Beautiful job! I did this by hand! For my 1990 Yamaha fj1200. Looked great but not as easy as you made it look. This looks so much easier lol. Makes all the difference if you want to restore a vintage bike back to life again.
I was going to ask the same; I have polished aluminum parts in the past and they've oxidized back to a matt finish in a matter of weeks. I'm assuming some sort of clear coat (2K for preference) would be needed.
Actually Mathew I give a thumbs up; great job and video. Due to personal incidents wearing gloves and rotating machinery (drills, rotary wire brush ) and several TH-cam pros warning against wearing gloves; I decided to take their advice. I keep a bucket of water at the floor and dip the alloy piece which saps the heat immediately; then back to polishing , happy days .
with practice on alloy you don't need to go above 400... (with pink rouge used afterwards on a 6 to 8inch or above wheel) I polish for a living and what you have shown here is pretty much what we do. Great seeing how other people do things...! great video
Great video 👍👍. I just bought this setup for my shop. I do restorations on cars and motorcycles. This is going to save me money to pay my polishing guy every time I need something done. Thank you for sharing your way of polishing parts.
I always try to go high as I can with sand paper and it will cut down buffing time. Wet 2000 grit does wonders on aluminum. Nice video. Ignore all of the negative comments. I can tell you got skills bro.
i use a dremel tool with polishing bits for hard to reach areas like the bolt holes, engraved letterings, i use it to polish carbs. i'm on a budget so i do wet sanding with 400/800/1000/2000 grit, 320 grit for heavily oxidized parts, then straight to autosol polishing compound.
This is by far the best explanation I've seen and the best method. I've used this method for 16 years myself to yield professional results every time. I cringe when I see people start at 120 or 180 and hand sand all the way to 2500!! Awesome video!!
Scotch brite wheels of different grits will give you the same finish properly used, until final polishing that will require a polish such as simichrome or autosol. Also to protect your finish from re-tarnishing from the elements , i would use a crystal clear coat spray from Eastwood products, which will not peel or yellow & is specifically used for non ferrous metals.
I I have no idea how to do this and thanks to your video I’ve got a good head start. I could not find 2 inch sanding pads for my DA sander like you have and Eastwood have these supplies as well as all the buffing materials so I’m using your video as a primer to polishing practically the same parts seen in your video. Big thanks...i subscribed. I am looking for a buffer, found one on northern tool....staying away from HF junk. Thanks again for the great instruction!
I needed to polish some aluminum parts and watched your video. It was very informative and now I know what I need to do to achieve a remarkable end product. So this video is just what the doctor ordered. What is very surprising is in reading the commits I am blown away with what appears to be some of the viewers who seem to be jealous and resentful that you may have received a generous offering from Eastwood. Who cares how you acquired your equipment, provided you didn't steal it. When one becomes envious and resentful over someone else and what others have, that is a condition as bad as cancer or some other disease
There will always be haters. I see I wrote "commits" instead of "comment". Oh well. I already had some inexpensive things from Harbor Freight, so my equipment wasn't professional grade but the result was a lot better than I was expecting.
I dont understand the stupid comments . I am working doing the same work on my bike, actually the same part and a bunch of others. Great instructional video. Thanks for a video well done.
Ignore all the dislikes and haters, you're making great videos man. Loved the intro hahaha, you forgot to add the link for that special elbow grease you used.
Cool video, a word of caution, I would use rubber gloves when sanding aluminum and also use a respirator. I developed a sensitivity to aluminum when I was polishing bicycle parts. Scary to say the least.
Got myself a pile of metal sandpaper and tubes of alloy cleaner and now i need some pain killers for my arthritis and all ready to clean all the Bultaco engines.Been a year now and kept putting it off hoping to find a old 1980 buffer wheel they last forever
Cerakote Ceramic Clears air-cure is an option. Understood to be superior to traditional clear but I have not used it myself or seen the results over time.Initial results are impressive however.
