polishing frame

[dewie]

Hey Guys,
My name is Duane and am new to the polishing world. I started with my Hayabusa mufflers and foot pegs and grab bar with good success. Then I started the frame. And I'm new to buffing wheels and different compounds. Here are the steps I did.
Gasket remover to eat the hard coating on the frame, vs oven cleaner
100 dry
150 dry
220 dry
320 dry
400 dry
600 dry
800 wet
1000 wet
1500 wet
2000 wet
Then onto wheels,
spiral sewn wheel with black emery
spiral sewn with red tripoli
loose with white compound.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong but there is micro scrathes and a haze all over it. any advise would be great. I tried to attach some pic's but they where to big, this is a link to a bike forum where I asked the same questions but they have pictures. I hope non members can access the page - http://www.extremebusa.com/extreme/s...386#post168386

[mpierich]

If you use emery you can probably stop sanding after 600.

At this point I would try the emery again and see if that takes out the scratches. And if you do each step in a different direction (not always possible), you should be able to tell which one is leaving the scratches.

BTW, tripoli is usually brown in color. Red in most cases is a fine rouge that you'd use after white.

[jrow]

dewie,

Start here if you haven't read it: MOTORCYCLE POLISHING 101 CLASS IS IN SESSION!

You want to match the grit of your sandpaper with the texture of the metal you are trying to polish. No reason to scratch it up and then smooth it out to where it was originally!! You don't not need to sand to anything higher than 320-400 grit. The Emory compound is about 400 grit! After you polish with one compound, change your buff and use the next finer compound, ALSO change the direction that you are polishing also, IE 45 to 90 degrees different. Clean your metal with Acetone every time you change buffs and compounds.
After you clean up your metal and it's fairly smooth just buff it with Emory on a sewn buff or a sisal buff, depending on the metal.
Did the gasket remover, remove the coating on your frame? If it's anodized you may have to use Easy-Off oven cleaner! Also try Aircraft Paint Striper if it's powder coated!

John

[dewie]

Yes I followed that great write up, very helpfull to say the least. I didn't know to use each wheel at a different angle's. I tried to keep it in the same direction that I sanded in ( front to back ). Yeah, the gasket remover ate it up no problem. Them the 100 dry took it right down to bare metal no problem.
So I should
clean it up with acetone
hit it with black emery with sewn or sisal wheel
and in a different direction white compound with loose wheel??

[jrow]

dewie,

The finer grit sand paper you use the less work you have to do before you can start polishing. The object of sanding at a different angle is to sand out the scratches that you made from the previous grit! At times the deeper you sand the more "pits" you're going to run into.
Your progression of polish and wheels is correct.
In the thread that you read you probably read about "greaseless", that may be something you'll want to consider if you stay at the polishing game.

John

[mpierich]

Remember, the reason to cross-sand is not only that it will work faster, but it will allow you to see the previous scratches. Use a strong lamp and look from differet angles. I've found that actually SEEING what you're looking at is an acquired skill, and just as important as the actual polishing.

[snoop]

stop at maximum 600wet, then go emery/sewn, white/sewn or loose, then blue/loose or canton. but before you do the last stage with the blue, go over it with some kind of very fine polish stuff. completely clean it, and then hit it with your blue. thats what worked best for me. hope that helps