I posted this in my thread in the projects section, but I'm worried it'll get lost... I have a question, and I have a suspicion I know what the majority will say, but I'm currently polishing all the alloy bits, which is very therapeutic as they are very grungy, and I really don't want to have to do it all my life.
I know there is lacquers for highly polished alloy - what do people think about using lacquer on non high temperature parts - is there anyone out there at all who's done it and is happy with it, or knows someone the same?
Someone must have actually tried it? I'm looking at the shine on my paintwork, and the current shine on the alloy, and thinking that it must go well together. I know I could just keep polishing it but there are bits that aren't always going to be accessible...
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Lacquering Polished Alloy?
Moderators: KeithZ1R, chrisu, paul doran, Taffus
Lacquering Polished Alloy?
Currently restoring a 78 z650
The problem with lacquering is that it is succeptible to stone chips. Once chipped the oxidisation is free to creep under the existing lacquer.
I know the Japs did this when new but have the sneaking suspicion that it was merely to stop oxidisation during transit / shipping.
Oxidisation will occur to any surface left open to air and starts immediately.
To minimise this the surface should be as smooth as possible. (Less area to oxidise when completely smooth).
I would suggest polishing to a mirror finish and leaving bare. I have an old washing machine motor fitted with chuck / arbor to which a mop is then attatched. The finishing mop, with soap, does a splendid job and stays clean for a long time. My Kettle, which you can see in the Pinboard, was done in this way and still looked good after a few years. Incidentally i used chrome cleaner to bring back the shine. It still has the ammonia but is less abrasive than Autosol.
If you are not going to ride your bike then I would agree that lacquering gives the longest lasting finish, but you must key the surface for the lacquer to stick.
If you are going to ride your bike then I would mirror polish and clean every so often.
I suspect you already knew this, but the hard work in the first place will save effort in the long run.
I know the Japs did this when new but have the sneaking suspicion that it was merely to stop oxidisation during transit / shipping.
Oxidisation will occur to any surface left open to air and starts immediately.
To minimise this the surface should be as smooth as possible. (Less area to oxidise when completely smooth).
I would suggest polishing to a mirror finish and leaving bare. I have an old washing machine motor fitted with chuck / arbor to which a mop is then attatched. The finishing mop, with soap, does a splendid job and stays clean for a long time. My Kettle, which you can see in the Pinboard, was done in this way and still looked good after a few years. Incidentally i used chrome cleaner to bring back the shine. It still has the ammonia but is less abrasive than Autosol.
If you are not going to ride your bike then I would agree that lacquering gives the longest lasting finish, but you must key the surface for the lacquer to stick.
If you are going to ride your bike then I would mirror polish and clean every so often.
I suspect you already knew this, but the hard work in the first place will save effort in the long run.
Hi M
I'm gonna run against the pack on this. Below is a pic of my Suzi GT550 motor on completion of resto. It looked JUST the same 2000 miles and 2 years later. No yellowing and no corrosion. The cases were coarse linished NOT highly polished - this is the way they left the factory originally and the 'rough' finish aids adhesion of the lacquer. Also must be ultra clean before spraying - use loads of cellulose thinners on paper towel - clean 3 or 4 times.
And the lacquer - it's 2-pack polyurethene sprayed by Doug Cox at RD Cox and Son Reading. I would never risk anything else.
Give it a go - hell if it all goes horribly wrong it only takes a morning to Nitromors it off!
Oh last thing - if there is ANY trace of salts in the ali this will cause little white corrosion worms to appear within a matter of weeks. Fork sliders are particularly bad for this. I did my Suzi sliders twice before giving up and leaving them bare. Maybe cleaning with an alkaline cleaner might get rid of the salts but you'd have to boil the parts in the cleaner to have it work properly.
I'm gonna run against the pack on this. Below is a pic of my Suzi GT550 motor on completion of resto. It looked JUST the same 2000 miles and 2 years later. No yellowing and no corrosion. The cases were coarse linished NOT highly polished - this is the way they left the factory originally and the 'rough' finish aids adhesion of the lacquer. Also must be ultra clean before spraying - use loads of cellulose thinners on paper towel - clean 3 or 4 times.
And the lacquer - it's 2-pack polyurethene sprayed by Doug Cox at RD Cox and Son Reading. I would never risk anything else.
Give it a go - hell if it all goes horribly wrong it only takes a morning to Nitromors it off!
Oh last thing - if there is ANY trace of salts in the ali this will cause little white corrosion worms to appear within a matter of weeks. Fork sliders are particularly bad for this. I did my Suzi sliders twice before giving up and leaving them bare. Maybe cleaning with an alkaline cleaner might get rid of the salts but you'd have to boil the parts in the cleaner to have it work properly.
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Geoff Meager
- ZedHead
- Posts: 1140
- Joined: 5th Apr 2007
- Location: Dereham. Norfolk.
mothra wrote:MaineKZ - Good to know you gave the fork sliders a real go and it didn't work - so anything highly polished I'll leave as is.
Well, just to be pedantic - the sliders weren't highly polished ex-works, they were coarse linnished and lacquered too. All the 'smooth' ali parts were. But hell, who's counting? If I'd had NOS sliders I'd have lacquered 'em, but I was working with dirty filthy polluted originals, hence the problem !
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jam
Try Griffs in Bristol, they polished and then clearcoated all the covers on my 650 motor for £200, it stayed looking really good for over a year with mileages of upto 600 per week for most of that time. Yes you can end up with stone chips and moisture will ingress under the lacquer, but if you catch them early enough you can touch the spots in with and acrylic lacquer and Tcut them so it's an almost invisible repair. The advantage with this stuff as well, is that when you come to strip it off, you just need to use automotive nitromors and it all bubbles off, leaving a very nicely polished case which requires very little buffing only on the areas where perhaps moisture has got unde it. Their number is 0117 904 2339.
kerrycbx wrote:MainKZ, What's the info on coarse linished and how's that work. Can I do it with my polishing system. Sounds a treat for finishing alloy. I've ended up buying NOS covers to get that look. Thanks
Well it's a secret recipe that took me a while to crack but what you do is highly polish, then essentially 'scratch' the polish back using a very fine rotary fibral mop. In this country Purfect Polishing supply these.
The fine abrasive in the mops replicate a coarse linnish finish with a distinct 'graining' but bear in mind the finish is 'open' so deteriorates quickly unless lacquered.
Of course professional polishers have all the kit to do belt linnishing but I couldn't replicate that using DIY sissal polishing mops - hence my experimenting.
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