Christmas vacation has started.

[ribbert]

Just so happens I will be at the Flowerdale pub next Easter. How about we organise a Southerners Saturday ride, for those FJ & XS blokes, down there for the Broadford Bonanza.
http://www.ma.org.au/index.php?id=1808

There`s also accommodation available at the pub and it`s close to Broadford!

Ummmm......maybe you should put it up as a new thread, seeing you are the host.

ummmmmm......do ya want me to post that pic of what ya Really look like?   (`scuse tha threat!)     

Excellent idea Doug, Flowerdale is only about 30 kays from Broadford and about an hour from here, there are some great roads around there although I imagine they would be crawling with traffic and cops that weekend.

I like it, I'll work on it.

Noel

What are you coming down on?

[The General]

Just so happens I will be at the Flowerdale pub next Easter. How about we organise a Southerners Saturday ride, for those FJ & XS blokes, down there for the Broadford Bonanza.
http://www.ma.org.au/index.php?id=1808

There`s also accommodation available at the pub and it`s close to Broadford!

Ummmm......maybe you should put it up as a new thread, seeing you are the host.

ummmmmm......do ya want me to post that pic of what ya Really look like?   (`scuse tha threat!)     

Excellent idea Doug, Flowerdale is only about 30 kays from Broadford and about an hour from here, there are some great roads around there although I imagine they would be crawling with traffic and cops that weekend.

I like it, I'll work on it.

Noel

What are you coming down on?

Jetstar Easter Friday. Then Arnie`s Aprilia. Jet out Easter Monday. 

[aviationfred]

I made the short 5 hour drive to my dad's house at the senior citizens playground, (The Villages). And just like when I got to South Carolina, I brought the rain with me. I did get to see a cousin that I have not seen since 1990. My daughter under the snow machine and my son with my Uncle's 1929 Ford Model A.




There was also a gathering of FJ's and a great day of riding. http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=13076.msg131131;boardseen#new



Fred

[ribbert]

Well, after my oil cooler installation mishap, the bike is ready to rip, only problem, it's 42 degrees today. Too bloody hot to ride anywhere.

I have said many times I like the look of, but not the extra work of polished headers. After removing the exhaust to install the cooler I was faced with replacing the pipes I removed:



But then these were sitting in the corner with nothing but a layer or dust on them, hmmmm......... I weakened. Don't expect any future photos of them in this condition, I do not intend to keep them like this (actually, that's not true, I know full well what I'll end up doing and hate myself already)



I still want to look into the black chrome option, but for now, they do look better.

I polished these pipes over time just for the exercise, each one using a different process and up close they all look different.

They were getting better by the end. These pipes have over 200,000 kms on them.





Noel

[aviationfred]

The vacation is about at an end. 1100 miles to make it home. By the way, Kansas got snow last night and more is expected this evening.

[movenon]

Noel those pipes are beautiful ! You do high quality work.

Fred I like your trailer. You did a good job modding that trailer. Ideal for a couple of FJ's. That would be nice to tow behind my fifth wheel.
George

[Dan Filetti]

I polished these pipes over time just for the exercise, each one using a different process and up close they all look different.

They were getting better by the end. These pipes have over 200,000 kms on them.

OK, so WTH Noel, you say the above, then don't offer an opinion as to which method was the 'best'/ 'easiest'/ 'most fun'... in your opinion?  I've read varied accounts of folks getting pipes to look like that, and most of them seem to be a fairly involved and concerted effort. I know Father Pat, and Leon (I think) love the Simichrome, was that your end-state solution too?

Do tell.

Dan 

[aviationfred]

Made it back to Kansas. A wonderful holiday was had by all. A week in South Carolina with Family. I met and spent a rainy afternoon with a new FJ owner, Mark (LtPwnzor). Rode to the beach with my daughter, made a trip to Savannah, GA. with my son. A week spent in Florida spent with more Family. The kids went to Disney World. An awesome day riding with Steve, Scott, and Jeff. Sadly as all vacations go, it had to end. After spending 2 weeks with temps above 65*f. I made it back to Kansas. Bitter cold, 4*f and snow.

This is what I came home to.

