Re: Polishing-when the aircraft paint remover won't do it

I found something even "meaner" than aircraft paint remover (by the way, thanks Rick) if you have some baked-on lacquer overcoat that the paint remover won't. Permatex spray-on gasket remover. Works great for removing baked-on gaskets, which is why I have it, but it will also take off baked-on anything else too. Between that and a bath in boiling lime juice (Meijer was out of lemon juice, I figured citric acid is citric acid no matter the source) the valve cover from my '81 Seca came out looking brand new. CAUTION: The spray on gasket remover is NASTY stuff, the tiniest speck on bare skin (a drop on your arm for instance) burns like hell. Wear rubber gloves, keep water nearby. As soon as water hits it, it becomes benign ugly tan boogers. Neat stuff. I got it at NAPA, AutoZone has quit selling it in my area.

 

Can we see pictures of the stripped valve cover? I stripped my caliper tonight, with the intention of repainting it, but I liked the polished alum. so well I left it.

 

The spray on gasket remover is some radical stuff for sure. I used it to remove some paint in the past and it doesn't take long. I found out by accident by using it to remove tar from the aluminum tailgate on my dumptruck. It literally melted the tar off and left a nice bright white film on the aluminum. That made it easier to polish and get a good shine to it.

 

I'll get some pictures up as soon as I can. I already put the valve cover back on but it's still quite noticeable.

 

My 750 project bike was neglected outside for 3 years within earshoot of the ocean. All the aluminum has corrosion on it. Besides a flat razor & aluminum cleaner what can you guys recomend for cleaning it up, even if I end up doing a 400-600 wet paper to get a clean surface at the end?

 

800 wet; 1200 wet; 2000 wet; buffing wheel with first red rouge then white; followed by Solvol or Mothers or the polish of your choice. You can have 'em looking like chrome if you want...

 

ouch, sounds like some intensive work, do you think the local prison could give someone in solitary this to do for me??

 

Actually goes rather quickly using the buffing wheel. I WAS doing them by hand, a LOT more labor intensive.

 

Sorry to drag up this old thread but I just got around to taking a couple pics of the valve cover "after." Not polished (except the ribs and "YICS") just degreased and boiled in lime juice (it was late and they were out of lemon juice.)

 

where in MI are you exactly?

 

Cows 'n Pigs 'n Chickens=CAPAC, the gateway to the thumb. A mile N. of I-69 about halfway between M53 and M19.

 

Wow, that looks great bigfitz. When I rebuilt my engine, I painted it a gloss black and sanded the fins for contrast, but left the valve cover pretty much alone. I think doing mine like yours might really be a good contrast against that black.

 

THAT'S RIGHT.

WAKE UP AMERICA!

 

ahahaha, it that supposed to be some dirty joke or is my mind in the gutter?

 

Can't say that a guy from Australia responding to a guy in Michigan has ever put my mind in the gutter no matter how obvious the reference. 8O

lol

 

I believe he was referring to DW's "bumper sticker." Lets' don't go there. Back to the valve cover: I think it makes the bike look "finished" and gives it that muscular hot-rod look, like under the hood of someone's street rod. Between the citrus-based engine cleaner/degreaser and the bath in boiling lime juice, I was really amazed at how well the stains and "graying" came out of the cover. Also, another observation: I just did a boiling LEMON juice treatment on a cover, and it seems like it didn't do quite as good of a job (not as quickly anyway.) I wonder if lime juice really is stronger acid-wise than lemon?

 

Hi Fitz, is that red the original color? Looks very good! My cover is looking kinda ratty, and I want to do something with it while I have it off to check my valve clearances.

Saw your location, but never put 2+2 together. I had my 1100 up there last month for Schultz' auto show in town. Did you happen to make it there? My wife had her brother's 65 Corvette in that show. A lot of very nice vehicles there that day. Have a good one, Mike

 

Gonna give the valve cover on the CB a go with the Permatex spray-on gasket remover. Hope the results are the same.

Used to run around Imlay and Lapeer a bit growing up just south of ya there on the lake Fitz.

 

That Permatex Spray Gasket remover works great. Didn't have enough time to remove the valve cover but did the carb tops on the CB as they were just as ugly. After a little buffing they came out great!

 

Yeah that is some MEAN stuff. I only use it when the "normal" aircraft paint remover won't get through what's left of the lacquer coating. What got the cover so sparkly was the boiling lime juice after the paint remover. Mikey; Nope, the cover on the '81 was originally just nekkid metal. My '83 is black with the ribs ground back off to silver by Yamaha which gave me the idea. The red is Dupli-color engine enamel. I masked off the area, sprayed like 4 coats and then wet-sanded it back to the metal on the 'YICS' and ribs, which then got highly polished. It really looks like it's supposed to be that way. And yes I was up at the Sholtz show, I live 3 blocks away.

 

YEA..CONFUSIN..LOL

when sanding or polishing AREAS THAT ARE FLAT AND HAVE A 90 DEGREE COUNTER SURFACE, GOOOO VERRRRY LIGHTLY ON THOSE, ITS ALUMINUM, YOU CAN DISH THEM OUT AND RUIN THE SHARP EDGE, GOOGLE A FEW SITES ABOUT POLISHING MOTORCYCLES, THERE ARE SOME VERY GOOD ONES AND SOME VERY GOOD ADVISE THERE...