Does anybody know how to seal it after, with a clear coat or something? I just finished doing all the covers on my Honda and don't want them to go bad again. Thanks!
uhh, use a clear coat... not to sound like a jerk, but you already had the answer. go to an autobody shop and ask them what they use on aluminum parts and purchase some. Could also hit up a chrome shop, they might not have some on hand but will give you tons of advice on what to use on your parts based on what conditions they will be exposed to. I don't want to give you a LONGGGGGG answer as to the whys with background info as there are too many az-hats who cant read more than 4 words without complaining. BUT, for spokes and rims and cool covers, I use a standard metal clear-coat with several THIN coats left to cure after each spray.(follow manu's instructions.) For the hot parts, or parts that will flex from pressure, I will ALWAYS consult the experts doing that work for a profession as they always know the best product for that condition at that time. What I used 3 years ago is already outdated today as there are several more newer products. Since this video will be up for a long time, i wouldn't take a recommendation from here. Hit up the shops... OR ... just wash and wax on a regular basis. that works too.
Good video for those who have never done it. WOW 50% have valid comments and constructive critisisum and the other 50% think with their little head! Always amazes me when someone such as yourself takes the time to do a video, regardless of what it is and "Little Heads" trash it to bits. If they are such experts, then they should get off their Gluteus maximus and make a video. Then and only then will they truly understand the complexity of filming, editing and answering follow-up comments.
that piece still has somewhat of a "haze" to it. Do you think you might have eliminated that by taking up to a higher grit when sanding to like 1000 or 1500 before you started using on the buffer? just asking
Very much enjoyed learning along with you. I've gotten pretty clean parts by wet sanding and polishing with drill, but you showed you need the buffer wheel to do a professional job. Question, does the compound get all overt your mask, clothes, walls, ceiling, etc. etc.?
I need to do this on my BSA motorcycle I’m restoring, going to take allot of time and money. Allot of components, rocker covers, timing cover and primary cover etc. Would rather do it myself though and wouldn’t trust anyone else to do it. Thanks for the video!
Instead of using sandbags or bolting your stand to the floor, try bolting it to a rectangular piece of 3/4" plywood. Leave an 18" - 24" "tongue" in front of the stand. Then just stand on the plywood while you are buffing, your weight will hold the buffer in place. This way you can take the buffer outside of your garage and avoid flinging compound all over your walls/floors/ceilings.
Sanding grit = Start at the finest grit you think you will use, then go progressively coarser until you arrive at the grit you need to remove the defects in the part. Stay gold.
Thanks for the video. However, the bikes never came out of the factory with that mirror finish, so my aim is to take a dirty old engine and get it back the 'clean matt' finish like it comes from the factory, rather than to create a mirror on wheels. Do you have any advice to get it back to the factory look? Or is it as simple as skipping the last few polishing steps? Many thanks
not sure if it has been mentioned in the comments, but you should pre-break your sand paper, it will conform to the curves much easier when you use the backer.
Hi, I know this was about polishing the aluminum part and advertising Eastwood products but otherwise it would of been better yo use your vapor blaster first?, Great show!
I,ve done some metal polishing at a place I use to work at. once the chrome and nickel been strip . I looked for scratches and nicks from the rust and how deep. then I look at the thickness off the metal I,m going to polish for rechroming. I agree with you on explaining the surface. when I explain it to the the person who own the car bumper. it went over his head.but he was happy it was in the right hands .before I started polishing years before. a polisher explain on how its done. but I also taught myself. like how many stages I,m going to do. just like you explain it. I,m a short guy which I polish a massive 68 impala bumper here in new zealand. it came out like factory. but better. pitty the chrome platers never had a cooper bath.[ 3 stage plating ]. stainless steal is the hardess metal to polish . great vid mate .awesome on explaining stages
@@mikehunt783 probably not enough. I have a hard enough time doing my parts, I cant imagine doing other peoples. Though, triple trees are many mostly flat surfaces so not as bad as primary covers or other parts with many edges of various sizes. Those I think i would just blast them and then paint. I polished/repaired fogged headlights (plastic ones) and that was ~30 minutes per light with 8 grits and only made $22.50 per car. NOT ENOUGH to do that crap in the cold or heat of the outdoors. Sure as heck wouldnt do metal which can take all dang day for one silly part. Who want to pay $200 in labor for1 complex engine part or 2 covers? @ Jeff, dude, your a better man than me. No way. I would rather go weld stuff...
