Caliper/Master Cylinders

[steve63]

I've been spending a bit of time stripping calipers and master cylinders recently. All the pins, pistons were seized as you might expect after being in the garage for a few decades.

They all need re-painting and there's lots of advice on here about what paint to use but what I wondered is does anyone know what paint Yamaha use originally?

 The original paint is pretty tough and I can't imagine anything I used would be anything like as tough. Even clamping the bit in a vice admittedly with brass soft jaws barely marks it.

The master cylinder especially looks a bit thicker like powder coat. It's original, I'm certain. Yamaha wouldn't have been powder coating in 1983 would they?

What about 2K? Was that about in 1983?

I've never used it before, only cellulose, but it's supposed to be pretty tough so I'm thinking of 2K for the re-paint. I know it can be nasty stuff but there is safe version I've heard.

One thing I've concluded is DeoxC is the stuff for un-seizing  steel components. One bleed nipple was rounded off so I put a M8 nut over it and welded it on. It came undone quite easily with a 13mm socket. The other wasn't rounded off but was very rusted. I wasn't prepared to try undoing it as it was so I soaked it a couple of days in the DeoxC. After that it came undone so easily it felt not much more than finger tight.

I'm not 100% convinced yet but it seems to soften aluminium corrosion as well.

[steeley]

Hi 2k has been about for donkeys years . Yes it is nasty stuff and proper ppe should be used . Ideally an air fed mask . I have used a rattle can for brake parts which was chemical resistant . I will see if i can find a link for you . As for deoxC working on aluminium corrosion check the label i think its for steel and such like . www.frost.co.uk/vht-high-temperature-satin-black-caliper-paint-312g/

[Shytalk]

Don’t know about the original finish but I’d be powder coating them satin black.

[steve63]

Jan 18, 2021 6:49:55 GMT 1 steeley said:

Hi 2k has been about for donkeys years . Yes it is nasty stuff and proper ppe should be used . Ideally an air fed mask . I have used a rattle can for brake parts which was chemical resistant . I will see if i can find a link for you . As for deoxC working on aluminium corrosion check the label i think its for steel and such like . www.frost.co.uk/vht-high-temperature-satin-black-caliper-paint-312g/

Thanks for the link. 

I believe there is a 2K available that doesn't contain the carcinogenic component. It might be like the Nitromors that doesn't contain the dangerous ingredient; it doesn't actually do the job it was bought for i.e. strip paint. 

I know DeoxC is for removing rust from steel. I've used it on MY RGV tank and it removed every trace of rust overnight. All I am suggesting is that it appears to loosen aluminium corrosion as well. At least after a couple of nights the corrosion seems to scrape off easier. I might find something badly corroded and leave it a couple of weeks. Either way it doesn't seem to harm aluminium.

[steve63]

Jan 18, 2021 8:40:59 GMT 1 Shytalk said:

Don’t know about the original finish but I’d be powder coating them satin black.

I'm not completely anti powder coating but I always prefer to be able to do stuff myself if possible.

A guy I know did set himself up to powder coat in his garage and made a great job of it but I've not got the skills and patience he has. He went through quite a bit of trial and error before getting it perfect.  

I'm just not keen on getting things ready, sending them off and waiting for stuff to come back and of course paying for it. Then if it gets damaged after it's been used it would have to go back to be stripped and re-done. Besides I've got a lot of stuff to do. I get more satisfaction from doing it myself if I can.

I've got a frame and rear sub frame that was done in silver powder coat and is pretty shocking. That all needs removing somehow before I do some repairs and re-coat it. I tried years ago to blast the sub frame and it just seemed to melt it or move it around. Whatever it did It was taking forever.

I've had issues in the past with powder coating cracking and coming off when I tightened bolts up. My silver KMX frame went grey where sap from Ivy got on it in the garage.

The last time I had an LC frame done it was stove enameled, that's how long ago it was, 1983/4. 

The original finish is so tough it would be interesting to find out what it was.

[LC_BOTT]

Could it have been enamel, something easy and cheap to get hold of, and longevity not something to worry about back then. No undercoat/primer used either. Also believe it's petrol resistant.

[steve63]

Jan 18, 2021 14:27:38 GMT 1 LC_BOTT said:

Could it have been enamel, something easy and cheap to get hold of, and longevity not something to worry about back then. No undercoat/primer used either. Also believe it's petrol resistant.

It could be possibly. I had some bits, swinging arm and yokes, done in enamel may years ago. I used to work where we made grain handling machinery and we had our own paint shop and painter.  They still look reasonable although they have only been kicking around the garage since 1987 or so and never on a bike.

That's something else I was thinking. When you consider Yamaha only ever seem to use one coat except for petrol tanks and no primer the original paint does remarkably well.

I have an RD200, metalic blue one. The paint on the tank is original. It looks like one coat of blue and a gloss lacquer on top. It's rusted in places. I stupidly jet washed the bike a few years ago and flashed across the tank and it took a strip of the lacquer off. 

Back in the day when most of us used our bikes for work 12 months of the year,  one, or two at most, winters was enough to remove most of the frame paint 

For my second re-spray of my 4L0/F1 frame I used an etch primer and gloss cellulose. After a couple of years doing 16 miles a day in all weathers there was virtually no paint left on the frame. It's still hanging up in the garage from about 1995 and is just rust.