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Post by steve63 on Mar 5, 2021 8:14:50 GMT 1
I've been bead blasting and using a grey Scotchbright wheel on my fork legs to get them as close to the original finish as I can. I would like to put some clear coat on them as they were originally so I visited our local vehicle paint supplier last week. I was thinking 2k. She advised that all their clear is designed to go on primer and it won't adhere to bare aluminium. She said she would gladly sell me it but doesn't think it would be any good. Can anyone recommend anything that has worked well for them? The original finish from the shop looks good and would have probably lasted but a couple of British winters eventually gets the better if it. Here are the legs now.  |
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Post by stusco on Mar 5, 2021 8:37:37 GMT 1
Acf 50 on bare alloy ,you can also keep up the finish with a scotchbrite pad no need for clearcoat
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Post by dusty350 on Mar 5, 2021 9:10:35 GMT 1
Cerakote do a clear finish. Seen it on a bare exhaust that had been vapour blasted and then had a welding torch run around the welds to bring out the colour, and then Cerakoted to seal it and keep it looking mint. Its a tough finish, ideal for bike parts.
Dusty🙂
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Post by liffy16 on Mar 5, 2021 9:29:51 GMT 1
Used 2k on casings,exhausts,sure it's what the factory used originally anyway?
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Post by paulsx on Mar 5, 2021 11:30:29 GMT 1
I have used both 2k and a special alloy etch clear coat and they have all lifted. I would just coat with ACf50 now or use cerakote
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Post by rigga on Mar 5, 2021 12:21:14 GMT 1
Don't clearcote, it will chip and look Tosh, Beglum Alu polish will leave a protective coating, will need regular application, and if you don't want shiney legs, go with ACF50
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Post by steve63 on Mar 5, 2021 14:07:33 GMT 1
Used 2k on casings,exhausts,sure it's what the factory used originally anyway? Like a lot of the original finishes they were pretty good considering they didn't appear to use primer. If these bikes had been kept in a nice, not too humid, warm place for 40 years the finish would still look good. It would be very interesting to find out exactly what Yamaha used on them. Has 2k been around since the 70's? |
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Post by steve63 on Mar 5, 2021 14:16:38 GMT 1
Cerakote do a clear finish. Seen it on a bare exhaust that had been vapour blasted and then had a welding torch run around the welds to bring out the colour, and then Cerakoted to seal it and keep it looking mint. Its a tough finish, ideal for bike parts. Dusty🙂 I'll be quite honest and say spending as little as possible is the bottom line here. I'm guessing Cerakote is not cheap? On my RGV I bead blasted the legs and polished them with scotchbright in 2016 and not really had to touch them again but that is 99% a track bike. |
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Post by steve h on Mar 5, 2021 14:27:55 GMT 1
If the paint chips, the finish can go south with the usual spider webs of corrosion if chips aren't attended to straight away. But fork bottoms are still painted on some bikes....
I have a tin of clear lacquer from an accessory and car bits shop, might be Carplan? It does an excellent job on arrows,(as in archery) cost couple of quid and if it proves crap on fork legs...nowt lost but couple of quid!
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Post by tony2stroke on Mar 5, 2021 14:57:51 GMT 1
Used 2k on casings,exhausts,sure it's what the factory used originally anyway? Like a lot of the original finishes they were pretty good considering they didn't appear to use primer. If these bikes had been kept in a nice, not too humid, warm place for 40 years the finish would still look good. It would be very interesting to find out exactly what Yamaha used on them. Has 2k been around since the 70's? I would say it would have been cellulose paint, most was back then, good strong paint and the best lacquer IMO You can still get cellulose paint for personal use, O and cellulose paint does not go with acrylic paint, they react, though you can spray 1 over the other but not the other way round, weird I know, and I can't remember which can be sprayed over which. |
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Post by kirkhd on Mar 5, 2021 16:07:11 GMT 1
This one is air cures as you may not be able to fit the legs in your oven Cerakote |
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Post by dusty350 on Mar 5, 2021 18:58:20 GMT 1
The oven cure Cerakote is the tougher of the 2 apparently, although the air dry is very good. It's a thin coating, so although the bottle it comes in is very expensive, it goes a long way. You would need to get a quote from whoever your nearest stockist is, but I would guess more expensive than powdercoating. It's becoming very popular now, and the fella I use is doing more and more of it. This is the clearcoat on the exhaust;  120169939_697392887533479_7638816965690464267_o by dusty miller, on Flickr And you can Cerakote plastic and composite parts. This is a plastic YZ 125 tank that had yellowed badly, and has been Cerakoted white;  121214511_708230559783045_8854307009713195920_o by dusty miller, on Flickr It's a ceramic paint, originally designed for gun barrels I believe. Dusty  |