Wish had a few of them to help clean the Bultaco engines as have 3 to do but no way could afford price so will just rub with chrome cleaner or try making some or could i have yours if you have finished with them as have a stone bench and will fit mine i think
You draw real purty! Do you think they would send me all that stuff at little to no charge? If not then this can't help most of us. We will just have to get Harbor Freight buffing wheels on the grinder. Thanks for the good ideas.
Nice video. I have the same Eastwood setup and am trying to learn how to use it properly. Is there anything you can use to coat the aluminum after it is polished to prevent it from oxidizing again?
I have mixed feelings about Scotch Brite pads with aluminum parts. Yes, they quickly take the part from, say a vapor-blasted finish to a first-level polishing but it will be uneven and even the extra fine pads chew into aluminum and you end up using sandpaper anyway to remove that damage. And they are expensive. Plan on at least one pad ($5) per engine case. Now, I go from vapor (or sand) basting to 600 grit sandpaper (wet) (400 for sandblasting) followed by 1200. Sanding is the only way to get a defect-free finish that is ready for buffing and a high-quality finish.
Looks awesome! Just a heads up Honda clear coats the covers when they make them you can use paint stripper to remove it like the guy in the video about restoring aluminum wheels. The clear coat is why they look so nasty after sitting outside in the sun for many years.
Has anyone used #waterglass to seal the Aluminum parts before polishing? I have been searching around and have not found people doing this step. I remember this from an old "Hot Bike" or "Easy Rider " magazine. Brush on the #waterglass and bake in an oven. This seals any pores in cast Aluminum. Has anyone tried this?
Hey Matthew - ignore the trolls! I have a couple of questions, as a complete novice: (1) do you need a 1HP motor, or would a 1/2 HP motor be sufficiently powerful? I can get a 1/2HP kit for a good price, which is why I ask, but a professional polisher I've used in the past once told me you do need plenty of power - what d'you reckon about 370 Watts / 1/2HP? The other question is simply, what is a DA? Maybe it's an American term, like hood instead of bonnet or gas instead of petrol, so could you please explain what it is? Cheers, John (I don;t see any reason for anyone to complain about the video, by the way - it was helpful to me!)
@@HTMR You really should do a video like that. 'Here is how you polish a part the easy way'... 1. take to a pro and pay $300.00 per hour and 2. sit on a couch like this with a beer.... pass out, wake up the next morning and go pick up part. see... I would sponsor you with a few beers if you actually did a video like that for those that hate explanations or cant read a full sentence without complaining. Please don't stop the videos. Your awesome and I love the background info as to 'why' you do certain things in particular order...
good job. go up the sanding ladder a little higher and try not to sand too much in the area of the logo. i find rouge good enough unless you're entering a show, mainly due to the fact that it most likely be dusty and dirty 10 min into your first ride.
@@HTMR Stuff works great! Especially with a buffing wheel. I polished the internals of a Cz SP-01 with it and a dremel with a felt wheel. Worked great, didnt take long at all.
Try vapour blasting (water) or dry ice blasting and then polish. Mush faster. Pricier investment but you can clean up those covers/case covers in 2-3 minutes and then move on to polish.
People are such morons. The key word here is restoration. I am the original owner of a 1980 CX500custome. Buy a new cover? Matthew keep up the good work. 40 year old cover is right. Thanks matt.
You should have braised aluminum into those scratches you wouldn't have had to sand so much also you should have shot it with gloss black paint first we're all of the wording and indents werethat way you have a nice black background or whatever color
at 8,18 I see a lot of flaking clear coat and the dark spiderwebbing where the gaps in the clear coat have been oxidizing deep down into the metal. get the clear coat off first with aircraft aluminum paint remover, still available at NAPA. If you don't it will foul your scotch bright pads and or sandpaper. Wetsanding is better than dry. Aluminum you dry polish becomes a breathable dust. Wetsanding means less of it fouling up the sandpaper. put some rubber gloves on. Keep aluminum out of your body. I'm a believer too in ending with really fine sandpaper. 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 grit, and I even have some 3000 grit sandpaper. When maintenance polishing bare aluminum parts you can quickly get stuff off with 3000 grit and then go to the mothers and or buffers. It's a pain to keep up bare aluminum but I can not find an over the counter clear coat that doesn't have a little yellowish tint to aluminum parts. must be nice to have them give you so much stuff.
