How To: Polishing 101 (@home)

The Rules for Starters. For anyone that is interested in polishing.. You need to know this.. You do it once.. you'll do it again.. It's kinda a drug.. Ready? First you will need to get a wide arrangement of sand grits. Starting with: 220, 320, 400, 600, 800. 1000, 1200, 1500, 2000 (some people even go up to 3000 but it's not needed). If at all possible buy wet sanding paper (black), using the sand paper with water will make the shine more and more mirror like. Paint stripper (airline works best.. But also your normal everyday stripper works well.. MAKE SURE! it's in a thick form that way it won't run and be compleatly messy. If you decide you want to polish more and more.. Investing in an orbital, 1/4 sheet sander, or Dremel Contour Sander (good for hard to get places) will be a great investment. Using a power sander will greatly cut your sanding time. I usually only use the power tool for only the first grit (220). Now that you have all your tools lined up. It's the stripping process. It is VERY important to get rid of as much paint at possible, because the paint will "goo" the sand paper making you burn through paper like a wildfire. Once stripping is finished. Move onto sanding.. make sure you sand in one direction. (try to follow the metal's grain) I know I know.. It can sometimes be hard to tell the grain's direction... But when yer hand sanding with 220.. One direction will shine better than the others. That's your grain. THE FIRST GRIT IS VERY IMPORTANT!.. any lazyness in missing pits or leaving scratches will result in a bad apperance.. I can not stress enough the 220 grit is single handedly the one thing you CAN NOT RUSH!. Once you finish the 220 grit.. the rest is a breeze.. I recomend using wet sanding now. Start with 220 wet (if you have a large tub or shower throw the stuff in there and do this sanding). when you have finished with that grit wash entirely, and move onto 320 to remove the scratches the 220 left. Wash again... use this same system with the 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, and 2000 grits. When you finish the sanding.. polish the entire thing down with a buffing wheel and White then Red Rouge compound. Then finish it iff with an ally/mag polish. I reccomend "Mothers Incredible Billet Ally Polish" ($11 retail 4oz can). Make sure to buff very well.. The better you buff the better it looks. Now take a shave in your newly polished part. I hope this all helps. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd times of polishing are the hardest... Once you become seasoned at it.. It'll become a piece o cake *ALSO*I will UL my pictures soon (only got one of my bike) But here is some pictures ASHMAN took of his bike. btw... sorry Winders.. :fact

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My bike :hellobye

Auh... I've been asked by some guys what's the best tool to use to cut down the time in getting the rough casting out. Here's my reply: Well... to get the rough casting off the wheel... you can buy a die-grinder (smallest disk you can find) with a 80 grit disk. Be careful because at the high speeds a diegrinder goes at.. it'll take your metal off quickly.. use that to get the rough spots smooth.. and then buy... "Dremel Contour Sander".. this is an awsome tool... work from the 80 "hook-n-lood" up to their 120 grit (80&120)... Then cut peices of sand paper.. and use their custom molds to sand with 220 grit... untill everything is smooth... then wet sand the whole thing down (by hand) from 220-2000.. Hope that helps! If you have any questions about this process that I have "yet" to explain.. Shoot me a PM and I'd be willing to helpout anyone in need.. :thumbup

I have a few questions. 1. Should I do the whole wheel or just the lips? 2. I am going to get the contour sander to do the wheels with. Do you this it is really necessary. 3. Where do I get the compound from and could I use another polish other than mothers and get a very good shine? Thanks.

Originally posted by LeMarc 1. Should I do the whole wheel or just the lips? This all depends on the time you are willing to spend.. Doing the full wheel will take a crapload of time.. And some guys don't like doing all the work.. then decide on just doing the lips.. I myself.. Have done the entire wheel.. Because I'm a perfectionist.. Doing the WHOLE wheel is a BITCH tho.. :fact Originally posted by LeMarc 2. I am going to get the contour sander to do the wheels with. Do you this it is really necessary. Yes, It is by far the best tool anyone can buy to do small space sanding.. (like your wheels).. I would also reccomend getting another high powered sander tho.. Something like a Diegrinder.. or a 1/4 sheet table sander. Originally posted by LeMarc 3. Where do I get the compound from and could I use another polish other than mothers and get a very good shine? There are many compounds out on the market.. ALL of them work.. You will have to find the best one that suits you.. I used to use Mothers.. Untill I found another polish.. that included a sealer.. It's called "Master Formula". I got this at a show.. and have yet to find where i can order more.. Hope I've answered all your questions..! :hellobye

Pic of my polished parts.. *NOTE* you would be able to see yourself in the part... But I had flash enabled.. so yaknow :finger

again.. flash made her blurry... but you can see the shine to the right lower of the wheel.. :fact

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You did some great work. Now I definately want to do the whole wheel. Did you have to take the wheels off?

yup... and the sprokets/rotors.. they are tapped on there hard.. so i'd go to a shop (unless you have an impact drill).. and have em take it off... :fact

I will go with that. I have a dremel for the polishing and a countour sander for the sanding. I will try and get by without the 1/4 table sander to try and keep the cost down. I just hope I can find some fine sandpaper to go on the contour sander. I appreciate your help and won't hesitate to bother you again if I have any more questions. Thanks alot.

normal sandpaper will work!.. :thumbup... just cut a strip the size of the bit... wrap it around the fixture.. and clamp in.. you should only powersand with 220 grit.. the rest do by hand.. :fact

Sorry to bother you again but I have to. My friends are tired of hearing about it. I have an extra kickstand. I am polishing part of it to try and get the hang of this thing. I am up to the wet 400 grit. I can't believe my results so far. You are right, this is highly addictive. I can't imagine how much more sanding it will be when I do the rims later this week. Peace and thanks a whole lot. I will post pics when I'm done.

That's why I'm here.. :yesnod and pics will be welcomed :fact

You put extra emphasis on the first grit of 220. How do I know when I have done enough 220 sanding?

When the entire surface looks the same (texture)... and is smooth to touch

Expandable wheels with emory cloth work very well for smoothing very rough castings that'd take you forever with regular sand paper... There may be parts that you may actually have to go to grits lower that 220 to grind smooth, that's where your liable to make the most dmage if you aren't careful... The wheels from Eastwood are about the best I've used, they hold up well and I use spiral sewn with emory compound to smooth real bad castings... You can also get expander wheels, compounds and other assorted grinding materials...

The reason why I dont suggest going lower than 220 grit.. is the simple fact of one screwing up... 220 you can mess up and just sand over... anything lower.. and that's when it gets messy.. I start from 80 grit and work my way up.. But you need to remember.. I've done this for awhile.. and you CANT sand till smooth with 80... Unlike when using 220.. That's why I call it polishing 101.. When anyone gets better at polishing they'll change the process to their own liking... This post is to get one started... And at the same time.. end with a badass polishin job.. :fact

I screwed up. Stripped too much of the rim now I have to do the whole thing. 1. How do I take the wheels off? 2. Should I take the tires off. 3. Do I do it myself of have a shop do it. 4. Is it ok for the rims to sit for a few days after they have been stripped?

