An hour sounds extremely optimistic, even with 100 hp...

All the complex curves and nooks and crannies would take a while each - without ripping it to shreds or buckling it from too much pressure. Better to do it properly, than rush it and destroy it...

Carbonfibre wrote:Polishing spindles based on low power bench grinders work quite well on small parts, but simply dont have the power for something like a tank! To obtain a pretty good final finish on a tank would take about an hour using the proper equipment..........ideally using a 5hp spindle, but also possible with a 3hp, but taking a little longer to do.

What's the problems here Greg does it because he likes doing it, not because he HAS to, so what is it takes 10 hours

Jean

Polishing is like any other activity “there is more than one way to skin a cat” in that yes you could use a large 5 hp Baldor machine with a 12 inch pad and whip it out in an hour or so. Just like paint and body work, the paint is only as good as the body work and no mater how shiny and smooth the paint is if the body is not straight or has waves no one notices how nice the paint is.

Cutting and polishing are two different processes that can be both completed on the buffer but with two completely different techniques. I use the tools I have to produce a straight wave free platform for the polishing process to build from, sure I could use a big buffer to do the majority of my cutting in a shorter time at the risk of waves orange peel, burnt edges and warps, not to mention with such a large piece and powerful machine it is very possible to loose control of the piece and have it thrown across the shop, the damage is not to bad with a small heavy cast alloy piece and it is usually more dangerous to the shop and its inhabitants as it turns into a flying projectile with mass and speed, but with a light and thin piece as a petrol tank it could be catastrophic. I choose to use a method that reduces the risk of damage to the piece while producing a straighter smoother base to do final cutting and coloring on the buffer at the cost of a few more hours of elbow grease.

I have a friend that does some polishing work for me from time to time when I need the help, he has a big machine with a 12 inch pad and likes to go straight to the wheel with a piece with out any prep other than cleaning. He has consistently returned pieces with a high degree of shine that have noticeable waves and un defined edges from excessive cutting to remove a deep scratch. One day I had two Triumph primary covers in with just about the same condition that needed to be finished in a short amount of time so I called him to do one of them. We both started at the same time and with in a few hours he was finished and i was just starting to do the final coloring on my piece. He brought the piece back and believe it or not his pice had much better color and shine than mine but didn't look half as good as mine with all the waves in his part. I gave him my part to finish coloring and I straightened out the waves in his part and gave it back to him to color. After it was all over we ended up with more time in his part and they both looked great.

TImes are slow and I’m working on my own bike so I don’t mine protecting my investment with a little more man hours and elbow grease, not to mention that I cant afford to replace this tank if I damage it trying to just knock it out in a few hours.

Got a big box in this afternoon from Clubman Racing it seems like I have been waiting for a month for it but it hasn't even been a week now. Swing arm bushing kit, Seat, tank strap, but mostly SS mounting hardware, for sometime I have needed the Magneto bolts to finish timing chain and bolt the engine covers up and then it will go into the mock-up so I can work on the head steady.

Lots of cutting and welding to do next week mounting the tank strap toggle and seat brackets, finish the work on the oil tank table and battery box.

I had an old Commando SS rear fender I was thinking of using and so I put the seat on to see how it looked. Here is a quick look at the progress.

I had the Excell rims true to about .020 but every time I tried to get them better they just got worse, well to say the least it was very aggravating, so I called for reinforcements to help out. A buddy of mine was getting ready to go racing at Barber but wasn't sure when he could get to do final truing on them. So I was working on the mounting brackets for the seat this afternoon and I got a call from him saying that he had just finished them for me. I was so excited I had to run and pick them up, he said that the were a bear but that they were better than .010 true. Here they are on the frame waiting for me to grind down the end of the spokes and mount the tyres, that will be tomorrow for sure.

bwolfie wrote:lOOKING GOOD. Very shiny. What room are you working on the bike in, hardwood floors drywall and wood trim? I think we all need a picture of the garage ma hal.

Thanks Brian,

Well I had an issue with a roof on my 12 X 12 shop it started with a leak in the roof, and as I was checking it out and fell through. The rot had taken out one corner and half of two walls too, so I did a major remodel, added an other 200sqf, there is a 6 X 16 space behind the pocket door. it was mostly discounted stuff or salvage materials from Habitat for Humanity. I got the flooring for much cheaper than vinyl and the drywall was cheaper than paneling. I did it as cheap as possible It took several months but the added space was worth it, except that it knocked me out of any thought of working on motorcycles while I was doing the construction.

The rims are finished now and I hope to get the tyres mounted and the timing chain installed and the engine in the frame tomorrow. I have to have all the mockup finished this weekend so I can get the welding done next week, then disassemble and powder coat.

Its been a long time coming, but its starting to look like a motorcycle, so stay tuned.