Here are all the Eastwood products used in this video:
Eastwood 1HP Dual Speed Buffer
www.howtomotorcyclerepair.com/1hpbuffmotor
Eastwood Buffer Stand
www.howtomotorcyclerepair.com/bufferstand
Eastwood Abrasive Buffing Wheel
www.howtomotorcyclerepair.com/scotchbritewheel
Eastwood 6” Foam Interference Sander Pad
www.howtomotorcyclerepair.com/interfacepad
Eastwood Small Job Buffing Kit
www.howtomotorcyclerepair.com/smallbuffingkit
Eastwood 2” Right Angle Orbital Sander
www.howtomotorcyclerepair.com/smallorbitalsander
Eastwood 10” Buff Wheel Set
www.howtomotorcyclerepair.com/10inbuffwheelkit
Eastwood Buffing Compound Set
www.howtomotorcyclerepair.com/buffingcompound
Eastwood Buff Rake
www.howtomotorcyclerepair.com/buffingrake
MatthewMCRepair how much did this kit run you?
Beautiful job! I did this by hand! For my 1990 Yamaha fj1200. Looked great but not as easy as you made it look. This looks so much easier lol. Makes all the difference if you want to restore a vintage bike back to life again.
Oh man, I can't imagine doing all by hand. I was even getting sick of sanding.
Great video, very informative, but… I find one thing missing and that’s the final step. What do you use to protect the polished aluminum?
I was going to ask the same; I have polished aluminum parts in the past and they've oxidized back to a matt finish in a matter of weeks. I'm assuming some sort of clear coat (2K for preference) would be needed.
Actually Mathew I give a thumbs up; great job and video. Due to personal incidents wearing gloves and rotating machinery (drills, rotary wire brush ) and several TH-cam pros warning against wearing gloves; I decided to take their advice. I keep a bucket of water at the floor and dip the alloy piece which saps the heat immediately; then back to polishing , happy days .
I will try that, thanks.
Ya have to go to the elbow grease specialty store to get the best elbow grease, rite next to the blinker fluid store
What's the difference between Polish aluminium and aluminium from any other country?
Hahahaha that´s a good one!
Da dum chhh
Good ;)
CloneDaddy the Polish aluminum is a lot less bright!!
@@XXX-qk2cq; I just found it kind of cheap; in a quirky kind of way.
with practice on alloy you don't need to go above 400... (with pink rouge used afterwards on a 6 to 8inch or above wheel) I polish for a living and what you have shown here is pretty much what we do. Great seeing how other people do things...! great video
Great video 👍👍. I just bought this setup for my shop. I do restorations on cars and motorcycles. This is going to save me money to pay my polishing guy every time I need something done. Thank you for sharing your way of polishing parts.
I always try to go high as I can with sand paper and it will cut down buffing time. Wet 2000 grit does wonders on aluminum. Nice video. Ignore all of the negative comments. I can tell you got skills bro.
Thank you!
Man this some quality lecture. You just earn one sub..
i use a dremel tool with polishing bits for hard to reach areas like the bolt holes, engraved letterings, i use it to polish carbs. i'm on a budget so i do wet sanding with 400/800/1000/2000 grit, 320 grit for heavily oxidized parts, then straight to autosol polishing compound.
I need to get a dremel
This is by far the best explanation I've seen and the best method. I've used this method for 16 years myself to yield professional results every time. I cringe when I see people start at 120 or 180 and hand sand all the way to 2500!! Awesome video!!
Scotch brite wheels of different grits will give you the same finish properly used, until final polishing that will require a polish such as simichrome or autosol. Also to protect your finish from re-tarnishing from the elements , i would use a crystal clear coat spray from Eastwood products, which will not peel or yellow & is specifically used for non ferrous metals.
Sweet gift pack. I have skipped right to buffing. No sanding. I found I was causing scratches sanding. If the piece isn’t, trashed, it works nicely.
Fantastic. I live on a Greek island. Any manual tips?