No need to take the tires off friend. Do you have stands? Front: remove brake calipers 12mm socket remove the pinch bolts from the lower portion of the forks 12mm socket remove the front axle 19mm allen head socket or a napa 5/8 sparkplug socket inserted backwards on an extension the front wheel will fall off Rear: remove the brake caliper 12mm socket remove the rear axle nut, I think that you need a 1 1/4 socket Loosen the locking nuts and then loosen the adjuster bolts on the swingarm 2 - 12mm wrenches slide the rear axle out and remove the chain from the sprocket If you are doing it yourself and since you havent done it before it may be easier to get a 2x4 and put that under the tire so that it doesn't have that far to travel when the axles are removed, this will also aid in replacing the wheels when you are done. When you tip the rear tire over the sprocket will probably fall out and you will see some rubber bushings in there. Just make sure that you put them all back in. Remember where the spacers go and you should be all set. Good luck it is really not that bad when you get into it. It will be a snap every time after. Disclamer: some of the socket sizes mentioned may not be accurate please edit where needed :lol

Told you to remove the wheel and use masking tape.. :fact

I did use the masking tape but I forgot about the portion that I wasn't supposed to strip. I have a set of stands and I am going to try and take the wheels off. I think I am going to have the other parts of the wheel(the ****ed up part) done over by the shop. I don't want to polish the entire rim. I'll keep you guys posted. Thanks

Why not?... Polishin the entire rim is fun.. paying a shop to polish your shiznit puts you on the squid market... :fact oh well.. do what you can

No, I am going to finish the polishing. I just want them to paint the black part over. But since you called me a squid, I think I have to do the entire rim. How can I get into the front rim with the discs on?

lmao.. :fact do whatever you want.. it is a pain to do the entire rim.. but it'll be much cheaper than painting it.. just a little bit of elbow greese.. Have fun and take your time :fact

Oh and at the price it'll cost to paint her... go out and buy a Contour Sander.. :thumbup

I have the contour sander. Can you check the tools jstbecuz suggested in the earlier post. I am getting my tools together to take the wheels off. My bike is at my friends house. I think I may do the spokes without doing the hub. You never told me if I have to have the discs taken off.

To take off your wheel... use the tools in your trunk.. and a metal pipe for leverage.. and a stand.. (spooled)

Hey tidbit and jstbecauz, thanks a million. I have both wheels off and now I am sanding my ass. I will post pics as soon as I am done. Thanks again.

ahaha... use a very course grit on the lettering (80).. or you'll be there for like 2 hours just getting one spoke down flat.. or use a diegrinder

I'm done sanding and on to compound and polish. I am exhausted so I will finish tomorrow. I did one spot to see how it is going to look. It is cloudy as hell. It has a little shine to it but it will never serve as a mirror. I also tried a spot on the spokes and it is dark. I will still post the pics though. It was a great learning experience but I wish it had come out better. I should have done my 99 gixxer first. That's the stunt bike and I really don't care how it looks.

You gotta polish it hardcore.. the more black the better... if the all turns black... keep polishin that spot.. till the black disappears.. if you followed my instructions to a "T" then you shouldn't have any problems. ask yourself... Did I really do my best? If not.. Repeat :D

Believe me, I busted my ass this weekend. I just polished one spot to see how it would look. I will try what you said about making the black stuff dissapear tomorrow. My arms are killing me.

Oh and... Did you wetsand/wash inbetween each grit? most guys wet sand through all the grits and think they are done.. You need to wash off the entire surface before going to the next grit. I normally just keep running water on the item as I'm wet sanding.. :fact

Next time.. Don't do it by hand... Go out dump the 60 on a contour sander... let that do all the work with the 220 grit.. and it'll take 2 hours to wetsand the wheel by hand..

Yeah, I washed throughly after each grit.

I used the contour sander only for the 220 grit. The rest I did by hand.

you take the rotors off?

You're doing this all by hand??? OUCH!!! Do yourself a favor, get a mandrel for your drill, a few spiral and loose buffing wheels, tripoli coumpound and white rouge... Finnish the job up by hand with Mothers.... Anyone ever see how rough honda's castings are? I did the swingarm on my VFR, imagine trying to do it by hand...

Spray oven cleaner on thoes castings and let it sit for the night.. In the moring.. It'll come off like butter :fact

Yeah, I took the rotors off. I will get the mandrel and the burring wheels tomorrow. Now way I am going to buff by hand. My hands and arms are done.

I am finished polishing and I don't really like the results. I know the spokes are tough but I hot the lips very, very smooth. They still came out looking cloudy. I polished and compounded them throughly. I will ride them like that and this winter I am going to do them again. It is starting to get warm and I gotta ride. One more thing...I put my rear wheel back on and I had a little slack on the chain. I moved the wheel back some and now when the rear wheel is on the stand, the tire doesn't spin while the bike idles in neutral.

doesn't or does?

It spun when I first put it on but after I took the slack out it didn't spin anymore. It is supposed to spin right?

LeMarc, where in NYC are you??? I'm right in Nassau and I do polishing on the side, if you've done all the hard work I could proably get it to shine like a mirror for you for real cheap... I barter too, whatcha got??? Hahahaha.... Seriously, e-mail me if you need some advice... Always willing to help a fellow R1'er...

I am in the Bronx and any tips would be greatly appreciated.

I have edited your posts.. I normally don't edit peoples posts.. But it is obvious you have joined this thread to flame me.. It is simple I provided How To: Polishing 101.. Because I wanted to aid members of this forum into going about polishing on their own. From the posts I have deleted of yours it seems you have taken it a personal responsibility to attack the ideas I have shared. And for that reason I have edited your posts. Some things you might want to consider addressing if you choose to post in my section again.. Be polite and read all the replys. If you have actually taken the time to read the above posts.. I have mentioned numirous times that this is a beginner's How To. And all the pictures taken are the bikes polished using this beginners How To. With an exception of my bike. I also have sanding techniques that allow me to get a better shine than what you have posted.. Will I share them? Not at this moment in time.. I do share my works with friends of this forum.. And at this exact moment in time.. You are not one of them. I have realized that you are one of two things.. stubborn.. or stupid.. And I will not jabber with you about polishing because it's obvious I know alot more than you. As my new writeup.. I will make another one.. Polishing 201.. This will be a detailed look into polishing.. Understanding different grade of alloys and how you can get the most out of them.. Direction of sanding (in detail).. tools.. buffing compounds.. sealing from water spots.. and so on.. How To Forum Moderator

Hey tidbit, I am going to do my spokes over. I want to get that gainy look off of them. What grit paper should I use?

