Stock shifter cleans up nice

[ReBall]

Hot off the polishing wheel :biggrin:

 

[Hilarious]

Did you clearcoat that so it doesnt rust?

Looks nice.

:beer:

[ReBall]

No I didnt clear coat it but I think as long as I stay on top of it and keep some mothers on it It should be fine. I plan on polishing my bike before and after every ride/trip. I did my motor mounts,stock stem,stock bar clamps, rear brake,and jugs a while ago and they all show no signs of rust. Thanks Rich

[racer]

I did my motor mounts,stock stem,stock bar clamps, rear brake,and jugs a while ago and they all show no signs of rust. Thanks Rich

some of those parts are Al. but id def clear the ones that arent.

[ReBall]

kool clear coated it and it looks the same :beer: . I was told the clear coat would make it look yellow but it doesnt not only that me and paint are a BAD mixture. I guess I'll go ahead and do my stem now. Thanks guys Rich

[samdust]

No I didnt clear coat it but I think as long as I stay on top of it and keep some mothers on it It should be fine. I plan on polishing my bike before and after every ride/trip. I did my motor mounts,stock stem,stock bar clamps, rear brake,and jugs a while ago and they all show no signs of rust. Thanks Rich

what are u using to do that i had the same idea but i cant figure out what to use. tell me what ur using

[bigboybanshee]

what are u using to do that i had the same idea but i cant figure out what to use. tell me what ur using

 

Sandpaper and a buffing wheel. Use 400 grit, then 800, then 1000 or higher depending on how much shine you want, then use a buffing wheel on either a bench or die grinder to polish it up.

 

For the sanding, you can also use rol loc discs on a die grinder, they work awesome. They come in 3 standard grits, coarse, medium, and fine. For the shifter you could use the medium then fine rol loc pads, and then hit it with the buffing wheel.

 

You can polish this stuff without a buffing wheel if you want to grab a can of mothers polish and throw in a good bit of elbow grease, but the wheel on a grinder will give you the best results. :beer:

[samdust]

Sandpaper and a buffing wheel. Use 400 grit, then 800, then 1000 or higher depending on how much shine you want, then use a buffing wheel on either a bench or die grinder to polish it up.

 

For the sanding, you can also use rol loc discs on a die grinder, they work awesome. They come in 3 standard grits, coarse, medium, and fine. For the shifter you could use the medium then fine rol loc pads, and then hit it with the buffing wheel.

 

You can polish this stuff without a buffing wheel if you want to grab a can of mothers polish and throw in a good bit of elbow grease, but the wheel on a grinder will give you the best results. :beer:

can i see a pic of a buffing wheel i wouldnt even know were to get one. i need to know what it looks like. and u just sand paper the hell out of it huh. well im impressed

[bigboybanshee]

can i see a pic of a buffing wheel i wouldnt even know were to get one. i need to know what it looks like. and u just sand paper the hell out of it huh. well im impressed

 

Well, it's a "little" more in depth than that but yeah, you sand it real smooth then polish it. You use the heavier grit paper to take out flaws and scratches and you work your way up through the finer grits to get that smooth finish. Usually people don't polish steel because it will rust if you don't protect it with clear coat. Typically, people will chrome steel parts. Aluminum parts can be polished to a mirror shine though.

 

Here is a pic of a buffing wheel on a bench grinder

 

Here is what you would look for at the hardware store (home depot, etc)

 

This is what one looks like that you hook up to a die grinder

[ReBall]

I got this kit off the web Thats for polishing car rims. It has sanding compound thats good ,then I hit it with finer sand paper and so on just like the above post said. I just wanted to add the habor frieght has everything you need. I didnt find this out until I ordered everthing off the net. Also even if the steel parts rust its still a nice alternitive to black while your waiting for money to buy billet. The stock stem is night and day over the black paint and as long as your not keeping your bike in the back yard you should be ok. I have had my stem done for a while now with no rust. I did clear coat it the other day though.Take care Rich

[svb]

How long did it take you to do that?

[ReBall]

How long did it take you to do that?

 

about an hour or less.there wasnt a whole lot of sanding invovled.I couldnt tell you for sure though cause I was polishing all night,doing other stuff and such. I actually like polishing.It sorta feels like fishing and I love fishing.

[csrmel]

if you dont clear coat it you will be polishing it very often to keep the rust off. but you said you are already going to do that. but i just hate to see ya go through so much trouble. try a shot of clear. in the worst case you can awalys strip the clear off and just go back to polishing it.

[ClimbAnyHill]

That looks good, how much time did you put into it?

[Shee-Male]

polished steal just won't last, even with clear coat, the first chip....and it's all over.