Thread: clear coat polished aluminum what do i use

Thank you for the advice earlier on removal of the tires. I left the job to my mechanic good friend of mine he got them babies out didn't take him to long he had a commercial tire remover for cars never charges me for that type of stuff great guy. I just bought these tire and they are going on soon!!



Well before i do put them on. I polished many parts on this bike including both rims but the keep getting scuffed, what kind of clear coat would you guys recommend. I am looking for something that will protect and keep the brilliant shine. I tried using cheap one to see if it would work and it didn't what do you guys use?

I use clearcoat that can be easily removed with laquer thinner, if need be. Think about what you're trying to accomplish...clear paint directly over a polished metal surface, no primer. The best you can expect is, essentially, wax with an attitude. You're never going to get great adhesion and the smallest chip in the surface will result in oxidation, eventually developing into "worm tracks" as the oxidation spreads beneath the clear. Keeping the clearcoat as thin as possible reduces chipping and that's about all you can do to maximize durability.

If the polished surfaces keep getting scuffed, then I wouldn't clear coat them in the first place. Once you've restored polished aluminum surfaces, it doesn't take much to maintain them...a few minutes with aluminum polish & a rag.

The original clear used on Japanese bikes is catalyzed urethane. The aluminum is kind of rough polished so the clear gets a tooth. Even this factory finish fails after awhile and needs stripped off but with care it looks good for a long time. I've not heard of anyone trying to repaint catalyzed urethane over freshly polished parts. Raw polished aluminum looks great if kept after and not let go. Frankly I tend to let stuff go so I have been favoring a mill finish of white aluminum. Sort of a half polished surface or polish that has evenly oxidized but is kept clean.

Tom

I first clearcoated polished metal parts (aluminum, steel, copper, brass) using Dupont Imron back in the late `70s. It was a great material to work with, easily applied, great flowout, and after a few months it's nearly has hard as powdercoat. The results have stood the test of time. I still wouldn't do this with CT70 parts, in real-world, practical terms, the drawbacks outweigh the advantages.

Catalyzed urethanes are expensive and require specialized equipment for application and personal safety. If you've ever seen aluminum car wheels that were a mix of peeling clear and oxidation, some of which is under the clearcoat, then you've seen a downside of using this material. If you've ever tried removing the clearcoat from a CT70 brake plate, then you know the other main drawback.

I have been looking into it and no one has recommended me to clear coat it for the same reason. I live in central florida and it rains all the time here, i polished the front rim and they came out great three weeks later i spotted rust and kept on i stopped it and polished it put it is a pain because of that hard spot to get between the hub and the rim. So i had to take the rim apart again and polish it again. I love the way polished aluminum looks but man it requires alot of attention i just wound i use liquid blue magic works great put doesn't protect like i would like. I just would like to put some kind of barrier that protects that way i can ride more often instead of using a cheese cloth and metal polish

Pony express what do you think? what would you do?

I am open to all idea guys do not be shy.

Originally Posted by justchilllin

I am open to all idea guys do not be shy.

Why not powder coat?
All you need is the Eastwood kit, clear gloss powder, an oven and compressor.

No paint mixing, no fumes.

I polished and coated the triple tree, front forks, rear shocks, brake backing plates, footpegs (black), tail light housing (black), nuts, bolts, brake springs (reflective chrome).

What about Zoopseal? I've only been introduced to it by way of TV..I saw it used on the show Trucks! and, yes, I know, they push their sponsors products, but it certainly seemed to do the trick. Its a mulitple-stage application, but it looks very tough & was recommended for off roaders wheels, and it was applied on alum rims that were going on a truck that, of course, got a good mud thrashing...
I mention this because I just purchased some polished alum rims myself & I'm looking for something to 'seal' them with now, before I mount tires & actually put them on the bike and I'm liking this product....

http://www.zoopseal.com/zoopseal.asp

Originally Posted by justchilllin

I have been looking into it and no one has recommended me to clear coat it for the same reason. I live in central florida and it rains all the time here, i polished the front rim and they came out great three weeks later i spotted rust and kept on i stopped it and polished it put it is a pain because of that hard spot to get between the hub and the rim. So i had to take the rim apart again and polish it again. I love the way polished aluminum looks but man it requires alot of attention i just wound i use liquid blue magic works great put doesn't protect like i would like. I just would like to put some kind of barrier that protects that way i can ride more often instead of using a cheese cloth and metal polish

Pony express what do you think? what would you do?

I am open to all idea guys do not be shy.

I'm confused now. Are you talking about polishing the steel rim or the aluminum hub? Aluminum doesn't "rust" per se, it oxidizes turning a chalky white.

If you're dealing with rain and salt (seems unlikely in central Florida) then you have multiple issues to deal with. I'm not a big fan of powdercoat with these bikes, but rims (not the hubs) would be good candidates as would the footrest assembly as long as you diassemble it & media blast the main parts first, not the hardware. At a minimum, I'd coat the reverse sides of the rims with POR-15. I'd also replace all of the wheel bolts with stainless steel equivalents. As to the aluminum parts, you're unclear as to whether you've polished just the brake backing plates or the hubs, too. The low-tech method is to apply paste wax every so often. Even better if you apply the wax before storing the bike and leaving the excess "haze" until you're ready to ride. It's a bit of a pain, but it works. Wax can also be used with clearcoat, giving you a two-pronged defense.

Zoopseal is worth a try. Some guys swear by it, others at it. The results I've seen looked very good. FWIW...I use paste wax with the occasional touch-up using Mother's mag & aluminum polish. But then, I'm strictly a fair-weather rider.

Check this picture out below i painted the hub black. But i spent countless hours prepping sanding buffing polishing it took me about two months of my time to get both rims done. I polished the cylinder head manifold clutch cover and flywheel cover. The only thing that is giving me a hard time is the rims they are getting rusted quick unless i disassemble them and polish them every week or so. I just want to know what can i spray on or do to prevent this rust and just be able to wipe them clean without worrying about rust showing up.


These are the rims when i just finished what do you guys recommend to protect this polished part of the rim.

by the way (not jumping off the subject) but i considered powder coat but i also would never do it but anyway to me this is the biggest set back i have had with this bike.