Whose posts were edited, mine??? I dont even remember what I posted, but I know I am by no means here to flame anyone... Hey, if someone has a trick or two, share it... I do...

No.. It wasn't you two =)

Well, here are my results. I am not completely satisfied but my friends said it's very good for my first time.

Pic 2

Here is the bike. Never mind the background. I will let photoshop take care of that. Thanks guys for your help.

Thanks Tidbit, even though you're the resident bitch, your how-to worked very well! Just polished the mounting hardware for my Micron highmount - nice and shiny now! It brought out the spot where they slipped with the drill and it bounced around on. I'm going to polish it again and start with a lower grit (I started with 800 because it was pretty smooth to begin with). Other then that damn spot where they went deep. It came not very nice. Polished the space and they match the rest of the polished parts very nicely. I'm proud of my first attempt at polishing :) It was damn messy though. I used the black wett sandpaper.

Yah it's gets messy as ****.. :fact Glad your first experiance when well... Hope you haven't caught the bug tho ;)

Hello all, I PM'ed Tidbit a couple of times on some questions about polishing that weren't covered in the first posts. I am in the process of polishing a set of wheels right now. I will post pics when they are done. Basically, I wanted to know if he did, and I should, remove the lettering on the spokes. He did, and I will, by using either a mini grinder (carefully), or a contour sander. I will likely use a Dremel wioth a flex shaft, then go at it by hand from there. When this is done, the wheels will need to be rebalanced. As I am putting on new rubbers after the polishing, this is no prob for me. The shop rebalnces the wheels with new tires. Hope this helps.

Have fun man... And if you have anymore questions.. feel free to post em up here.. That way Q&A's can be posted to answer questions before they are even asked :fact

tidbit do you ever have problems with rusting on the wheels?

Nope.. Ally has a very hard time rusting.. But I wouldn't let any water sit still on your wheels for more than a night.. It'll leave water spots..

I think I need to have a bash at this ! Question... you say sandgrits, is that terminology for emery cloth or do you mean actual sandpaper (ie wood stuff) or is this something else entirely ? TIA

The are many ways to polish.. Some use emery cloth and others use paper.. If I was doing the entire thing by hand.. I would use emry cloth.. But when using a powertool.. they normally require you to use paper or a disk.. If you do use sandpaper.. make sure you use one that can be used when wet (the black one) from at least 220-3000.. Wet sanding can greatly solve many grainy polishing jobs :fact

Thanks muchly, off to DIY shop tomorrow :)

You can do it with your motor still in

hey tid , another question. How about using a clearcoat like the stuff called Nylack i think that's how it is spelled . my only fear of polishing is the oxidation which iv'e seen come back quickly on my friends bike .

oxidation happens over time.. but it usually takes a long time to set in.. unless your friend didn't take good care of his polished parts :fact

so what do u do to maintain your polished work and how often ?

use a polishing paste (mothers) and polish your bike down at least once a month.. never let water sit on your bike for a long time

Originally posted by tidbit This all depends on the time you are willing to spend.. Doing the full wheel will take a crapload of time.. And some guys don't like doing all the work.. then decide on just doing the lips.. I myself.. Have done the entire wheel.. Because I'm a perfectionist.. Doing the WHOLE wheel is a BITCH tho.. :fact Yes, It is by far the best tool anyone can buy to do small space sanding.. (like your wheels).. I would also reccomend getting another high powered sander tho.. Something like a Diegrinder.. or a 1/4 sheet table sander. There are many compounds out on the market.. ALL of them work.. You will have to find the best one that suits you.. I used to use Mothers.. Untill I found another polish.. that included a sealer.. It's called "Master Formula". I got this at a show.. and have yet to find where i can order more.. Hope I've answered all your questions..! :hellobye haha ... here ya go I've used that stuff and it's probably used everywhere in an unlabeled bottle... here is the link to purchase http://master-formula.com/english.htm enjoy!

Can you guys post some pics of your tools, i´m not sure how they look since they are not called the same here in denmark... Plz!

Originally posted by 1nETGu12u haha ... here ya go I've used that stuff and it's probably used everywhere in an unlabeled bottle... here is the link to purchase http://master-formula.com/english.htm enjoy! ahahaa i jut noticed this reply... MAN YOU DOLT!.. dont tell em what i use! :( ... ^ is the best polish money can buy.. and the sealer is the :boobies too

+hey a friend of mine used some kind of bit of some sort...I think it was made of nylon I think but if anyone has a clue what I talking bout let me know cause it got his frame smooth as hell!! and shiny looks like it was dipped!!

I have had a few people PM me with questions about my How To.. I'll be making an addon to this How-To after laborday weekend.. make sure to keep an eye out!.. :thumbup

I had my frame powdercoated for a while then decided to take it off for the chrome(polished) look. I had the frame blasted cause powder coats don't like to come off too easy. Well needless to say the blasting left some small divits in the frame. Any recomendations on how to get these out without doing damage to the frame. I have sanded to my hearts content and got most of them out but still have some left.Just looking for an easier way I did everything by hand.

ok so i tried my hand at polishing after reading this thread and hear is a piece that i did. I have also taken all the other aluminum parts off my bike now and in the process of polishing them.

and here is 1 piece done and 1 not can you guess?

Originally posted by big blue I had my frame powdercoated for a while then decided to take it off for the chrome(polished) look. I had the frame blasted cause powder coats don't like to come off too easy. Well needless to say the blasting left some small divits in the frame. Any recomendations on how to get these out without doing damage to the frame. I have sanded to my hearts content and got most of them out but still have some left.Just looking for an easier way I did everything by hand. grab that powersander and a sheet of 220 grit.. be careful and make sure you dont take too much off... but you'll get thoes divits out soon enough :thumbup

krazyskillz looks like you've caught the polishing bug :P

I say if you got the time and your a hard worker then go for it,I did my 98 r1 3yrs ago and I'll never do it again!!Once you start you have to finish.I think the easy way out is to pay somebody to do it,but if you like to work hard and feel good about your project then good luck.I say go chrome it's better,brighter and easy to keep clean,here's a picture of my 98 R1 I polished http://www.r1-forum.com/gallery/data/500/7038scan0004-med.jpg

How do you keep the polishing job clean? i mean like if water or so get to it? will it rust?

When people say you have to keep polishin it what do thye mean? Do you have to hit it with the 2000 evry 6 months or what?

