Man shed day with Father pat - Teach the Monkey how to polish

FJmonkey · April 19, 2015, 10:02:26 PM

I had a really good day today with Pat. My forks were looking like crap and I wanted to clean them up for the rally. Some time ago I stripped off the clear coat and they looked alright. Then weather set in and bugger!!! And my RPM exhaust was abused by my '86 running lean and cooking the SST headers past golden and into brown. Some before images.

My '89 tri-pod

Stuff that needs polish

Pat working on the mid-pipe

Pat took a few pics of me at work learning to polish with his new shop toy.

Now it is time to show some side by side pics...

I should have taken a pic of the massive sandwich Pat's wife made for our lunch. I forgot to take the second half when I left

. Pat and his wife were terrific hosts.

And I almost forgot to mention... If you spend time with Pat, he is a "Pusher", not sure about dealer.... He gave me my first sample for free... I have seen this on cop shows...

I can't wait to install the RPM system and get it to a nice golden color to fit the '89. Maybe I need to Gold anodize the fork lowers and wheels on this FJ....

X-Ray · April 19, 2015, 10:23:06 PM

Nice results! Always feels good to get things accomplished, even better when you have someone there to encourage you .

The General · April 19, 2015, 10:24:01 PM

....Shit!....he even wears a brilliant white Shirt, that apparently remains so, throughout the polishing operation!

Most of us Aussies can`t even do that when we eat! (I need an icon that bows down in praise.)

FJmonkey · April 19, 2015, 10:34:53 PM

Quote from: The General on April 19, 2015, 10:24:01 PM
....Shit!....he even wears a brilliant white Shirt, that apparently remains so, throughout the polishing operation!

Most of us Aussies can`t even do that when we eat! (I need an icon that bows down in praise.)

Not exactly brilliant white... His body is hiding the sins, er, reverence to the shine...

I knew from others in the manufacturing industry that polishing is dirty work. And gritty if you forget to close your mouth during the process...

A most enjoyable day... The shower after getting home was most rewarding...

Pat Conlon · April 19, 2015, 10:37:36 PM

Doug, trust me, it only looks white from the back...it was the only long sleeved t shirt I have. It was warm today in the desert.

Mark, I really had fun today, thanks for coming out. BTW I ate the other half of your sandwich, it was good.

See if you can get a pict of your forks, they really turned out good.
One fork we did the old school way, progressive wet sand, 320/600/1000/2000 then multi coats of Simichrome. Took about 1.5 hours. I have always (until now) resisted cutting aluminum on a power buffer, always worried about ripples on the soft aluminum.

The second fork Mark did on the buffer. Took about 15 minutes. It turned about great. Mark is a natural.

It was a good day.

FJmonkey · April 19, 2015, 10:52:16 PM

Pat, it was good to learn something new and a quicker way to get a good result. Using the back side of the forks was a good test of the power equipment and a happy polished Monkey.... Not sure if that translates well.....

I will post up pics when I get things assembled and back in running condition...

I want Randy to see his headers polished and warmed up to a nice golden hue...

roverfj1200 · April 19, 2015, 10:56:22 PM

Troyskie · April 20, 2015, 03:58:17 AM

Just been foolin with the wet dry myself. My forks are looking pretty weathered. What rouge did you use? Do you reckon a bench grinder with a cloth buff wheel would work well enough? I've only a little domestic Makita, not as powerful as what I see you used.

FJmonkey · April 20, 2015, 08:52:10 AM

Quote from: Troyskie on April 20, 2015, 03:58:17 AM
Just been foolin with the wet dry myself. My forks are looking pretty weathered. What rouge did you use? Do you reckon a bench grinder with a cloth buff wheel would work well enough? I've only a little domestic Makita, not as powerful as what I see you used.

