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Thursday, November 28, 2013

Do IT Yourself Polishing

For all that are interested I am going to start posting the steps and process that took place in the removing of scratches and polishing of my 2005 Triumph Thruxton 900. This will help those whom have more time than money.

What I started with after going down on Pete Gravel
CLICK ON PICS TO ENLARGE














Equipment needed for this project
-Patience
-Brown Buffing Compound
-White Aluminum Buffing Compound
-A good Stripper ( I used Zip-Strip Premium Paint & Finish Remover )
-Various Stages of Wet/Dry Sandpaper 400, 600, 800 than 1000 grit wet sandpaper.
-Bucket of water
-Bench Buffer/Grinder ( I picked mine up from Harbor Freight)
-You will Need a Cutting Pad and a finishing pad for the buffer
-A set of Wrenches or hand tools to take everything apart with.
-New Gaskets from your dealer to reassemble after project is completed
-Service manual for the Motorcycle.(Torque Specs and proper assembly and dis-assembly instructions)
-A good polish and sealer for maintaining (I use Wizards Metal Polish and Shine Master)



First step is to take everything apart and properly cover internal components for protection.


Next is to Strip the Clear Coat from factory off of the parts. I didn't feel the least bit bad about doing this because I was noticing some Oxidation starting in a couple of small spots.





Once all is stripped then the Wet sanding process can begin
Start with heavy grit and work your way up to the finer grit paper











After Scratches are smoothed out and have worked your way up to the finest (1000) grit paper you need to have your bench buffer on h

There are two buffing wheels you should have on hand one is called a cutting wheel (More tightly sewn), which you use with more aggressive buffing compound.

and. I bought mine at Harbor Freight.

The Second Wheel is a finishing wheel (Loosely put together) which is used with a finishing compound.


This is when you really get to see results of your labor. I advise to put cardboard down on the ground in the area that you are working and wear gloves. I had a piece pulled from my hands to end up flying into the ground, so to protect your project take some precautions and wear safety glasses through this process or face shield.

Of course start with the cutting wheel installed on the buffer then work your way to finishing wheel.










Yeah, I like my Bling, Bling...









After everything is polished then you can start to put the Project back together again with new gaskets and torque everything to factory specifications.

I also bought a skid plate that was never offered in a chromed or polished state. They also officially are for a Triumph Scrambler, but that shares the Same frame as my Triumph Thruxton 900. Looks great and offers a little extra reassurance from road debris.














Thank you for visiting!!!