Originally posted by Fyzie How do you keep the polishing job clean? i mean like if water or so get to it? will it rust? First off it wont rust... ally isn't like steel... but it will get water spots.. and oxidize (if water is left on the rims say overnight)... you'll need to hit it with a polishing compound everyother week to keep it up to par.. :fact Originally posted by krazyskillz When people say you have to keep polishin it what do thye mean? Do you have to hit it with the 2000 evry 6 months or what? no just buff with a polishing compound... make sure to always wash/clean off the metal of all dirt/debree before buffing.. dirt will act like 600 grit sandpaper :thumbup

hey tidbit I cant find where to buy white/red rouge anywhere...home depot doesnt know what it is. Do you use a felt, cotton, or wool polishing wheel? I dont have a polishing wheel but will attaching a cotton polishing pad to my orbital sander work? Im not sure if the orbital action will polish or not...

orbital will work although... a wheel is the best... just make sure you use cotton... anything else will scratch your handywork.. as for the rogue... try sears (i think they even carry wheels there too).. hope depot are toolz... if sears doens't have it... find an autobody surplus... you should find em there auh just noticed yer local.. sears will def carry it... if you have anymore questions feel free to PM me for my cell number

well I bought a wheel today....Mclendon's hardware, it was on sale for only 35 bucks. I bought one hard polishing pad and one soft polishing pad and stuck them on each side of the wheel. I could only get my hands on Tripoli, White rouge, and Jewelers rouge. I used them in that order after the 2000 grit wetsand. The jewelers rouge I used on the soft polishing pad. Results are EXCELLENT. mucho thanks! The skin under my fingers is thinning and bleeding at parts but who cares! Ive probably absorbed alot of aluminum into my skin too! ahhaha

Hey tidbit I had read about you using Master-Formula, You can get it of the internet at www.Master-Formula.com . I haven't used it but I've seen it I was pretty impressed and its on its way should be here in a day or 2.

Originally posted by AC2831 Hey tidbit I had read about you using Master-Formula, You can get it of the internet at www.Master-Formula.com . I haven't used it but I've seen it I was pretty impressed and its on its way should be here in a day or 2. I use this stuff ALL the time..I fookin love it!!

Yeah I've seen it on the cans Im just wondering how well it will work on the wheels frame and swing arm...I hope like it does on thoes cans.

even better :thumbup better yet the sealer works wonders on ally.. I'd def reccomend master formula to anyone looking to get serious with polishing.. :thumbup I buy my bottles once a year at the int motorcycle show.. it keeps me stocked for a long time :fact

Hey tidbit i've got a question, i did like you said but when i went to the rouges I used the tripoli and then a white jewelers rouge. The jewleres rouge seems to be courser, so i went back over it with the tripoli and then master formula. I still have very fine scratches and not quit the mirror image I want. Any help would be great.

well.. there will always be fine scratches... so.. what would be better aid for me.. is you taking a picture of the job.. so i can better understand what you are talking about

I guess what im asking is . What is the best thing to use by name and where I might get it for finishing that youve found, for getting the smooths glosses finish. Dont gett me wrong what ive got doesnt look to shabby but I want it perfect as possible. Im not sure if its 2000grit or tripoli scratches im seeing but they are very fine and only noticble very close. As you I am a perfectionist, Im starting on some small peices befor doing the frame swingarm and wheels. And one other question you say sand with the grain of the metal( one way is shinier) unfortunatly I cant make up my mind wich way that is depending on wich angle your looking at it. I dont meen to be a pain but anything to help me over the learning curve to reduce time and screw ups would be greatly appreciated. I will post some pics as soon as I can. Got to borrow a camera. thanx

np... but i'll need visual aids to be able to tell what needs to be improved/changed.

:rock Right on Man that was some good info I just wished I had found this site before I started my R1, But It actually turned out okay. Thanks, Jason

A low light example... In high lights... you'll see more of the fine scratches that are nearly impossible to get rid of.. :fact

damn dawg...that is BLINGY

i notice when I polish now that I get this cloudyness in the metal. likes spots of polishing compound that maybe got burned into the metal? is my pad dirty? is there a way to clean the polishing pads up a bit? I didnt have this problem when the pads were fresh. Its not that I am not sanding enough...the part comes out very smooth but there are spots that kind of look like hard water stains on the metal. I know its from the polish compound or the pad because if I polish the part by hand using MOther's then I dont get that cloudy effect...

yep it's your pad... go clean that mofo out!

how can it be the pad though? i havent even used them for that long...just did the rear sets and passenger pegs and kickstand thats it...the pads havent even begun to flare out yet...so how do i clean em? anyway i can get that cloudiness out of the metal? thanks

Use a rake..

just use a cloth... only time I use a polishing wheel is when I apply rouge

rake? is that slang? Im not trying to go to Home Depot and ask for a rake and get a leaf rake.... I was using the polishing wheels to apply red rouge, tripoli, and white rouge. I rub the cloudy parts of the metal with microfiber cloths but it doesnt come out... Ordered some Master-formula...maybe that will clean it all up

Originally posted by bizzle rake? is that slang? Im not trying to go to Home Depot and ask for a rake and get a leaf rake.... I was using the polishing wheels to apply red rouge, tripoli, and white rouge. I rub the cloudy parts of the metal with microfiber cloths but it doesnt come out... Ordered some Master-formula...maybe that will clean it all up No a buff rake is what you use to clean the pads...

hehe.. you went to home depot to ask for a rake.. that's a funny one man.. you made my day :bow oh noticed yer a seattle man... if you want me to take a look at it this week.. just shoot me a PM.. I'd be glad to see what problem yer having :D

Any helpful hints on polishing wheels, im TRYING to polish the whole wheel any tips on what to do or not to do would be helpfull Thanks

read this thread you'll be set :thumbup ... if you have any questions during the process feel free to ask

I have read the thread but I'm thinking I bit of more then I can chew. I've been working on one wheel for about 8 hours or so and still cant get all the pits out from the casting using the dremel contour sander using 80 grit pads. Any suggestions or other tools that might help it along especially in the tight curves?

How many hours should it take me to polish awhole wheel rim spokes hub and all? And do you polish the little spokes by the hub?

for new polishers it'll take you on av.. of 10-15 hours per wheel... if you are using a powertool for the first few grits.. you can cut that time down to 5-8 hours.. I can put out a rim in about 3 or so hours... if you want to polish everything.. you'll have to polish the whole deal ;) everything that you can see when the rotors/cush/sproket is installed on your bike if you want to really cut time... get a die grinder and a disk that simulates 160 grit paper.. and grind it down that way.. I belive you can buy small enough grinders to do the job... :dunno I use air tools :fact

What about the small spokes betwwen the rotor and the axel

no need.. just leave it black

Originally posted by tidbit Spray oven cleaner on thoes castings and let it sit for the night.. In the moring.. It'll come off like butter :fact Are you saying that using oven cleaner will remove the casting, or eat aluminum?

no.. oven cleaner will remove a surface that is andonized.. your wheels are painted.. so in order to remove the paint you'll need paint stripper

Jasco paint stripper.

