Polishing the Venture wheels

[Sylvester]

I have a spare rear wheel off another RSV and I want to strip the clear coat and polish the rim edge leaving the black spokes. Does anyone have experience at this. If it works out well I will do the front the same.

 

[SilvrT]

I have a spare rear wheel off another RSV and I want to strip the clear coat and polish the rim edge leaving the black spokes. Does anyone have experience at this. If it works out well I will do the front the same.

 

 

There's a variety of stuff you can strip the clear with... others will chime in on that. I did the one's on my '87 but don't remember having to strip them. I used Autosol and 00 (double 0) steel wool followed by a buffing wheel on my drill to polish them. Turned out really nice. Also did this on some Aluminum "honeycomb" wheels on a Van I once had.

 

https://autosol.com/shop/aluminum-polish/?KeepThis=true&TB_iframe=true&height=420&width=700

 

http://www.thepolishingshop.co.uk/acatalog/Bike_Cleaning.html

[Sylvester]

There's a variety of stuff you can strip the clear with... others will chime in on that. I did the one's on my '87 but don't remember having to strip them. I used Autosol and 00 (double 0) steel wool followed by a buffing wheel on my drill to polish them. Turned out really nice. Also did this on some Aluminum "honeycomb" wheels on a Van I once had.

 

https://autosol.com/shop/aluminum-polish/?KeepThis=true&TB_iframe=true&height=420&width=700

 

http://www.thepolishingshop.co.uk/acatalog/Bike_Cleaning.html

 

Did you clear coat them after the polishing?

 

[SilvrT]

Did you clear coat them after the polishing?

 

 

Nope ... but I probably should have as after it sat thru the winter, there was some oxidation or whatever (white, powdery looking stuff) showing and I had to re-do them a little bit.

[Midicat]

I used Autosol and 00 (double 0) steel wool ...

I swear by Autosol and 00 Steel Wool. You will get the best results with this combo. No need to clearcoat. Just wash regularly.

 

 

Thomas

[dingy]

AutoZone sells two kinds of stripper. The good stuff is in a red can & called Aircraft Stripper. It is far better than the regular stuff they sell and not that expensive.

 

I use it a lot. Used it to strip all my aluminum parts before sanding & polishing.

 

If you do clear coat parts, don't shake the can much at all. It infuses bubbles in it and makes clear coat cloudy.

 

I went from really tarnished to what's in the picture below, takes a lot of time though.

 

The cover just to the left in picture is before sample.

 

 

Gary

[Sylvester]

Thanks to all. Gives me a lot to think about. Dingy seems to know about this since his pix are so reflective. Midicat has the product list and SilvrT said what I thought. I don't wash my bike that often so I want a finish that will survive. I would rather be riding.

 

[dingy]

I stripped parts with paint stripper first.

 

Then 400 grit, 600, 800 Then 1500 grit. Scotch Brite.

 

I have a 1hp motor & buffer wheel. Used course compound, then fine compound and finished with mothers polish.

 

Didn't say it was easy now did I?

 

Rims would be a challenge with the buffer.

 

1st picture is after stripper, 2nd is 400 grit, 3rd 800 grit, 4th Scotch Brite. last is Mothers polish & I am not that good looking in person as in the last one.

 

Gary

[Guest]

I plan on polishing my wheels as well. Not sure if I want to do the whole wheel or just the rim portion. Just finished polishing/buffing my forks and beer cans as well as the tree and it came out great. Same stuff as Dingy except for the Mothers polish. I followed professional standards compared to Maintenance Standards. I used Tripoli as a cutting polish then white to finish. Green and then white for the beer cans since theyre stainless steel. But I went a step further and used waterproof india ink applied with a Chamois and diluted it as I went along to different stages. Makes for a real nice finish. If its good enough for NASA then its good enough for me. Also final polished it with a good grade of Caranuba wax. According to the buffing forums Carnuba puts a good protective coat on the part. Clear coating was discouraged by most.

 

Lots of work but well worth it in the end......

[elmicko]

I've kinda got a similar project in the back of my mind, but I would like to paint the spokes to match the bike. Does anybody know what kind of paint would be best to use on wheels? If I can get by without clear coating, that would be best.

[SilvrT]

Also final polished it with a good grade of Caranuba wax. According to the buffing forums Carnuba puts a good protective coat on the part. Clear coating was discouraged by most.

 

Lots of work but well worth it in the end......

 

The Caranuba wax sounds like a great idea. I'll keep this in mind for the next time I undertake polishing aluminum parts. I not only polished my wheels on the '87 but also all the engine covers and they all shone like chrome. Makes for a very sharp looking scoot and yes, it was a LOT of WORK!

 

Fortunately, it may be a long time before I have to do this again coz on a 2nd gen, especially the Midnight version, everything is CHROME!!

 

(well, except the wheels LOL)