Just Too Addicted
Arm chair racerJust too addicted
The Pics don't even do it justice, first of all my grubby fingerprints are all over it, I gave up trying to keep it clean while putting it all together. I will detail it once it is done, take a bunch of pictures then go get it all muddy.. I figure it will at least look REAL good for 2 or 3 days lol.Originally Posted by GeoD
At The Back Of The Pack
Arm chair racerFirst time rider
Well let me tell you. I wanted to show my 350X's those pics but I think they would have prematurely spurted oil all over the place!! LOL!!
I look forward seeing more pictures!!!
At The Back Of The Pack
Arm chair racerFirst time rider
Greg King all the way!!
At The Back Of The Pack
Arm chair racerAt the back of the pack
Can the case's on a 200x be polished even though they are black outside?
Power User
Lord of the trike
^^^ Yes they can...
No trikes. Too old, too crippled. Unless I find one I can't live without!
"You cant fix stupid" ~ Ron White
My feeback link: http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthr...ack-for-Thorpe
At The Back Of The Pack
Arm chair racerAt the back of the pack
awesome!I'll be sending mine off soon!
Just Too Addicted
Arm chair racerJust too addicted
Hmmm Not sure if I like the polished/red combo lol
Just Too Addicted
Arm chair racerJust too addicted
Build thread here:
http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthr...a-250sx-Chaser
Just Too Addicted
Arm chair racerJust too addicted
Does he require the engine broken down or can i send the whole engine in? How well does the shine hold up to mud?
At The Back Of The Pack
Arm chair racerAt the back of the pack
Nothing looks worse than a neglected polished finish. So anyone that thinks they want a nice shiny piece of aluminum should be prepared to polish it often. It won't just dull, it will oxidize, then you will have to sand it again or paint over it.
Yamaha Rules has it right on the sanding - though you don't need to go over 800 grit to get an "acceptable" polish job - especially on something that will be off-roaded and scratched up anyway. I would suggest for the polishing, get a bench grinder and install a spiral sewn buff on it. You can get a cheap bench grinder at Lowe's for $30. Then use Tripoli polishing compound.
Don't polish in the cold either - cold metal won't polish as well as hot. Get that piece scortching hot to where you can barely hold onto it - then it'll shine.
(if you click this stuff, you will see pictures of this stuff)
2001 Indian Scout
2011 KTM 250SX
1986 ATC250R
1989 Thunderbird SuperCoupe
2006 F150 Crew
New to the board
Arm chair racerNew to the board
so I dont post here much but much of this is wrong,I polished my triz engine and aluminum parts,once you get a good shine on them they are easy to clean up,I didnt wash mine all summer driveing in the mud,it cleans up nice,the only way to bother polishing is buffing,and lastly I polish outside in -10 weather,I polish all my toys, my trike,a few motorcycles,4snowmachines,skids, engines,tunnels ect. And it holds up for years,A key is washing with a heavy mix of carnuba wax soap..
At The Back Of The Pack
Arm chair racerAt the back of the pack
If you have a good grade of aluminum that you can neglect and it resists oxidation well - that doesn't make it a standard. I would still not advise someone to go ahead and neglect their polished finish because it will clean up easily.
And yes, you can polish in the cold weather. You will get better results in the warm weather. Everyone wants the best shine possible, so I would not advise polishing in the cold. I've just polished too much aluminum over the past 12 years to tell someone otherwise.
And anything over 800 grit gets into the diminishing returns column where the amount of time you spend on the piece IMO will not reward you with a finish that was worth the effort.
(if you click this stuff, you will see pictures of this stuff)
2001 Indian Scout
2011 KTM 250SX
1986 ATC250R
1989 Thunderbird SuperCoupe
2006 F150 Crew
Side-hilling son of a gun
Got the holeshot
I have never learned anything from peeps arguing on the Internetz for any kind of a "how to"
Start Here:
http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/buffman.htm
Excellent introduction to polishing and buffing metals. At the bottom of this page is a PDF download that has more tips and tricks. To me the satisfaction of doing something myself far outweighs how much money I can pay someone to do the work. However, to do the job correctly requires a number of specialized pads, tools, and equipment that a "pro" outfit will already have invested in. I would recommend you learn and understand what you can do with various grits of sandpaper, a basic buffing wheel and some compounds. Then items like fork legs and basic shapes can be polished to a mirror finish, then decide if you have the patience to do it yourself or the deep pockets to pay someone.
Last edited by Mr. Clean; 01-11-2012 at 02:46 PM.
Reply With Quote