I I have no idea how to do this and thanks to your video I’ve got a good head start. I could not find 2 inch sanding pads for my DA sander like you have and Eastwood have these supplies as well as all the buffing materials so I’m using your video as a primer to polishing practically the same parts seen in your video. Big thanks...i subscribed. I am looking for a buffer, found one on northern tool....staying away from HF junk. Thanks again for the great instruction!
I cut the 2" discs from 5/6" discs with scissors.
Is the elbow grease near the blinker fluid at AutoZone?
I needed to polish some aluminum parts and watched your video. It was very informative and now I know what I need to do to achieve a remarkable end product. So this video is just what the doctor ordered. What is very surprising is in reading the commits I am blown away with what appears to be some of the viewers who seem to be jealous and resentful that you may have received a generous offering from Eastwood. Who cares how you acquired your equipment, provided you didn't steal it. When one becomes envious and resentful over someone else and what others have, that is a condition as bad as cancer or some other disease
Well said, thank you. I can't please everyone I guess.
There will always be haters. I see I wrote "commits" instead of "comment". Oh well. I already had some inexpensive things from Harbor Freight, so my equipment wasn't professional grade but the result was a lot better than I was expecting.
I dont understand the stupid comments . I am working doing the same work on my bike, actually the same part and a bunch of others. Great instructional video. Thanks for a video well done.
Ignore all the dislikes and haters, you're making great videos man. Loved the intro hahaha, you forgot to add the link for that special elbow grease you used.
Thanks. For the elbow grease, just go to any hardware store and ask for it :)
Do you seal the part with a laquer or something similar for the shine to last ?
Hey man great video. Do you think it's possible to polish a Honda Accord engine while in the car? As in getting polished what would be seen?.
Possibly, however it would not be a quality job. Also, you are going to sling compound everywhere.
Very nice. Restoring a 74 H1 and will use your instructions and suggestions. Thanks
Good info on the polishing buddy. Try Steelo soap pads after the sand paper stages and before polishing.
Cool video, a word of caution, I would use rubber gloves when sanding aluminum and also use a respirator. I developed a sensitivity to aluminum when I was polishing bicycle parts.
Scary to say the least.
hi!could you please tell us how much was price for all(machine and pads)?
Bravo, super precious work , good video, respect from old BG!
Got myself a pile of metal sandpaper and tubes of alloy cleaner and now i need some pain killers for my arthritis and all ready to clean all the Bultaco engines.Been a year now and kept putting it off hoping to find a old 1980 buffer wheel they last forever
Also. How do you preserve the shine?
Is there something you can
do to prevent oxidation.
Simichrome polish or acf-50
Cerakote Ceramic Clears air-cure is an option. Understood to be superior to traditional clear but I have not used it myself or seen the results over time.Initial results are impressive however.
Aluminum specific product btw
Does anybody know how to seal it after, with a clear coat or something? I just finished doing all the covers on my Honda and don't want them to go bad again. Thanks!
uhh, use a clear coat... not to sound like a jerk, but you already had the answer. go to an autobody shop and ask them what they use on aluminum parts and purchase some. Could also hit up a chrome shop, they might not have some on hand but will give you tons of advice on what to use on your parts based on what conditions they will be exposed to. I don't want to give you a LONGGGGGG answer as to the whys with background info as there are too many az-hats who cant read more than 4 words without complaining. BUT, for spokes and rims and cool covers, I use a standard metal clear-coat with several THIN coats left to cure after each spray.(follow manu's instructions.) For the hot parts, or parts that will flex from pressure, I will ALWAYS consult the experts doing that work for a profession as they always know the best product for that condition at that time. What I used 3 years ago is already outdated today as there are several more newer products. Since this video will be up for a long time, i wouldn't take a recommendation from here. Hit up the shops... OR ... just wash and wax on a regular basis. that works too.
Would vapor honing first have made a difference?
Absolutely. This video was before I built my DIY vapor blaster: howtomotorcyclerepair.com/diyvaporblasterbuildplans/
I do polishing I sand 180,320,600 buff with the brown bar first then I go green bar after I go white bar for show finish
Good video for those who have never done it. WOW 50% have valid comments and constructive critisisum and the other 50% think with their little head! Always amazes me when someone such as yourself takes the time to do a video, regardless of what it is and "Little Heads" trash it to bits. If they are such experts, then they should get off their Gluteus maximus and make a video. Then and only then will they truly understand the complexity of filming, editing and answering follow-up comments.