[ribbert]

OK, so WTH Noel, you say the above, then don't offer an opinion as to which method was the 'best'/ 'easiest'/ 'most fun'... in your opinion?  I've read varied accounts of folks getting pipes to look like that, and most of them seem to be a fairly involved and concerted effort. I know Father Pat, and Leon (I think) love the Simichrome, was that your end-state solution too?

Do tell.

Dan 

......and very likely polishing the headers....though i'm still pondering that effort vs return.

Don

Dan, we're all men here, you can say WTF.

I had though about posting this at the time but thought better of it, so, against my better judgement and because you asked so nicely, here it is.

I have said a number of times I have no interest in polished pipes but I must say after a few days of riding with them I have taken quite a shine to them.




Getting that sort of finish was not the point of the exercise, expediting the process was.
If I had something handy to remove the paint, then the whole process is probably 30 mins per pipe and involves NO hand polishing, it is not labour intensive.

In the absence of something to dissolve the paint I rubbed it off with emery cloth under a running tap. The cloth degrades at just the right rate so at first it removes the paint quickly and then progressively smooths the metal enough to move straight onto mechanical polishing. Having a stripper (yes, I know you can get it) and not having to rub the paint off would make it a lot easier. I will do this on the next set. A couple of grades of W&D would have the same effect but take a lot longer.

Then it's simply a case of working it on a rag wheel. I did try a stitched wheel and course polish as an intermediate step but it was a little too aggressive and turned out not to be necessary.

Polishing is a bit of a black art and is about speed, pressure, duration and heat and constantly assessing the results as you go and that is impossible to describe.

Heat plays a big part in closing the pores of the surface over and these parts at times were so hot I could barely hold them through leather gloves.

I only used one grade of polish on the rag wheel, green. That was enough to jump straight from rubbing the paint off to the finish you see.

I cannot imagine how long it would take to do this by hand or believe the same standard could be achieved, it is a job I wouldn't even consider taking on. I imagine you would have to work up through many grades of abrasives to get there with an incredible amount of rubbing, this is where mechanical polishing allows you to jump some steps without compromising the end result.

I do the same on my screens, they a mostly machine polished.

SS is great stuff to polish, it has just the right level of hardness and the surface is fine.
I just did this (below) half an hour ago. This was with the SS underneath unscratched, as it would be if chemically stripped (I just polished straight through the paint)







These I started refitting as they came off and looked pretty bad, I quickly cleaned them up on a wire wheel which scratched shit out of the soft aluminium and then buffed them really hard on the wheel, 5 mins each and while not perfect, they are good enough. These got so hot I couldn't hold them through leather gloves. You can't do that by hand.



This is the rag wheel that makes it a breeze and the single grade of polish I used.

 

So, the bottom line is, find something that will chemically strip the paint ( or rub it off, but this makes more work getting rid of the scratches) 30 mins playing around on the rag wheel and you have one of these.
I did try hand polishing one of the finished pipes to see if there was any further improvement, there wasn't.



Despite my misgivings about something else to keep polished, they do look good.

I realise these are only photos and not video, but it did happen   

So maybe now we can debunk the myth about polishing pipes.

Noel

[Pat Conlon]

Thanks Noel, very cool... 
A lesson I learned was to wipe off my fingerprints before I heated up those shiny tubes (engine start)
The fingerprints have a way of burning into the finished surface....aaaagh.
Multiple rundowns with laquer thinner or alcohol is your friend.

[Dan Filetti]

Dan, we're all men here, you can say WTF.

Ha! The funny thing is that I originally did have 'WTF" but went back and changed it to 'WTH' so as not to have you think I was actually emotional...

Good write-up, thanks.  I suspect Pat and Leon think you're a polishing heretic though....

Dan

[ribbert]

Thanks Noel, very cool... 
A lesson I learned was to wipe off my fingerprints before I heated up those shiny tubes (engine start)
The fingerprints have a way of burning into the finished surface....aaaagh.
Multiple rundowns with laquer thinner or alcohol is your friend.

When doing the final buff and fitting them to the bike I wear cotton under gloves. They're a dollar a pair at the supermarket and last until you loose them. 

Noel

[ribbert]

I suspect Pat and Leon think you're a polishing heretic though....

Dan

...and you know what they do with heretics on the forum, they digitally tie them to a digital stake and digitally place them in the digital camp fire. I can feel my digital arse getting digitally hot already.

Noel