting. but you need to do a whole lot of elbow grease before you get to that stage to get rid of scratches and scuffs

 

[Guest]

Ahhh, it's never easy is it? I have been experiminting with the CR80 dirt bike I'm rebuilding and I'm getting better. I have learned that smoother is better before any buffing. It seems to me that cutting down the scratches takes a lot more time on metal than on wood. I like the look though so I think I will ask for a dedicated buffing machine and stand from Santa

Sci85

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

Atta boy! That's using your head. Although the best tool is PATIENCE. The more you put into it now, the better the final outcome.

And yes, a lot more work to sanding aluminum smooth than wood.

I went down to 600 or even 800 before buffing these.

 

[1074cm3]

WOW!:clap:

 

[nvr2old]

I've always started with at least 180, wet, then moved on to 400, 600, 800, 1,000, and then finally 2,000. The aluminum buffs right up with nothing more than a wool pad in a drill and Mother's Aluminum Wheel Polish. I've even used 80 grit to remove gouges and deep scratches. Using a lot of different, progressive grits makes getting the sand scratches out a piece of cake.

 

[Guest]

Amazing Hoosier Daddy! Dang it man, you just set the bar! I would never have believed you could get something so worn to look so good if I didn't see it for real. I hope I can get that good someday.

Oh, and guess I'll be picking up some Mothers tomorrow

Sci85

 

[oldrookie]

Very helpful thread! Thanks to the original poster for asking and for all contributors for answering.

I'm in the beginning stages of getting the oxidation off my bike and wasn't real sure of how I ought to proceed. This really helped me get a grasp on the process.

 

[oldrookie]

Just flat out impressive, HD.

Atta boy! That's using your head. Although the best tool is PATIENCE. The more you put into it now, the better the final outcome.

And yes, a lot more work to sanding aluminum smooth than wood.

I went down to 600 or even 800 before buffing these.

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

Wow, thanks guys. It's far from perfect and I can still see the slight remains of some pits on the sides of the stator cover between the bolt bosses. But all and all they turned out pretty well.

 

[2BRacing]

That is just about the most impressive "before" and "after" photos I have ever seen! Well done in achieving such great results and showing all of us that it can be done!

 

[GS ace]

For aluminum that has that much oxidation, glass beading is very effective as the first step.

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

... or poor mans soda blasting. I started with a siphon tip on my blow gun and the hose shoved into a box of Arm & Hammer baking soda.

 

[GateKeeper]

I am sending all my covers to Hoosier Daddy.......just to see if he can get mine as shiny as he did his......

What's that mailing address.....

 

[Guest]

Haha, good one Gatekeeper. Hoosier is even close to me. That's a bonus!

I forgot about that soda blaster trick. I gotta get that setup and try it out. Is it strong enough to remove paint or do you just use it for oxidation Hoosier Daddy? And how much baking soda does it go thru?

Sci85

 

[Geo]

Sorry if this is a silly question. After you polish the aluminum do you spray coat it with clear lacquer/enamel to protect the finish or is it left bare.
Thanks

 

[GateKeeper]

Some do some don't, some will put on some wax and keep an eye on it, others, depending on their location and weather it's probably easier to put on some more permanent protection

 

[GS ace]

A few folks that I have polished for asked about clear coating. I told them if that's what they want, they'll have to do it themselves because the odds are that something will go wrong with it sooner or later. Maintenance on polished aluminum is a piece of cake. All of my bikes don't have coating and all I do is to treat the metal as if it was being waxed, but with Mother's.

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

I don't think my version of a soda blaster would remove paint. I use stripper (or sand blasting on harder metals) for that. Do a Google search for DIY Soda Blaster and you will see most guys use a larger hose and cut a slit in it to put the air nozzle into the hose. Baking soda kind of clumps up and the larger diameter hose would definately keep it from plugging up at the pick-up as often as mine did.
I went through 3 small boxes to do my covers and carb bodies if I remember right.
...also I never clear coat them when done, too easy to chip, scratch and then once compromised the oxidation would start under the claer and you have a mess again.

 

[GS ace]

For 30 bucks, you can buy a 50 pound bag of soda specifically designed for blasting. It can be found at Harbor Freight and it's what I use.