True that!
that piece still has somewhat of a "haze" to it. Do you think you might have eliminated that by taking up to a higher grit when sanding to like 1000 or 1500 before you started using on the buffer? just asking
Yes. Or it could have compound left on.
Very much enjoyed learning along with you. I've gotten pretty clean parts by wet sanding and polishing with drill, but you showed you need the buffer wheel to do a professional job. Question, does the compound get all overt your mask, clothes, walls, ceiling, etc. etc.?
Yes, it gets all over the place. Best to do it outside.
wear a mask.use an apron.
How you like the way those new buffing wheels from Eastwood chunk and throw fibers EVERYWHERE!
Pretty much how any buffing goes.
with your vapor blaster how much time would that save you? What steps would you be able to bypass?
Haven't tried it however it would save a ton of time.
@@HTMR might a future video to revisit this topic with the use of a vapor blaster
I need to do this on my BSA motorcycle I’m restoring, going to take allot of time and money. Allot of components, rocker covers, timing cover and primary cover etc. Would rather do it myself though and wouldn’t trust anyone else to do it. Thanks for the video!
How did you deal with the recessed areas around HONDA and the circular trench around the cover...thanks
Push part into wheel, it was able to reach it.
How long lasting is this please? tell me
Elbow grease is that in the same section as blinker fluid
Dont forget the 'Jet wash and wooden welding rods'
hold up, awesome that you did that. No has ever parodied the joke. Eastwood..... make a tv show, compete in events. Something gwad damn...!
Thank you for showing us how to do this. The video was very helpful.
Your welcome!
I have a Honda z50 headlight won’t work can you help
Instead of using sandbags or bolting your stand to the floor, try bolting it to a rectangular piece of 3/4" plywood. Leave an 18" - 24" "tongue" in front of the stand. Then just stand on the plywood while you are buffing, your weight will hold the buffer in place. This way you can take the buffer outside of your garage and avoid flinging compound all over your walls/floors/ceilings.
Good tip, I'll try that.
love the elbow grease part haha
Sanding grit = Start at the finest grit you think you will use, then go progressively coarser until you arrive at the grit you need to remove the defects in the part.
Stay gold.
Thanks for the video. However, the bikes never came out of the factory with that mirror finish, so my aim is to take a dirty old engine and get it back the 'clean matt' finish like it comes from the factory, rather than to create a mirror on wheels. Do you have any advice to get it back to the factory look? Or is it as simple as skipping the last few polishing steps? Many thanks
Check this video out, build your own vapor blaster: th-cam.com/video/pJiNfUYFAXw/w-d-xo.html
Outstanding tutorial... outstanding
Absolutely excellent training video!
not sure if it has been mentioned in the comments, but you should pre-break your sand paper, it will conform to the curves much easier when you use the backer.
Pre break your sand paper....??
Wow! my bike brother is another scale !!! I expected polishing with Dremel .... Thumb !
Great video. Lots of time and labor,but well worth it.
Great Video, just had a look at some of your other video's and Subscribed.... Impressive
Thanks!
The polish look is nice but I really like the way the scotch bright wheel finish looks
Yes, I agree.
Hi, I know this was about polishing the aluminum part and advertising Eastwood products but otherwise it would of been better yo use your vapor blaster first?, Great show!
I,ve done some metal polishing at a place I use to work at. once the chrome and nickel been strip . I looked for scratches and nicks from the rust and how deep. then I look at the thickness off the metal I,m going to polish for rechroming. I agree with you on explaining the surface. when I explain it to the the person who own the car bumper. it went over his head.but he was happy it was in the right hands .before I started polishing years before. a polisher explain on how its done. but I also taught myself. like how many stages I,m going to do. just like you explain it. I,m a short guy which I polish a massive 68 impala bumper here in new zealand. it came out like factory. but better. pitty the chrome platers never had a cooper bath.[ 3 stage plating ]. stainless steal is the hardess metal to polish . great vid mate .awesome on explaining stages
I did this for a living once a few years ago. Its a hard, time consuming job. I did 500 motorcycle triple trees in one month.
How much did you make doing it?