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Post by st66 on Mar 5, 2021 19:04:36 GMT 1
May I make a suggestion,, I My years of doing this polishing frames ect there are no products I have found that last, if you polish aluminium to wot ever shine, clear coats do not stick as it needs a key it will chip with the slightest chip and water will find its way in and it will flake off and look crap,, the only thing I have found is,, clear fablon, but it can be awkward to fit,, front forks especially,, but if done Wright it lasts ages,, yes. Polish them to wot you want and wrap them in clear fablon type plastic gently warm it with hairdryer and pull it tight around and cut to fit behind the fork leg, down side is it only does flat surfaces as in spindle hole ect will have to be left and constantly keep polishing it to keep it up,, the only other thing is get them clear plastic coated, not clear powder coat as you loose the shine and goes dull done that already,, ain't found a company that does plastic coat as yet,, as said you can 2k clearcoat lacquer them but will not last and will turn to shit over time, hope this gives you some direction mate 👍
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Post by st66 on Mar 5, 2021 19:24:31 GMT 1
Never used the stuff dusty recommends so may be a idea,, I know polishing looks nice especially toamirrorfinish if one goes that far but its a pig todoin time and effort, looks good but the constant up keep is unbearable so I can see why you want to seal it forever so to speak, good luck in your quest as I said still not found anything that's 100% acceptable Nd happy with as yet the search continues lol
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Post by midlifecrisisrd on Mar 5, 2021 19:29:04 GMT 1
You could take them to a car wheel refurb company
I know what has just been said about clear powder coat but if you look at diamond cut alloys the are clear powdered
I've personally had wheels powdered black, diamond cut then clear coated and they are still bright
Steve
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Post by dusty350 on Mar 5, 2021 19:31:04 GMT 1
Jamie does a lot of Cerakote on Mx bikes, and the reports that come back suggest it's very tough in use. Heat resistant to very high temperatures, and impervious to petrol, oil and brake fluid. But, any finish will suffer if it gets hit hard enough. I personally leave fork legs as bare ali, but if I wanted to coat them, I would try Cerakote first. Dusty |
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Post by Yogi on Mar 5, 2021 19:46:01 GMT 1
I’ve just put an Rgv banana arm in for blasting and cerakote £125+ Vat =£150
With 2 coats of clear lacquer it’s £175+ vat =£210
Chrome powdercoated it was £75+ vat = £90
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Post by brucie on Mar 5, 2021 20:29:27 GMT 1
Used 2k on casings,exhausts,sure it's what the factory used originally anyway? Like a lot of the original finishes they were pretty good considering they didn't appear to use primer. If these bikes had been kept in a nice, not too humid, warm place for 40 years the finish would still look good. It would be very interesting to find out exactly what Yamaha used on them. Has 2k been around since the 70's? I first saw 2k paint at rocar as a apprentice in 85 they had the mixing scheme fitted and it was a cellulose scheme before it |
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rd84
Drag-strip hero
Posts: 276 
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Post by rd84 on Mar 5, 2021 21:00:26 GMT 1
Practical Sports Bikes magazine have said in an article last year that an Iridite NCP finish by Diamond Metal Finishing of Stoke-on-Trent in the UK +44 (0)1782-822442 is a perfect match for the silver anodised brushed alloy finish found on a lot of classic Japanese bikes from the 70’s and 80’s Article on Iridite recommended by JonW:- www.dorsetware.com/a-beginners-guide-to-iridite-ncp/No doubt its not cheap though. Cheers Paul |
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Post by 3tj6 on Mar 5, 2021 21:22:10 GMT 1
You can buy a 2 pack lacquer specifically for alloy , it has a etch type product in it and ‘sticks’ to alloy ok , ive done diamond cut car alloys with it before no problem , think was mipa brand , ask a bodyshop motor factors like brown brothers or Lkq coatings
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Post by chippy348 on Mar 5, 2021 21:24:29 GMT 1
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Post by steve63 on Mar 8, 2021 14:06:06 GMT 1
Thanks everyone for all the suggestions.
I think I'll get myself some 2k clear next time I visit the paint shop and maybe buy myself a can of cellulose as well and try them both.
I don't expect anything I put on them to last for ever but I won't be riding the bike everyday through all weathers like in the 80's. I remember most home applied clear in the old days going yellow and shrinking/cracking pretty quickly. If the clear looks rubbish or does after a few weeks I'll just strip it off and get the Scotchbright on them every six months like the RGV.
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