I did that but I was rereading the thread and on the top of the 3rd page tidbit wrote that about the oven cleaner it looked like it was inregards to sanding through the casting. I have been sanding on the ruff casting and cant get all the pits out. I dont want to leave it that way but i cant seem to get them all out on the hub portion. When doing the whole wheel can you get all the pits out? Ive been using a dremel contour sander and by hand with 80 grit and moved up to 120. And its been a good 8hours plus on one wheel any suggestion would be much appreciated. Do i just keep sanding untill its all gone? Im afraid im going to ruin the wheels integrity. I did my rearset and passenger, and they look like liquid metal. Some of the pitting seems to deep to get out. Please help

It's your call.. you can sand further... or just stop and run through the grits.. and see if you like the finished product.. because I cant see the pits.. first hand.. I really cant make an educated decision.. The casting was reffering to andonized casting.. your wheels are painted not andonized

Ok thanks...Ill should be done in 2 more days and ill try to post a pic or 2

still cant find a "rake" the hardware stores dont know what im talking about. Can someone post a pic?

You need to go to an autobody store.. Like Wesco or the likes... here's a pic http://www.jestcoproducts.com/Jestco%20new%20pics/rake.gif

cool. thanks! hey Tidbit im local im wondering if maybe we can meet up sometime so u can look at my polished parts...I am still having problems with that cloudiness on some spots of the aluminum. I got some Master-Formula that seems to help...would it be better if i used and orbital waxer to apply it? or can i apply it with the same buffing wheel as i use to apply the tripoli and rouge?

sure.... my AIM sn is spngwothy hit me up there... Best way to apply the polishing compound it by hand..

finally finished polishing all the stuff i wanted to polish. I still need to do the lips of the rims though.

bling

thanks to tidbit and others who helped me on this quest to make my bike bling:D

zoom out bro.. we need full pics...

full pics of what? the polished upper part of the frame?

the entire bike

After more hours then I would like to admit. And wishing I could get a better camera. What do you think????

2

3

and the swing arm

did you notice the small spokes on the hub?

yah yer nutz

why is that?

Anybody know whats the best way to clean the chain sling off a polished swingarm and rear wheel without screwing the polished job up?

YES. i am wondering that too

use some WD-40 to break apart / clean the grease and then followup with some polishing compound

Thanks, thats what I used in the past but they wernt plished and wasnt sure if it would be a pain to clean the wd40 off or not. I had tried some house hold degreaser and it was hell getting it the degreaser off..thanks again

does anyone local want to get together and watch tv and polish shiet. hahaha

not i :P

I'm starting mine this weekend.....tidbit, hope you don't mind if i hit you up with a few questions along the way. I read the entire thread along with every thing I could find on the subject....so I think I should be okay. Wish me luck....I'll post pics along the way.

Originally posted by boxing21 I'm starting mine this weekend.....tidbit, hope you don't mind if i hit you up with a few questions along the way. I read the entire thread along with every thing I could find on the subject....so I think I should be okay. Wish me luck....I'll post pics along the way. good luck

My shop does a great deal of polishing and I always get o kick out of reading all the sandpaper comments. Getting the rough stuff worked down with sandpaper is about the same thing as mowing your lawn with a pair of sissors. It isn't exactly 'wrong', it's just way too time consuming. I can personally polish two wheels in one week or an entire bike in less that two weeks working just a few hours a day. I used sandpaper on my first set of wheels, many years ago, but I wouldn't recommend that nonsense to anyone. The key word here is 'Greaseless' compound. It gets the rough work done in a fraction of the time and gives you more time and 'strength' to take care of the buffing efforts. I also use a great many other tools and special equipment in the process, and I could post a list if anyone's interested.

yes. tell us your secrets. I still want to polish my wheels but my hands are all battered and torn from polishing the frame and little things. where can i buy this greaseless compound.....

yes davel id like to here what you have to say and what this greaseless compound is all about im a soilder in iraq and my wife bought my r1 while ive been here she took over my 6 so and ive been planning on polishing everything that i can get my hands on so any hint you may have will be greatly app.

Hence the title of this thread.. "Polishing 101".. Simply a beginners How To.. and it fashioned to allow the beginner the know how to start polishing.. and not allowing them too much know how to where they can mess things up. I will not mention how long it takes me to polish a rim.. because I've had unfair amounts of practice.. But with these simple instructions.. anyone can polish Make another How To if you like... a little more indepth.. also post the greaseless compounds in here.. and where the members can buy it.. I personally use a mandrel/die grinder to cut through the harder stuff... Call me old fashioned

tidbit how much u want to polish the lips of the stock 01 r1 rims.....im local...i have no more strength or time to tackle the job..haha well gimmie a price on polishing the whole wheel and then a price on polishing just the lips

If I had the space to polish for ya man.. I would do it for $275 F/R (125 f / 150 r) full polish... But I dont have any space to do polishing atm.. So turnaround time would be upwards of 2 weeks.. rather than my normal time of ~4 days.. ontop of that I'm a busy little whore.. I dont polish lips only.. way too much of a hassle.. much easier to just nuke the castings You try polishing on your own?... It's much easier than everyone makes it seem..

oh yea i forgot to mention ive already cleaned up the wheels. they are already bare metal and have been smoothed down quite a bit on the lips...look at my pics i previously posted in here

well it really depends on how much work you've done to the castings... I couldn't see it being over 150 tho..

Thanks for the tips on polishing. I have a '00 R1 and tried to polish the frame and found the sandpaper didn't make any changes to the surface. I am wondering if the frame is powdercoated. Any advise on how to remove the powdercoating to get down to the metal to polish? Thanks for any help you can provide. :hellobye

Its anodized... You can sand it but its a bitch to get through..oven cleaner will take it off but make sure you mask every thing of really good..You have to let it sit for quit a while..say an hour or 2 or over night..its much easier to use the oven cleaner

^ wat he said.. that or you could just go full bore and diegrind it :D

Help!!! I just finished my frame last night but when I went over it with the polish I have a 2 spots that are a different color..the spots are darker...How do i get rid of them or get them to look like the rest or what causes this?

I have been sitting in the back ground listening to everybodys opinoins on how to polish. I am about to start a small biz in my grage and can hopefully stop working my current job and pay my way through school. I just wanted to know what every body thinks is a fair price for say two rims and a frame fully polished. Also if you guys want to know the fastest and easyest way to polish. Not sanding your fingertips to little red nubs and get better results than sanding go to this web site www.brightworks.com they sell everything under the sun to do it right. Including a book and a video on how to polish everything from steel for pre chroming to aul,copper brass and stainless steel. This is not my website I just think it is great. I bought there video and book and It was very informative.

here is a couple of pics of my polishing project!!! :jump :jump :jumphttp://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid103/pc81ad3ca3ffcae7f167f555dd4069ab7/f9a15042.jpg.orig.jpg http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid103/p183aea7ff5c33b115730752c87fb32c9/f9a15044.jpg.orig.jpg ALOT OF TIME, BUT ALOT OF SHINE!!!!!!