@@mikehunt783 probably not enough. I have a hard enough time doing my parts, I cant imagine doing other peoples. Though, triple trees are many mostly flat surfaces so not as bad as primary covers or other parts with many edges of various sizes. Those I think i would just blast them and then paint. I polished/repaired fogged headlights (plastic ones) and that was ~30 minutes per light with 8 grits and only made $22.50 per car. NOT ENOUGH to do that crap in the cold or heat of the outdoors. Sure as heck wouldnt do metal which can take all dang day for one silly part. Who want to pay $200 in labor for1 complex engine part or 2 covers? @ Jeff, dude, your a better man than me. No way. I would rather go weld stuff...
Nicely done. You’ve inspired me to step up my game!!
Love the 'elbow grease'. Pretty funny.
Bravo..From India
Wish had a few of them to help clean the Bultaco engines as have 3 to do but no way could afford price so will just rub with chrome cleaner or try making some or could i have yours if you have finished with them as have a stone bench and will fit mine i think
You draw real purty! Do you think they would send me all that stuff at little to no charge? If not then this can't help most of us. We will just have to get Harbor Freight buffing wheels on the grinder. Thanks for the good ideas.
Can you do a vid on polishing aluminium?
Why don't you just fast forward a little bit.
orbital sander with cotton cover and gumption house hold cleaner not to much elbow grease..
Nice video. I have the same Eastwood setup and am trying to learn how to use it properly. Is there anything you can use to coat the aluminum after it is polished to prevent it from oxidizing again?
Enjoyed the video - keep up the good work!
Very informative as usual Matt, thank you and keep em coming they’re very helpful
Nice video dude, although long, but hey it gave a good description of what I have to do with some of my covers on my kz1300😎🏍👍
I have mixed feelings about Scotch Brite pads with aluminum parts. Yes, they quickly take the part from, say a vapor-blasted finish to a first-level polishing but it will be uneven and even the extra fine pads chew into aluminum and you end up using sandpaper anyway to remove that damage. And they are expensive. Plan on at least one pad ($5) per engine case. Now, I go from vapor (or sand) basting to 600 grit sandpaper (wet) (400 for sandblasting) followed by 1200. Sanding is the only way to get a defect-free finish that is ready for buffing and a high-quality finish.
So now you need to coat it with clear, correct?
I will add a coat of simichrome polish for protection.
Unfortunately Eastwood Website does not operate properly.... try to order chasis black satin spray paint.... you'll see what I mean.
I usualy wear a tie while doing this .....
jcreswick A bow tie, I presume?
Looks awesome! Just a heads up Honda clear coats the covers when they make them you can use paint stripper to remove it like the guy in the video about restoring aluminum wheels. The clear coat is why they look so nasty after sitting outside in the sun for many years.
There might have been some clear on the covers, but most of it was long gone.
MatthewMCRepair true but the stripper also helps remove some of the oxidation.
I'll try that for the next engine LOL.
Would love very to watch till the end but OMG all the adds!!
Do they do lithuanian aluminium?
Mcmaster probably sells it.
Wow that's an impressive final product. I almost doubt it was that shiny delivered from Honda 40 years ago.
Definitely don't come polished from the factory. Vapor blast matte finish is more of a factory finish. I'll go over that in the next video.
Great stuff! That small orbital sander in particular looks like a huge timesaver for a really low price.
Bert, yes used it quite a bit on the other 2 covers I had to polish.
What is DA Matt?
Dual action sander.
Has anyone used #waterglass to seal the Aluminum parts before polishing?
I have been searching around and have not found people doing this step.
I remember this from an old "Hot Bike" or "Easy Rider " magazine. Brush
on the #waterglass and bake in an oven. This seals any pores in cast
Aluminum. Has anyone tried this?
NICE JOB
Maybe the circular, finer grit sandpaper discs would work much better on the sander instead of using by hand.
Hey Matthew - ignore the trolls! I have a couple of questions, as a complete novice: (1) do you need a 1HP motor, or would a 1/2 HP motor be sufficiently powerful? I can get a 1/2HP kit for a good price, which is why I ask, but a professional polisher I've used in the past once told me you do need plenty of power - what d'you reckon about 370 Watts / 1/2HP?
