Help identifying build up

[DZ]

Hi All,

Got this surface build up on some metal parts of the bike (see images).

Any ideas what exactly that is and suggestions how to get rid of it? As a side note - got this baby last month and she's been garaged / untouched for 6-7 years, still learning...

I did an initial hand polish using al-foil & metal polish to remove surface rust, it didn't make a dent in this build up though at all. Next thing would be machine polishing I think, but I would love to hear what you guys think this is and how to tackle it.

Thanks,
Dan

[DP1400]

Looks like alloy corrosion build-up beneath the original lacquer coat (?) so i`d remove the lacquer and then start polishing. You could then either re-lacquer the parts for future protection, or, as I have done on my forklegs, leave them and soft polish them regularly. They look great. I`m always a bit dubious about applying protective coats of lacquer for exactly this reason - once the rot starts you can`t easily get at it!

[DZ]

Looks like alloy corrosion build-up beneath the original lacquer coat (?) so i`d remove the lacquer and then start polishing. You could then either re-lacquer the parts for future protection, or, as I have done on my forklegs, leave them and soft polish them regularly. They look great. I`m always a bit dubious about applying protective coats of lacquer for exactly this reason - once the rot starts you can`t easily get at it!

Thanks mate,

Any suggestions how to remove the lacquer? Machine or chemicals? I have seen a couple of YouTube videos where these parts come out shiny as new but no details provided... Guess some professionals want to protect their turf and don't share the exact process 

[DP1400]

Isolate the parts in question, either by removal (best bet), or masking them from the rest of the bike parts in close proximity, then work on them with a medium grit sandpaper (nothing too harsh) just to provide a `key`, then apply (by brush) `Nitromors`or an equivalent paint stripper. Leave for a while until it starts to lift the surface then carefully scrape all the `loose` topcoat off using a plastic spatula or similar so as not to damage the alloy beneath. Repeat until you`re down to the alloy. Thoroughly rinse clean to remove all residue.

Then apply SOLVOL AUTOSOL polish with a rag. Be aggressive and keep rubbing until such time everything starts to turn black. Wipe off with a clean rag. Repeat. Finish with a soft cloth. You alloy parts will now have a smooth bright shiny finish.

I`ve been using `Solvol Autosol` for many years on all my bikes, its better than good!

As an aside, i use `Auto Glym Super Resin Polish` on all my paintwork and plastics - a superb polish.

Good luck with your bike DZ, safe riding in 2020 and beyond!

[gsxbarmy]

For the fork sliders, remove the front wheel, mudguard, rubber seal covers (just slide them up) and calipers so the sliders are exposed. Use either a medium grade flapwheel (you'll need one per slider), or preferably a 4" Scotchbrite Scuffing wheel to take the lacquer off. Once that's off, then starting with 600 grade wet and dry through to 1800 grade wet and dry(wet, with some washing up liquid in it to give lubrication), sand down the alloy to remove the marks and smooth the alloy down.

Once that is done, then you need to polish the slider. If you have got it smooth using the wet and dry, then it shoul dbuff up fairly quickly, if however there are still some marks, then some solvol with a rough cloth will soon remove those - but use the solvol sparingly. Once smooth, wipe it all off, and then polish to a high shine using Mother Mag & Alloy polish applied sparingly with a make-up remover pad and buffed off with a soft cloth.

Once all is good, then finish off and protect the leading edge by applying some 50mm helicopter tape down the leading edge.

[DZ]

Thanks for the detailed write up. Too bad it won't just buff out easily

Will put it on my to do list... Happy to post some pics then here as well so that we can see the difference.

Any experience using a metal polish kit (e.g. something like this https://www.bunnings.com.au/josco-jumbo-grinder-metal-polishing-kit_p6310310) or is there no way around sanding?

Cheers,
Dan

[grog]

DZ, whatever Barmy says. Hes the polish king. I do some stuff differently but would never let him know.  :grin:My 3 inch cordless buffer has been brilliant. Battery now stuffed so will have to search another.

[gsxbarmy]

Thanks for the detailed write up. Too bad it won't just buff out easily

Will put it on my to do list... Happy to post some pics then here as well so that we can see the difference.

Any experience using a metal polish kit (e.g. something like this https://www.bunnings.com.au/josco-jumbo-grinder-metal-polishing-kit_p6310310) or is there no way around sanding?

Cheers,
Dan

Not that I've found - 2 reasons - first is that flaky as the lacquer is on the front sliders, it's actually a pig to get off. You can use a medium grade flapwheel rather than then Scotch 3M wheels, but where they score is that they are flexible so get into the awkward areas a bit better. You can also use some heavy grade wet and dry rather than either the flapwheels or SCotch 3M wheels, it just takes a little longer to sand down.