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid103/pc81ad3ca3ffcae7f167f555dd4069ab7/f9a15042.jpg

Do the greaselss compounds work better than sandpaper? I did my 2000 R1 with sandpaper. Curious about the compounds. Going to do my 04 when it gets here. Tidbit_ how can you do a whole wheel in 3 hours?:dunno

The following 'brief' outline just skims the surface, but I think it will answer many of your questions. Introduction One of the things that makes polishing aluminum so difficult is that there are so many ways to go about it. You will probably change your methods and personal strategies many times before you find a workable technique. The outline will be dealing with two separate aspects of the art: 1. Tools of the trade - We’ll be approaching this task with only the polishing of motorcycles in mind. Many of the specialized equipment are very expensive so you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a piece of equipment that just doesn’t work especially well on motorcycle frames, wheels, or the myriad of brackets and goodies. 2. Skills - Here too, the skills needed to satisfactorily polish motorcycle wheels and accessories may be very different from anything you have experienced before. Difference Between Buffing and Polishing You will read both buffing and polishing terms throughout this guide. The represent entirely different compounds and methods. 1. Buffing - bring the aluminum to a shine 2. Polishing - material removal Main Tools You can easily spend hundreds of dollars on polishing equipment and still be woefully ill equipped to do the job. I’ll begin by listing the basic tools of the trade, followed by some of the pros and cons of each. The trick is to purchase only the tools that will best serve your needs. 1. Pedestal Buffer - Baldor is the ‘big’ name on the block. They cost more and are available in a wide variety of sizes and HP levels. You can’t buy one too big. An undersized buffer won’t have sufficient power. It will run hotter, stall too easily, and be more dangerous to use as well. a. 10 inch diameter is the ideal size. Don’t go smaller. b. ¾ horsepower minimum. c. Devise some sort of dust shield around the backside of the buffing wheels. Connect a shop vacuum to these shields to control the dust. Without some sort of collection, you’ll destroy your entire house with the dirt, and you’ll look like a coal miner after only 30 minutes work. 2. Polishing Arbor and Motor - Much less expensive than the Pedestal Buffer but still a very effective method for polishing all those hand held parts. It also has the advantage of driving with any HP motor you want and provides some adjustability of RPM as well. This will require a little engineering to mount the motor behind or below the arbor and set up a belt drive system. 3. Motor Arbors - These little adapters fit directly on a motor’s output shaft. This is an extremely inexpensive way to get going, and if and when you move up to something more effective you won’t be out more than a few dollars. The greatest limitation here is the limited working space on the motor side. If you already have a motor available you’ll be all set for just a few bucks. Typically available for ½ or 5/8 shaft diameters. 4. Hand Drill - To work the irregular surfaces of the frame or wheels you’ll need some kind of portable power. The hand drill affords great maneuverability. The drill can become a little heavy and cumbersome, but its convenience is unmatched. There are a few considerations. a. Get the highest rpm drill you can find. I use a 3600 rpm Grisley drill. Most drills are way too slow. A typical 1800-rpm model won’t work at all. b. Avoid a really inexpensive drill. This kind of work is really hard on a drill. A cheap one won’t last very long. 5. Air Tools - One of the most effective tools for smoothing down the rough casting areas is the air belt sander. These are small units that look somewhat like your fist with your index finger extended. The sanding belt runs around the extension (finger) and is excellent for reaching into those difficult to reach places. Most of the other conventional air tools should probably be avoided, however. The RPMs are typically way too high, in the 20,000 range. If you dial down the air volume, you wind up with no power. 6. Die Grinder - Great for those little sanding rolls and tiny cutting tools. I’ve tried several of these and some are really not intended for extended use. Some are downright difficult to hold. These are all very high RPM also, way to high for your purposes. So you’ll need a separate speed control unit. With this you can regulate the speed to whatever works best. I have a little Dremmell control but there are also foot control systems available from Fordom. 7. Dremmell Tools - While very popular and available everywhere, these nor up to the task. They just too small and light duty for serious work. If you already have one you may find some limited success with it. Use it for those small little areas where nothing else seems to work. 8. Fordom - This is basically a larger and heavier duty flexible shaft system similar to the Dremmell. While I don’t recommend the Dremmel, the Fordom is large and powerful enough to find some favor getting at those little difficult to reach areas. 9. Flexible Shafts - Several of these are available to attach to full size motors in the ¼ HP range. This set-up will provide all the power you’ll need. You can do some serious work with a proper arrangement. The big problem here is the shear size and weight and resulting awkwardness. I used one for over a year and came up with overhead cable supports to help hold up the heavy shaft apparatus. Buffing Pads and Adapters There is a dizzying array of goodies in this category. Every time I investigate this subject I find even more little devices and gizmos in the magazines and hardware stores. Most of this stuff doesn’t work well if at all on aluminum, but feel free to try some of these for specialty purposes. As you develop your skills you can better judge this stuff without having to purchase them. I will outline only the suitable buffing wheels for use with aluminum. 1. Spiral Buffs - These are used with all the polishing and greaseless compounds. 2. Loose Buffs - These are used exclusively for the final ‘color’ or final finishing. 3. Air-Flex Buffs - These special buffing wheels are more aggressive for polishing and far more effective in dealing with those hard to reach areas. They cannot be used with greaseless, however. 4. Tapered and Cylinder Buffs - These assorted devices can be useful in the difficult to reach areas. 5. Felt Bobs - These have a rather delicate finish and are therefore limited in their capabilities. They come in ¼ and 1/8 shaft sizes. 6. Quick Buffs - These are ¼” shank and much more aggressive than felt bobs. They are for use with buffing compounds only. They work with the drill or dir grinder at near perpendicular angles to the work surface. There are several types of buffing wheel adapters and bushings that you will need. 1. Drill Adapter - A special ½ inch adapter with ¼ inch shank will be needed to use your hand drill or die grinder. You’ll be needing the type that has the nut between the buffing wheel and the hand drill. The type that has the nut on the outside of the buffing wheel will, all too often, damage the surface you’re polishing. It’s amazing how much damage that big hex nut can do. 2. Concentric Sleeves or Bushings - You always want to try to buy buffing wheels with the correct size bore for your tools, but despite tour efforts you’ll wind up with a few that have the wrong bores diameters. These bushings are used to bush down to the proper size. Very handy and very inexpensive. Greaseless Abrasives There are three (3) grades of greaseless polishing compounds. These are used to smooth out the rough casting texture and to remove the more severe scratches and surfaces blemishes. This is a very aggressive process and can be used to quickly get the part to the buffing stage. Considerable care must be taken to avoid creating undulations or wave marks on the surface of the aluminum, especially when attempting to remove undesirable scratches or dings. This is the real workhorse of the polishing process. It is many times faster than any kind of buffing or hand sanding. This is primarily used with the spiral buffing wheels. Unlike buffing compounds, greaseless compound must be applied to the buffing wheel an allowed to dry before use. You can use a hair drier to speed up the curing process, however it’s far more convenient to apply the compound and let it dry over night or indefinitely. Considering the number of buffing wheels needed and the problems in mixing different compounds on the same buffing wheel, I recommend limiting yourself to only the 180 grit (red). I’ve found the 240 not to be fast or aggressive enough, and the 80 grit can be too aggressive and can even do more harm than good. 1. 80 grit - about equal to 120 grit sandpaper 2. 180 grit - about equal to 220 grit sandpaper 3. 240 grit - about equal to 320 grit sandpaper

^ couldn't agree more.. Nice informative post.. I'm in the process on making a Polishing 201 thread.. Mind if I copy your post there also?