We discovered by testing, that we could use the powered wheel on the aluminum. Pat was originally concerned that the powered wheel was too strong and aggressive and would gouge/ripple the aluminum surface. So we did the first fork by hand as Pat described. Starting with a coarse grit and working up with finer grits with wet sanding. Then a final Sim-chrome polish. Being the lazy ass that I am I wanted to try the sisal cutting wheel (http://www.pjtool.com/sisal-buffing-wheel.aspx) with the black compound. I tested it on a the inside of the fork leg so if I do mess things up it won't be seen. It worked really well. Then I ventured on to visible parts of the fork and had about 80% done cutting out about an hour or so of manual work. Then I moved over to the rag polishing/buffing wheel with the green compound and that worked equally as well. I am not sure what grit each color is but they come in packs or sold individually. http://www.pjtool.com/jewelers-rouge-polishing-kit.aspx

movenon · April 20, 2015, 11:29:54 AM

Looks beautiful Mark ! One nice thing about shiny headers is you can get a "read" on the exhaust temp by visually checking the color at the top end of the pipe. At least all 4 should look the same ? I like your new ride. Here is a link also for polishing information and compounds. http://www.caswellplating.com/buffman.htm
George

FJmonkey · April 20, 2015, 12:05:44 PM

Quote from: movenon on April 20, 2015, 11:29:54 AM
Looks beautiful Mark ! One nice thing about shiny headers is you can get a "read" on the exhaust temp by visually checking the color at the top end of the pipe. At least all 4 should look the same ? I like your new ride. Here is a link also for polishing information and compounds. http://www.caswellplating.com/buffman.htm
George

Excellent web page on polishing and buffing. Regarding pipe color, when Randy saw my RPM headers he pointed out that the much darker (brown) indicated that my '86 is running lean and getting too hot. Now that the pipes are clean and shiny I will see how the '89 runs.

Mark Olson · April 20, 2015, 01:17:54 PM

oh , you polishing guys are crazy

Looks great monkey , gonna shine in the sun and blind us all.

Troyskie · April 20, 2015, 02:12:55 PM

Quote from: FJmonkey on April 20, 2015, 08:52:10 AM
We discovered by testing, that we could use the powered wheel on the aluminum. Pat was originally concerned that the powered wheel was too strong and aggressive and would gouge/ripple the aluminum surface. So we did the first fork by hand as Pat described. Starting with a coarse grit and working up with finer grits with wet sanding. Then a final Sim-chrome polish. Being the lazy ass that I am I wanted to try the sisal cutting wheel (http://www.pjtool.com/sisal-buffing-wheel.aspx) with the black compound. I tested it on a the inside of the fork leg so if I do mess things up it won't be seen. It worked really well. Then I ventured on to visible parts of the fork and had about 80% done cutting out about an hour or so of manual work. Then I moved over to the rag polishing/buffing wheel with the green compound and that worked equally as well. I am not sure what grit each color is but they come in packs or sold individually. http://www.pjtool.com/jewelers-rouge-polishing-kit.aspx

Good stuff thanks mate.

Firehawk068 · April 20, 2015, 02:49:34 PM

Quote from: FJmonkey on April 19, 2015, 10:02:26 PM

Quote from: FJmonkey on April 19, 2015, 10:52:16 PM
Using the back side of the forks was a good test of the power equipment and a happy polished Monkey.... Not sure if that translates well.....

Sure it does!

Simi-Chrome

Simi = short for "Simian": of or relating to monkeys or apes

Chrome = Very shiny surface, ie: Polished

Therefore, SimiChrome = "Polished Monkey"

Seriously, very nice job on the pipes!

Looking forward to seeing how the fork lowers turned out.

FJmonkey · April 20, 2015, 03:55:20 PM

Quote from: Firehawk068 on April 20, 2015, 02:49:34 PM
Seriously, very nice job on the pipes!
Looking forward to seeing how the fork lowers turned out.

I will post more pictures when all parts are back on the bike.

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Man shed day with Father pat - Teach the Monkey how to polish