News:

This forum is run by RPM and donations from members.

It is the donations of the members that help offset the operating cost of the forum. The secondary benefit of being a contributing member is the ability to save big during RPM Holiday sales. For more information please check out this link: Membership has its privileges 

Thank you for your support of the all mighty FJ.

Main Menu

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

Started by FJmonkey, April 19, 2015, 10:02:26 PM

Previous topic - Next topic
Print
Go Down Pages1 2 3
User actions

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  :dash2: :dash2: :dash2:. 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....

The glass is not half full, it was engineered with a 2X safety factor.

'86 Ambulance - Bent frame, cracked case, due for an overhaul
'89 Stormy Blue - Suits my Dark Side

X-Ray

#1
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 .  :good2:
'94 FJ1200 Wet Pale Brown
'93 FJ1200 Dark Violet/Silver
'84 FJ1100 Red/White

'91 FJ1200 Dark Violet/Silver ( Now Sold)
'92 FJ1200 Project/Resto Dark Violet/Silver (Now Sold)






For photos of my rear wheel swap, heres the link  https://www.flickr.com/gp/150032671@N02/62k3KZ

The General

#2
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.)   :drinks:
`93 with downside up forks.
`78 XS11/1200 with a bit on the side.
Special edition Rocket Ship ZX14R Kwacka

FJmonkey

#3
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.)   :drinks:

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

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...
The glass is not half full, it was engineered with a 2X safety factor.

'86 Ambulance - Bent frame, cracked case, due for an overhaul
'89 Stormy Blue - Suits my Dark Side

Pat Conlon

#4
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.
1) Free Owners Manual download: https://tinyurl.com/fmsz7hk9
2) Don't store your FJ with E10 fuel https://tinyurl.com/3cjrfct5
3) Replace your old stock rubber brake lines.
4) Important items for the '84-87 FJ's:
Safety wire: https://tinyurl.com/99zp8ufh
Fuel line: https://tinyurl.com/bdff9bf3

FJmonkey

#5
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.....  :blush: 

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...
The glass is not half full, it was engineered with a 2X safety factor.

'86 Ambulance - Bent frame, cracked case, due for an overhaul
'89 Stormy Blue - Suits my Dark Side

roverfj1200

#6
April 19, 2015, 10:56:22 PM
 :good2:
1988 FJ1200
1991 FJ1200

Richard.

Troyskie

#7
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.
1984 FJ1100 Ms Effie brand new :)
1984 FJ1100 Pearlie, stock as.
1985 FJ1100 Mr Effie 647,000K and still running hard.
1985 FJ1200 'Yummy' takes a licking & keeps on ticking
2013 Trumpy Tiger 800, let's do another lap of Oz

After all is said and done, more is said than done :)

FJmonkey

#8
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
The glass is not half full, it was engineered with a 2X safety factor.

'86 Ambulance - Bent frame, cracked case, due for an overhaul
'89 Stormy Blue - Suits my Dark Side

movenon

#9
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
Life isn't about having the best, but about making the best of what you have...

1990 FJ 1200

FJmonkey

#10
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.
The glass is not half full, it was engineered with a 2X safety factor.

'86 Ambulance - Bent frame, cracked case, due for an overhaul
'89 Stormy Blue - Suits my Dark Side

Mark Olson

#11
April 20, 2015, 01:17:54 PM
oh , you polishing guys are crazy  :wacko3:

Looks great monkey , gonna shine in the sun and blind us all.
Mark O.
86 fj1200
sac ca.

                           " Get off your ass and Ride"

Troyskie

#12
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.
1984 FJ1100 Ms Effie brand new :)
1984 FJ1100 Pearlie, stock as.
1985 FJ1100 Mr Effie 647,000K and still running hard.
1985 FJ1200 'Yummy' takes a licking & keeps on ticking
2013 Trumpy Tiger 800, let's do another lap of Oz

After all is said and done, more is said than done :)

Firehawk068

#13
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.....  :blush: 

Sure it does!  :sarcastic:

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!  :good2:
Looking forward to seeing how the fork lowers turned out.
Alan H.
Denver, CO
'90 FJ1200

FJmonkey

#14
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!  :good2:
Looking forward to seeing how the fork lowers turned out.

I will post more pictures when all parts are back on the bike.
The glass is not half full, it was engineered with a 2X safety factor.

'86 Ambulance - Bent frame, cracked case, due for an overhaul
'89 Stormy Blue - Suits my Dark Side
Print
Go Up Pages1 2 3
User actions