Originally posted by jonnyblayz Tidbit_ how can you do a whole wheel in 3 hours?:dunno where did I say 3 hours? i think i could be able to do it in 3... but that's pushin it.. 6 is a nice cruzin pace me thinks

Tidbit, You have my permission to use the above outline. I probably spend as much time re-doing poor attempts than doing them from scratch (no pun intended). I always have to laugh when I remember my first polishing job. I used a Dremmell and a bunch of scotch-brite pads. It did look pretty good but it took most of the Winter, and I don't think my fingers have yet fully recovered.

What kind of sanders, if any have people used? I have used a Black & Decker Mouse, but the sand paper adds up quick. I have been thinking about a Porter Cable that has different sanding edges.

I bought the MOUSE, its useless, I just threw it in the corner!!! Get a arbital palm sander with stick it sand paper, works wonders , then in all the small hard to get spaces I went to Canadian tire and got some small sanding peices to go on the end of the drill. I also found some small ROLOC or BEAR CLAW sanding disks from brafasco or your local automotive store, these go on the end of a straight or angled die grinder. I got both they came in handy. After doing all this in 240 I did all the rest by hand!!!! Have fun!!!

I haven't read all of the pages, but I got a link to this site and it's like " Polishing for Dummies". Seriously, everyone who wonts a good job and less stressful, click this link, Later!!!! www.moto-chrome.com

moto-chrome kit is BS

After reading this entire thread from start to finish, i can honestly say this: to tidbit: you come across as a know it all, always right but usally wrong ghetto modder! I love how you deleted that other guys posts cuz your a moderator, and didnt liek what he had to say. This is a forum...... a place to productively disagree, not YOUR forum where you can allow people to hear what you deem relevant....how embarrassing for you! Besides people, look at the pics he posted of his polishing jobs, you be the judge if it look as good as chrome or not ...LOL!!! to everyone else: Polishing is alot of work, period. If you dont know what your doing, take your time, and have a knack for it, its not gonna look that great, and on top of it all its a bitch to keep clean and maintain. Polishing is good for smaller jobs, and smaller already smooth pieces....these can come out spectacular...i recommend english custom polishing products, work extremely well if you take your time. http://www.englishcustompolishing.com/ however metal polishing is well, just that, its metal polishing...like a ring, or jewlery or anything else itll have to be cared for and touched up...especialy in a scnario where you are coming into contact with water and road grime. In the end theres just no substitute for a good chrome job. If you want shiny bling bling on your frame and rims and engine covers, go to a good chrome shop. Yeah it adds wieght, yeah its expensive, yeah if its a poor job it can look like ass too. But a good chrome job is stunning, easy to care for and a worthwhile investment if your so into appearance mods on your bike your willing to go through the trouble of polishing in the first place....and as long as you dont crash it! Also, Instead of a chrome job, you coudl go for an ohlins setup! have fun guys, ill be riding while your polishing!!! LOL

just thought you might like to see my bike. Oh by the way not one piece of sand papper was used!! notice me and my white mustang in the clutch cover

and another

last one I promise

Originally posted by hooker52 just thought you might like to see my bike. Oh by the way not one piece of sand papper was used!! notice me and my white mustang in the clutch cover not one piece of sandpaper? how did you do it?

its shiny but still has a some haze. I will show you what it is supposed to look like. And yes, it is a bitch to get it to CHROME look.

P.S. The mising products that are not mentioned in any post is LYE and vinagar. If you want to know how these work PM me and I will try to hit you back. Most dont tell this step , but it is critical and very helpfull.

no haze in my bike bro if you can point it out ill fix it but I cant see it the the pic or when your standing next to it. I am intrested in your lye and vinigar method enligheten me Im always willing to give new things a try

The haze he's talking about is in the stator cover. I don't think it's haze. It looks like a reflection from the concrete. In the pic above that you can see the same lines as in the "haze" on the cover. Hooker, how did you do it without sandpaper? You gotta tell.

I use a paint stripper to remove the coating not sand papper that will leave a hase if not done correctly and it takes longer and more work but it can be done. I use sewn buffing wheels on a car buffer with various emery compounds look at my posts and it will give you links to the places I buy my supplies

Hey , i apologize about the haze remark. I just noticed that it was probbaly the light messing with the camera. You did a beautiful job. I have to head to work. I will log in at work and explain the LYE and Vinager stuff. It will be a few hours (or tonight). Its a chemical reaction that takes place. I however use a die grinder most of the time to get started. Ill post yall soon. Once again, I am sorry for the hasty judgement. It is a bitch to do this stuff in the first place. Dont need some jackass like me making snap judgements. Catch ya in a few

it's all good:epimp

Originally posted by rabtech Hey , i apologize about the haze remark. I just noticed that it was probbaly the light messing with the camera. You did a beautiful job. I have to head to work. I will log in at work and explain the LYE and Vinager stuff. It will be a few hours (or tonight). Its a chemical reaction that takes place. I however use a die grinder most of the time to get started. Ill post yall soon. Once again, I am sorry for the hasty judgement. It is a bitch to do this stuff in the first place. Dont need some jackass like me making snap judgements. Catch ya in a few Ok still waiting for the Lye & Vinager explanation:dunno .

Ok, here it is. If you have noticed some people telling you to use Oven Cleaner on the frame before starting with sandpaper. Well, oven cleaner contains LYE. LYE is a baddd assss chemical compound that reacts on aluminum. QUICKLY!. You have to grind or chemicaly remove the anodization from the part you are gona polish. That is where the LYE comes in. I recommend using a cooler and using Bathroom drain cleaner. It is much much stronger than the oven cleaner. Just mix it 1 to 1 with water in the cooler. Drop your part in and keep an eye on it. It will start to release a yucky brown stuff. (if you had a red anodized part the red would come off). No you must neutralize it. I would recommend Vinager. Pour it all over the part and then finally was it with water. I still use the orbital grinder instead of this method. I have done it this way on smaller pieces but it is easier for to use the grinder in my shop. Sorry for the delay on the reply , i am probbaly not going to be back on for a while.

so dose the lye actually smooth the metal or just remove the anodization??

just removes the layer of anodization. No smoothing action.

