Polishing Valive Cover

So I'm finally gotten around to adjusting my valves on my old 1980 XJ650. Carbs are all clean and ready to be installed.

I tried cleaning it up with 00 and 000 steel wool and barkeepers friend... its clean but still looks like crap. Whats the best way to polish these aluminum valve covers? I hate to put it back on looking like this after all the TLC I've put into this bike.

Attached pic is what it looks like after my attempt at cleaning. After 30+ years she deserves to be brought back to her former glory, I'm cleaning up the rest of this bike. Any suggestions?

 

I think I still see 30-year-old clear coat lacquer on there. Strip that off first with aircraft remover.

There are a few polishing threads here with good info. Some people get their aluminium parts as shiny as a mirror - someone even did it to they oil fill cap!

 

Where can I get "aircraft remover"? I got planes all over the place! 8O

 

What you gettin'' at, Bob? 8O 8O 8O

 

I think I'm gonna get a buffing wheel for my drill... and some also for my dremel which will probably help getting into the lettering and little crannys.

 

I thought I had OCD tendencies.

I'm just jealous and not that patient!

 

you can get aircraft stripper at most auto stores....

 

any paint dept. ie walmart, menards, autostores, farm & fleet stores, etc.

Its a larger spray can any typically around $8 usd.

 

Just don't get it anywhere you want to keep the paint.

I use a bench buffer, much less work. Although i did use the dremel on the 710 cap and the spokes on the rims.

 

Another TIP I got on this forum - Permatex Gasket Remover in airesol can.

I got one in a small can that came with a brush on tip instead of a normal spray nozzle.

Its good at getting out really stuck on stuff on small crevices or where you don't want to SPRAY remover.

 

Thanks fellas.

 

And I thought an aircraft stripper worked in the bar on a 747!!!!

 

I get aircraft paint remover at the auto parts in quart cans, like paint thinner. It's a thick liquid gel you brush on.

You might find this helpful: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/p=1 ... tml#187762

 

and try to stay away from steel wool, it can embed small steel particulate into the soft aluminum and when water gets on it, small little rust flecks can sometimes occur. just a word of advide

happy buffing!!

 

Did some work this weekend using 800grit and some mothers and buffer wheels. I have a bit more work to do and then 1000 grit and final polish but I'll get it looking decent.

Any ideas on the type of clear coat I should use on it?

 

Some explanation may be in order here.

Polishing is using wet sandpaper to smooth the surface of the part. A necessary step to achieve a pinhole free finish.

Buffing is using a compound and wheel as your sanding medium to wet sand even finer, more microscopic holes in the surface of the part.

You want to polish the part first, then buff. Use 800g, 1000g, 1500g, etc. moving in a different direction each time your switch grit so that you can tell when all the previous grit polish is out of the part.

After polishing, then move on to buffing. Here is where all the wet sanding you did previously comes in to play. If you are using a bench buffer then you can pretty much stop at 800g sandpaper. If using a Dremel or drill, then you will want to move on to 1000g. If you are going to leave a satin finish, then go all the way to 2000g.

If you want the mirror shine, like chrome, then buffing is in order.

The valve cover is looking good, but if you are buffing in between grits then you are just wasting your time and materials.

 

I just discovered you are 100% correct. I had wet sanded most of the finish off with 800 then went to buffing with dremel (with some red compound) then went to mothers and brought up an almost chrome finish on parts of it.

So just this evening I went back to wet sanding the remove the remaining finish and oxidation. Now all the buff shine is totally gone so I wasted my time doing that. But at least I know how good it will look with buffing and the Mothers.

I think one more wet sand with 1000 grit all over will do it then finish up with buffing only.

This is a lot of work. I've learned something though for the other covers. Thanks for the input.

@Fitz: I looked at a can of that gasket remover at autozone but it was $10 for a tiny can. For what little finish there was left I figured it wasn't worth it so I substituted elbow grease.

 

Very nice write-up fitz. However you mentioned using lime juice once and I must protest. That's for Margaritas! 8O Don't waste it.

 

Rub, rub, rub and rub more -- try not to use paper too rough 1500 - 2000 stuff -- scratches just have to be then removed -- try a buff wheel it's tough to get into the right angle spots... or one of these with small buff wheels http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PT ... 00_s00_i00

This stuff works for me too (to finish up):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004MN ... 04_s00_i00

Some times it takes a few days -- work till you get "peeved" over it -- put it aside and do more the next day -- after several days it comes out well

 

+1 dmccoach!

 

Holy cow! Engine is looking sweet there dmcoach. That is the way I want mine to look.

 

Which is why I love my bench buffer, cuts about 75% off the time it takes to do one part.

kontiki, FYI, use a buff wheel with brown or white compound to remove the polish. Red rouge is just for shine, there is no cutting action. Same with Mother's, it's just used to remove slight oxidation, It doesn't smooth out the microscopic holes, which is what makes the mirrored shine.

 

Yes, Aircraft Paint Remover is $10+ for a quart can. But that can goes a LONG WAY and sure saves a whole lot of elbow grease.

After stripping, you can do it all with light wet sanding, an electric drill and some cheapo buffing wheels from Home Depot. This bike spent 4+ years straight outside (in Michigan, winter and all) before I got it and brought new meaning to the to the words "grey mottled corrosion." No bench buffer and a lot was done purely by hand:




Wet sanded and electric drill/hand polished (different bike than above



Those three lines are all that was left of some serious road rash; I didn't want to sand away any more metal. At least it's better than the crudely repaired cover it replaced, and I still haven't found a better "late" cover.

 

Fitz... how about I just deliver my bike to you over the winter?

 

Man that's a pretty bike, Fitz. One of these days I'm going to have to get a seca...

 

Very sweet Fitz! There are other things on my xj650 I want to polish up also but I'm taking a top down approach. :^)

After a lot of work my valve cover is nearly finished. I just need to give it a final buff out and then clear coat it with something. I am still deciding on what I want to spray it with... or even if I should spray it at all.

I'll post a final pic of my cover here shortly.

 

Clear coating will darken the alu and will only fade or chip in the future - just leave it naked and ocassionally polish/protect it with Mother's or similar for (IMHO) a better look

 

Roger that. Thanks.

 

Re: Polishing Valive Cover - finished

Well, it took a lot of elbow grease and some dremel action. It would have been nice to have a professional buffing machine but alas... this will have to be as good as it gets for my purposes. This is a hard part to polish because all of the cracks and crevasses.

I still need a 255 shim before I can button this thing up, if someone has one to trade I'll give 3 different other sizes in trade.

 

That looks really nice. As mentioned above, steer clear of applying lacquer (which won't stick to that shiny surface anyway) and just keep it buffed up now and again by hand. Use Solvol Autosol or similar with a soft duster.

 

Nice job