One other option many do, rather than polish them, is to sand the sliders (using wet and dry) to get a smooth finish and then spray using silver. This works alos, especially if you then use 50mm helicopter tape down the leading edge (to stop stones etc chipping the finish).

Polished finishes are great, I love them but they can be a lot of maintenance, especially if the bike gets wet or isn't dried properly as often any hardness in the water leaves little arcs on the surface which can take a while to polish out. So before you polish, look at how you use your bike, if you are going on OCD and have the time to polish, then polishing gives great results, however if you just want it to look good but don't have time to spend polishing, then I'd consider spraying the sliders.

Time wise - from strip down to using Scotch3m wheels to sand off the lacquer and sand out the damage to the alloy, then polish using a buffing wheel (grey through green through blue soaps) and then rebuilding, I've mirror finished both sliders in about 2 hours. Sanding down and polishing by hand will prob add about another hour to the overall process.

[Big Geordi]

He is quite good at that polishing malarkey The Barmy Bloke!! 

[DZ]

Not that I've found - 2 reasons - first is that flaky as the lacquer is on the front sliders, it's actually a pig to get off. You can use a medium grade flapwheel rather than then Scotch 3M wheels, but where they score is that they are flexible so get into the awkward areas a bit better. You can also use some heavy grade wet and dry rather than either the flapwheels or SCotch 3M wheels, it just takes a little longer to sand down.

One other option many do, rather than polish them, is to sand the sliders (using wet and dry) to get a smooth finish and then spray using silver. This works alos, especially if you then use 50mm helicopter tape down the leading edge (to stop stones etc chipping the finish).

Polished finishes are great, I love them but they can be a lot of maintenance, especially if the bike gets wet or isn't dried properly as often any hardness in the water leaves little arcs on the surface which can take a while to polish out. So before you polish, look at how you use your bike, if you are going on OCD and have the time to polish, then polishing gives great results, however if you just want it to look good but don't have time to spend polishing, then I'd consider spraying the sliders.

Time wise - from strip down to using Scotch3m wheels to sand off the lacquer and sand out the damage to the alloy, then polish using a buffing wheel (grey through green through blue soaps) and then rebuilding, I've mirror finished both sliders in about 2 hours. Sanding down and polishing by hand will prob add about another hour to the overall process.

Thanks again @gsxbarmy for the detailed explanations. Understanding they 'why' is essential to any learning!

Definitely going for machine polished - flap wheels or Scotch 3M... Here in QLD it's mostly sunny, our tap water for washing is super soft (low in any minerals) and nobody wants to ride in QLD rain

Have similar but a lot less build up on a couple of other places so flexible wheel polish will be the go. What RPMs / machine are you preferring using to stay safe? I always got away with hand polishing any metal and only used a rotary polisher on my car paint or bike tank - please excuse my ignorance   

[gsxbarmy]

Personally I use a 370W machine which runs around the 3000rpm mark, which works out just fine. The trick to a large extent is in the size of the wheels you use, I tend to use 4" wheels rather than 6", and sometimes even 3" for those more hard to get to places as I've found these give the best results for the size of the bike parts and for getting in some of the more extreme places, backed up with using some small pads on a dremel for those "impossible to get to" bits.

The trick as with everything is in the preparation - sanding down the casings or sliders to get a nice smooth finish with the minimum of scratches before using the buffing wheel is worthwhile and saves time. After getting the lacquer off with the 3M wheels I then sand down by hand starting with around a 600 grit and working down to a 2000 or even 2500 grit before putting on the beuffing wheel. I then work through grey, then green, then blue soaps to get a nice sparkly finish, if I'm feeling really sparkly I'll even finish off with a yellow soap for that extra gleam before a polish over with Belgom Alu (using a rough cloth) and then finishing with Mothers Mag & Ally (applied using a makeup remover pad, and taken off with a nice soft micro fibre) for a complete mirror finish.

As with all polishing though, the trick is little and often, else you just clog the cloths up. Makeup remover pads are cheap enough (or pinch the wife's ones LOL) and hold just about the right amount of polish one needs.

I will issue a health warning though - polishing can (will) lead to OCD!!!!!

This was mine just before I sold her a few years ago

[Globalrider]

Dave - sunglasses please
Stan

[DZ]

Unreal, I never had a bike even remotely that clean! 

Wouldn't dare riding her even wearing white gloves....

[KiwiCol]

Would ya believe Dave rode it on the beach, in sand, over in Ireland?  He did n got pic's to prove it too. 

[steve porter]

i ceramic coated two cars over the weekend with mothers CMX, came up bloody good and supposedly lasts, might be worth trying on polished Ali . Also a little heads up,I use a bench polisher daily and have been doing so for more than  40 years,so for anyone using a bench polisher for the first time, make sure that you only touch what you are polishing BELOW the centre line / Spindle of the Buff wheel otherwise what you are polishing can be ripped out of your hands and cause injury to you or the  thing you are polishing