I just use zip strip from advance. It has removed any annodizing I wanted and more. It does the job quickly and does not discolor the aluminum. But if thats what ya like go with it!! Thanks for the insight.

well, it was my first attempt using this thread as a template. My forearm is killing me, but I did catch the "bug". Will finish the rest later...

and one more pic, I need a better polishing cloth next time...

Do you not have any problems with the frame rusting or pitting at all?

Originally posted by hooker52 I just use zip strip from advance. It has removed any annodizing I wanted and more. It does the job quickly and does not discolor the aluminum. But if thats what ya like go with it!! Thanks for the insight. I'm curious to what compounds you used in what steps, and which sewn buffing pads did you use??

I get most my sewn buffs from cashwells or bright works. Both can be found on the internet. I strip the frame then buff with the maroon then the green on the upper frame spar and swing arm. I use emery wheels with tallo grease, witch I make to smooth out the castings on the lower framethen buff with maroon then white. bright works sells a video and book I would suggest it before you go making your sheiot look all hazy. You can ask anyone that has seen my bike in person it looks like chrome thats no B.S.

nice bike Hooker.....

a better one....

Looks good are the rims chrome?? Who did it? Ya need to do that front caliper now. Then it would be complete. This is the first flamed r1 I have seen other than mine plished.

Yeah, rims are chrome.....Everything else polished. I'm probably going to send out the calipers to get dipped now that it's getting kind of cold up here now!! I have a shop up here in NY, so everything was done by me in house. Check it out www.jeebops.com :fork

Did you do the paint?? I love the hulk pain job!! I always tell guys Ill do there rims but they would be happer to chrome them. They are so hard to keep up with.

A buddy of mine actually did the paint, I used to work with him at another shop. www.bronxpowersports.com check out the site, he does some wild stuff!!!

going to try to put some up i did mt self.:thumbup

another

ill try to get some of the bike put together

heres a pic i did of my 99 R1 i polished about a year and half ago everything polished except full rims just lips. let me know what you think about the polish job, by the way i can do full bike like this in about 8 days all by hand.

and another pic at 2004 carlisle bike fest sorry for the poor angles and bad light

i polished alot of stuff on my yzf 600r thundercat and it looks the business- spend time and itll look ace. will be the first thing i do on my new r1 when i get it asap! can hardly wait- question on the 2002 r1 what is the frame/ swingarm made of? are these alloys of some kind resistant to rust? are they able to be polished? what can and cannot be polished on the 2002 r1 cos when i get it im gonna polish whatever i can like i did with my cat (which is widely regarded in the uk as one of the nicest anywhere ever seen)

Look in the earlier posts of my 02 everything is aluminum and can be polished. You can polish just about everything

lets see some pics of the thundercat.....

ok ill try and get a few pics in for you- tho its in a dealers rite now having the engine swapped over...i blew the crankshaft horsing it on too much against a guy on a cbr...doh! thats why im going for a 'better' bike thatll take a little more 'punishment'! (but im gonna be out a small fortune modding it up again tho- ah well all part of the fun!) all the polishing jobs ive seen anywhere on this site look ace! how long does it take working by hand to do the frame, subframe and swinger? are there any really annoying bits on them that you guys found when polishing yours? any advice youd give someone starting the project from scratch? also what about engine casings and so on- are they rust resistant too? (i have carbon covers on my old bike but not aiming for a lot of carbon on my r1.) ps all the other biker mates i have think polishing is a waste of time!(except the dude i was racing on the cbr hes well into it) how the hell is it a waste of time?!?! i think its one of the best mods you can do for v little money but v high visual impact! cant wait!!!itll be a while before i get the engines swapped over, sell the old bike then find a decent model r1 but when i get it i promise ill post pics before, during and after all the polishing. ill basically work non stop till i get it done.

NOT REALLY the thing is i never new how to polish before reading this forum as of last week i spent 700$ on a buffer because i started out small and doing everything by hand but after spending hours of work on polishing by hand and only using the buffer once and getting a better result in one hour then 4 hours of polishing by hand not only did this get addicting Im hooked i have an 04 r1 blue and just started to polish it i hope to have the rims and frame polished by next year but for know just starting small on my bike going to try to polish the stock cans and but baffles in them and chrome the tips..... thanks

I love this shot of my YZF600R. A good example of how well it can come out if you take your time. http://www.clubecm.com/yzf031.jpg Although next time around I will not be polishing them because keeping them clean is a PIA.

Originally posted by blueboy-r1 ...but for know just starting small on my bike going to try to polish the stock cans and but baffles in them and chrome the tips..... thanks I tried to polish the 04 endcaps and found out they're not aluminum. They feel too light to be SS, maybe Ti? Anyways I have one cap that looks like crap now, so they're going to the chrome shop.

Originally posted by 1rahamay I tried to polish the 04 endcaps and found out they're not aluminum. They feel too light to be SS, maybe Ti? Anyways I have one cap that looks like crap now, so they're going to the chrome shop. How are you doing them? if you want send them to me and i will polish them for free just pay for shipping (want to try out my new buffer) if they turn out to look good just pm me to let me know how they look im doing mine today...

Here's mine with polished frame and swingarm... http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid73/pa6d543e6f5306249c2159a8376bda940/fb74c6e2.jpg

Originally posted by blueboy-r1 How are you doing them? if you want send them to me and i will polish them for free just pay for shipping (want to try out my new buffer) if they turn out to look good just pm me to let me know how they look im doing mine today... With Alum parts I first start with a scotchbrite deburring wheel. That gets it close enough to hit with a buff wheel and rouge, and that's it. With the endcaps I did the same steps, but the caps never get a polished look. They get a somewhat shiny look, but looked bad so I just hit them with a scotchbrite pad until I chrome them.

after

This is the wheel I start with

This heel guard took less than 10 minutes of work

did the stock rearset brackets

that's a little better now....

What color rouges are you using?? If I wanted to bring out more shine in an already polished frame, what color should I use?? I have red, black, brown, and white...

I would buy the green!! It is for stainless steel but works great on the non cast parts of the frame!!!

lol...i know this thread is old, but i just had to!

anothertaken without flash in the dark

I'm doing a swingarm, frame and wheels at mo-for a VFR that I'm re-building (cause it was stolen n wrote off, bast*#ds!!). In the mean time, here's the lady. Frame and swingarm so far.....

damn stuff is hard...yo tidbit, you got some time to come check out my stuff? And let me know how to do some better?

heres mine after 4 days of work, wet sanding the black rouge, then red rouge, then white rouge, they are dirty in the pics and need to be polished with the rouge again, but very happy with them, front looks like damn chrome, SWEET, thanks to everyones post in this thread, mine looks the best though :rock

front, oh and j/k about the best thing, wouldnt have looked so good if I hadnt had read everyones posts about there tips and tricks lil dirty here:thumbup

I need to do the tips on my 05 I did not know that thay can look that sick polished.......... Ill post pics when dun