yamahaquad350
Well-Known Member
Polishing
Intro
OK...this is going to be the basics on how to polish....first off i want to just start by explaining what exactly your doing....when you polish something your actually taking off the outer metal.....all metals can be polished but there all to a different degree....aluminum is the easiestt metal to polish because its one of the softest metals...parts on the warrior (my warrior anyways) that are aluminum are the clutch cover (thats the big one on the right side), the oil filter cover, clutch/brake levers, most rims, and alot of other things..steal is one of those metals that is pretty much impossible to get to a mirror shine thats why my head pipe is out of the question..one of the things i will suggest so that to make sure you can actually do it is to polish the oil filter cover...it already has no paint and its small and easy to do
What you will need:
-preferably a grinder but a drill should work
-a wool polishing wheel that fits your grinder/drill
-compound (discused later on)
-a grinder with a wire brush (not recomended) or paint stripper for paint removal
-new gasket for clutch cover depending on the stock condtion
-gloves (at times the item your polishing could get pretty hot)
-safety gogles (wich should be worn at all times!) a fume mask would be nice also
-and a good cd/player with alot of batterys!
ok ....first let me tell you with my project of polishing my oil filter cover, two levers, and clutch cover im DONE for awhile....i went threw at least 12 hours of back aching neck throbing agervation but when it was all done with it was worth it! but anyways first your gonna need to know what compound is so that you know what to buy....compound is something that you put on the polishing wheel as it spins which helps take the outer metal off and to polish up whats under...there are diff compounds for diff metals....your gonna wont to get the one made spasificly for the metal your dealing with....if your looking to do the clutch cover youll need the aluminum one...but i got a set with all diff ones...some compounds work on everything some are alittle more corse and work on the harder metal...remember to read the instructions that come with the compound ..each compounds are diff and there are many different types ..some you have to mix some you only have one compound ....some have 4 diff compounds from rough to fine ...but anyways if your going for the clutch cover you will need get the paint off that beast some how i went with what i had which was a hand held grinder with a wire brush...which is the BIGGEST thing i advise aganist .... BECAUSE the wire brush WILL take small little chunks of metal out because aluminum is that soft..and the more improfections you have in the metal the longer it will take to make it have that mirror shine ...so if you can get your hands on some paint striper then that would be the way to go!
once your all set you have your safty gear your polishing wheel and compound and your grinder or drill with polishing bit get set up for the long haul but dont get too comfortable around that extra grinding wheel (i put a hole in one of my coats because it burnt it) cuz if something gets caught in there its gonna hurt
so be careful....now the key to this whole polishing thing is patience put your polishing compound on the wheel and polish in a 1x1inch circular motion ...little by little till you do the whole thing remember to keep putting on polish ....dont put too much that your wasting it but enough that theres some on there at all times...then go over it again....and again....then depending if you have a finer compound for the "next stage" change compounds ...this is a very long time consuming process that will take alot of self motivation so dont get discouraged just keep going...it wont take long befor you start seeing noticeable improvement.....one thing to remember how ever when polishing you ARE taking off the metal so be careful not to make the edge real thin or off from the rest because you may have trouble with getting it to seal off the oil and the letters try and stay off of them as MUCH as posable because you will make them fade out...(alittle polishing is fine just dont sit there and for an hour)....and when polishing dont push REAL hard ...light easy pressure is the key....not too much and not too light to where your not even on it...you CAN burn up your grinder motor (lol i blew my first one up lol) so dont press real hard and be carful not to let it catch and the edge or something while your not paying much attention cuz lol ita scare you awake real fast the first couple of times....also another tip if your using a grinder take the whole guard off so its easier to get in some of the harder to get to spots...also another thing is this can get your working area real dirty...your gonna be throwing up alot of excess compound and micro sized bits of metal so try and find a box or a towel and set it up behind your grinder so alot of the mess isnt all that big a deal.....so now for the fun stuff...the first pic is of the clutch cover after i grinded all the paint off (the grinder i used is in the back ground) and i actually started polishing alittle bit (like 30-45 min worth i think)
the next one is of the first grinder (that whole guard comes off the side for easier accsess) I blew that one up lol...it was an old one ..the new ones cool! craftsman bieotch!(lol even comes with a little lamp but no bulb! ???) you can also see in the pic the compounds to the left of it..the diff colors represent diffrent stages or how rough the surface your deal with is...lol just read the instructions on yours!
this one is of the oil filter cover
and some of the finished bitch of a project it self!
Outro
anyways..that’s about it... after your done soak your piece in hot soapy water to get the exsess compound off...then just get some hand wax and it should be a sexy little piece..... just remember be careful and have fun! dont give up ita all be worth it in the end trust me
if anyone has any questions or concerns please ask thats what im here for...and let me know if this thing was worth the hour i spent on making it! ;D