The other question is simply, what is a DA? Maybe it's an American term, like hood instead of bonnet or gas instead of petrol, so could you please explain what it is? Cheers, John (I don;t see any reason for anyone to complain about the video, by the way - it was helpful to me!)
1/2 should work. Problem is that it will take longer (less power) and also reach/access will be less (smaller wheels and shorter shaft).
DA = Dual Action
Hi Matthew, I bet looking at these comment makes you glad you make videos :)
Sometimes I feel it would be better off sitting on the couch drinking beer.
@@HTMR You really should do a video like that. 'Here is how you polish a part the easy way'... 1. take to a pro and pay $300.00 per hour and 2. sit on a couch like this with a beer.... pass out, wake up the next morning and go pick up part. see... I would sponsor you with a few beers if you actually did a video like that for those that hate explanations or cant read a full sentence without complaining. Please don't stop the videos. Your awesome and I love the background info as to 'why' you do certain things in particular order...
@@callmedudeok Thanks. People forget that you can FAST FORWARD on youtube. This isn't TV!
Another great video.
Pretty easy to polish aluminum, just buy $10K worth of tools. I’ll add, nice video and those are some beautiful tools, I’m now on their website haha
good job. go up the sanding ladder a little higher and try not to sand too much in the area of the logo. i find rouge good enough unless you're entering a show, mainly due to the fact that it most likely be dusty and dirty 10 min into your first ride.
Yeah I should have gone finer on sandpaper. Just handling the parts make them dirty haha. Good enough for this bike.
The best way to avoid scratches is to spray paint it between sanding grits this shows you where you have not sanded and thus you get the hole job
Or guide coat. Good tip.
Clean... Eastwood products !
Good video
looks very nice
Mothers aluminum mag polish works amazing and all you really need is a paper towel....
Maybe to maintain what I have.
@@HTMR Stuff works great! Especially with a buffing wheel. I polished the internals of a Cz SP-01 with it and a dremel with a felt wheel. Worked great, didnt take long at all.
Great video! Does it work with aluminium?
Try vapour blasting (water) or dry ice blasting and then polish. Mush faster. Pricier investment but you can clean up those covers/case covers in 2-3 minutes and then move on to polish.
Cases and some other components came back from vapor blasting. Posting vid soon.
Can't wait to watch! Saves you alot of time in my experience. Allows you to focus on other things then spending an hour hand sanding case covers.
I'm starting to learn that lol.
Cool you’re getting some free stuff for once!! Fuck the haters man
I like your style!
Lolol this video really helped me 😂 i have a few items to polish, and u tell me to buy stuff from your sponsor worth 800$ 😂😂😂
No, you don't have to, that is why you can use elbow grease, much cheaper.
@@HTMR ore an old product called slipol, cost about 2$ 😂
Can afford the elbow grease but not those expensive tools,buffer and eastwood products. Dull grey will have to do.
Order a new cover? Been there done this. pain in the ars.
They don't make new covers for mid 70's bikes.
People are such morons. The key word here is restoration. I am the original owner of a 1980 CX500custome. Buy a new cover? Matthew keep up the good work. 40 year old cover is right. Thanks matt.
You should have braised aluminum into those scratches you wouldn't have had to sand so much also you should have shot it with gloss black paint first we're all of the wording and indents werethat way you have a nice black background or whatever color
at 8,18 I see a lot of flaking clear coat and the dark spiderwebbing where the gaps in the clear coat have been oxidizing deep down into the metal. get the clear coat off first with aircraft aluminum paint remover, still available at NAPA. If you don't it will foul your scotch bright pads and or sandpaper. Wetsanding is better than dry. Aluminum you dry polish becomes a breathable dust. Wetsanding means less of it fouling up the sandpaper. put some rubber gloves on. Keep aluminum out of your body. I'm a believer too in ending with really fine sandpaper. 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 grit, and I even have some 3000 grit sandpaper. When maintenance polishing bare aluminum parts you can quickly get stuff off with 3000 grit and then go to the mothers and or buffers. It's a pain to keep up bare aluminum but I can not find an over the counter clear coat that doesn't have a little yellowish tint to aluminum parts.
must be nice to have them give you so much stuff.