Caferider wrote:Polishing is like any other activity “there is more than one way to skin a cat” in that yes you could use a large 5 hp Baldor machine with a 12 inch pad and whip it out in an hour or so. Just like paint and body work, the paint is only as good as the body work and no mater how shiny and smooth the paint is if the body is not straight or has waves no one notices how nice the paint is.

Cutting and polishing are two different processes that can be both completed on the buffer but with two completely different techniques. I use the tools I have to produce a straight wave free platform for the polishing process to build from, sure I could use a big buffer to do the majority of my cutting in a shorter time at the risk of waves orange peel, burnt edges and warps, not to mention with such a large piece and powerful machine it is very possible to loose control of the piece and have it thrown across the shop, the damage is not to bad with a small heavy cast alloy piece and it is usually more dangerous to the shop and its inhabitants as it turns into a flying projectile with mass and speed, but with a light and thin piece as a petrol tank it could be catastrophic. I choose to use a method that reduces the risk of damage to the piece while producing a straighter smoother base to do final cutting and coloring on the buffer at the cost of a few more hours of elbow grease.

I have a friend that does some polishing work for me from time to time when I need the help, he has a big machine with a 12 inch pad and likes to go straight to the wheel with a piece with out any prep other than cleaning. He has consistently returned pieces with a high degree of shine that have noticeable waves and un defined edges from excessive cutting to remove a deep scratch. One day I had two Triumph primary covers in with just about the same condition that needed to be finished in a short amount of time so I called him to do one of them. We both started at the same time and with in a few hours he was finished and i was just starting to do the final coloring on my piece. He brought the piece back and believe it or not his pice had much better color and shine than mine but didn't look half as good as mine with all the waves in his part. I gave him my part to finish coloring and I straightened out the waves in his part and gave it back to him to color. After it was all over we ended up with more time in his part and they both looked great.

TImes are slow and I’m working on my own bike so I don’t mine protecting my investment with a little more man hours and elbow grease, not to mention that I cant afford to replace this tank if I damage it trying to just knock it out in a few hours.

If your friend is unable to use a spindle properly, then thats not the fault of the machine. The easy way to remove scratches is to use an orbital sander with a fine disc, to get rid of them before using the spindle.

Baby got new shoes. boy how they grow. I had to trim off the forward chain guard mounts from the swing arm to get 120 /80 18 to fit all the way.



I trimmed the fender and modified a Lucas 679 tail light from a 67 T120. Finished the mounting brackets for the seat and fender and will have it all welded up on monday along with the battery box. I still have to finish the mounting brackets for the tank strap and hope to be close to completion by monday also.

looks real good - from a real world perspective the polished alloy tanks are a BITCH to keep up with - they scratch with anything (zipper on a jacket, etc) since they are so soft. I did each of mine for about a year (i have had 2 alloy tanks on cafe's) and ended up just painting them as they are a a pain

they do look impressive though

unless of course its a trailer queen then you'll be OK

Why not polish an alloy tank then give it a coat of epoxy clear coat?

Carbonfibre wrote:Why not polish an alloy tank then give it a coat of epoxy clear coat?

i had debated that - i'd like to see someone try it

Take a look at the wheels on a high end Merc or BMW........a lot of these are epoxy clear coated, and seem to look very good.

That is a great looking bike, makes me wish I was working on a bike rather than cleaning up a restaurant my daughter just bought.

Jean

Carbonfibre wrote:Why not polish an alloy tank then give it a coat of epoxy clear coat?

Modern Powder coating is far superior to paint or epoxy in durability, chip and chemical resistance, and with ImageFusion they can infuse any graphic or photograph into the coating. I have been talking to a local shop that says they can do the norton tank logo and graphics with a clear coat that will be perfectly clear and seamless. I will just have to have exact dimensions of the logo and placement on the tank.

Here are examples of some of the stuff they have done.

Jeandr wrote:That is a great looking bike, makes me wish I was working on a bike rather than cleaning up a restaurant my daughter just bought.Jean

Jean Thanks, I am loving how it looks so far. Sorry that you aren't enjoying cleaning the grease pit, I had to do that once and I could not eat in a restaurant for months after. You can come down and help any time Is it getting Cold up there yet? It got down to 60F /16C last night and we had to get bundled up, for me that means socks and shoes and long sleeves in the mornings, still shorts its not cold enough for long pants yet.

bwolfie wrote: I think we all need a picture of the garage ma hal.

Brian
The wife loves the GarageMaHal comment She told me I have to keep it clean so she can do some crafting out there ( Cringe) What ever!!!! Ill Get some pics up once its finished I still have to paint the exterior, sand stain and Polyurethane finish the Arched Carriage house door on the addition.