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K75S DIY painting (& polished tank) thread

Tank pinholes revealed

Got out my electric drill and 3" brass brush attachment today; here are the results: (good thing I did both sides as the right side had a pinhole already started)

Right side
Tankpinholes005.jpg


Left side
Tankpinholes006.jpg


My wife was in town today and picked up a tube of Fast Steel for me (she's the best:love); I'll be able to patch the areas well in the morning.

This epoxy putty sets up hard as a rock in less than 5 minutes so it won't take long at all.
 
Tank repair done

Cleaned the are around the pinholes with acetone (and then some Dawn). Broke off a half-inch chunk of FastSteel epoxy putty, kneaded it in my gloved hands for 3 or 4 minutes until it was nice and warm, then:

Tankrepair7Feb001.jpg


Tankrepair7Feb004.jpg


The patches are now solid as a rock; should be good to go now.:brad
 
Flour, corn starch and possibly a ceramic coating

After removing the tank to repair the small leaks I deemed it about time to repolish it as well. It hasn't been touched since I originally polished it last summer as I kind of wanted to see how long it would last before needing to get out the buffer and polish.

I also remembered a tip that one of the ADV inmates gave me some time ago for the final polish---use flour and then corn starch to buff it up to a fine shine with. Sounded crazy enough to work so I gave it a try the other day:

Cornstarchtank004.jpg


This is the tank on top of my Honda Ruckus which was the only thing I could round up to hold the tank in place while I hit it with the Makita and lots of corn starch. (I tried some unbleached white flour first but it didn't seem to make a lot of difference):

Cornstarchtank002.jpg


Cornstarchtank003.jpg


It definitely improves the shine to some degree. However, I've yet to achieve perfection with anything on the sides of the tank where my knees will be---that part of the tank seems a bit coarser grained (unlike the top which is mirror-like).

So my next move was to order a buffing spindle, spindle adapter and buffing wheel for my 6" lapidary unit that has a nice big 1/4 hp Baldor motor... :laugh

I'm going to unmount it from the large rectangular Corian base I built for it and remount it temporarily on the very edge of my work table and get the buffing wheel out a ways (so as to best to reach all areas of the tank and any other large bits I might want to polish such as the stainless muffler). I'll try hitting the tank with some tripoli on a flannel wheel at 1750rpm and see what happens.

It's my guess that if anything can polish those sides to perfection, this will.

So I won't be installing the tank until I've got it looking the way it should, considering all the sweat and elbow grease I've invested. We'll see how it works out soon and be assured I will be posting pictures if it makes any noticeable difference.;)

*********************

Yesterday I removed the muffler and headers and ordered new copper crush rings and nuts so they'll be here by the time I reinstall it. I've decided to get the headers ceramic coated---if this outfit in Tennessee I found out about today will do the job at a reasonable cost. Come Tuesday I'll call them to get a quote and then ship them off for a nice satin black ceramic coating (inside & out).

Although I cleaned and polished them last year the stainless headers quickly turned a dull brown after a few rides. This time, they'll get a finish that lasts and also may slightly improve combustion as well (the ceramic coating helps retain the heat inside the exhaust system and is good for 2000 degrees---not that they'll ever reach that at the speeds I putt around at:laugh).

****************

A few days ago I cleaned and degreased the center stand and sidestand which were beginning to rust. Warmed them up with a heat gun and then sprayed them with multiple coats of VHT high temp paint (flat black was the only black the auto store had). No pix taken of these yet; maybe next time I think of it. The flat black is OK but more of a brownish black than a true black I was aiming for. No biggie, I'll periodically need to respray them in our wet environment anyway.

After the paint was dry I hit them with the heat gun again to help the paint bond and cure.

Next chance I get I'll load up my grease gun and get some new grease inside them and also replace one of the rubber/plastic caps that I noticed was missing on one side of the center stand, too (we don't want any water getting inside those hollow tubes anymore now, do we?:bolt).

Lots more little updates will be forthcoming but it's dinnertime so must say "Aufswedersehen" for now:eat:drink:drink
 
K75 Low seat, anyone? + Paint update

UPDATE 25 FEB.: SADDLE & HDWE SOLD ON MOA FLEA MARKET A brief heads-up to anyone interested in doing a high-to-low seat conversion with their K75; I finally posted my Sargent, tank surround and necessary mounting hardware here in the Flea Market under Accessories today. (It is the same saddle seen in my beginning photos in this thread) Here's some photos which do not upload into the FM listing for some reason that escapes me:
sargentseathdwe001.jpg

sargentseathdwe008.jpg

sargentseathdwe010.jpg


In other news, it looks as though I'll finally be picking up the last of the painted tupperware later this week, almost three months since I turned over that task to a custom paint shop guy in town. He's had some trouble getting a good finish with the PPG clear coat (mostly due to specks of dust and bugs finding their way onto the top coats) but he's now gotten the right results after resanding and respraying several times.

Cleaned up my muffler in the kitchen sink (while my wife was at work last night:laugh) with some warm Simple Green; I think I'll periodically remove it and repolish it from time-to-time as it takes all of five minutes to do so. I also cleaned up the headers with some CLR and will get them ready to ship to MR Performance Coatings in Tennessee soon (am also comparing Jet Hot and Performance Coatings in case I decide to go with something other than MR's Satin Black finish)

Stay tuned; I'll be posting photos of my tank and muffler can as soon as I get my new buffing wheel up and running later this week (I'll have a few days in a row off from work so I should be able to get a lot done in one stretch):whistle
 
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Painting done!

Picked up the remaining pieces of tupperware from Chad yesterday afternoon.

I was a bit disappointed at first as there were a lot of tiny nibs in the paint. He assured me that a wet-sanding with 2000 grit and polish would remedy that; sure enough, it's all working out well.

Today I started sanded everything where there were obvious runs in the clear coat along with a few unlucky bugs.

Hit them with the buffer foam pad and some Meguiar's PlastX (my all-around favorite polish besides Simichrome) and you can hardly tell that they were there...:dance

Busy with plenty of work stuff and an anniversary now so would otherwise post some recent pics; soon to follow when I can catch my breath!
 
K75S Header Coatings

Just noticed that you are looking at coatings for your headers. I have been looking at Jet Hot for their Sterling finish. I have not asked them yet, but I wonder if it would be better to try this on a new set of headers vs. the used header on my bike.

Whatever color you decide, looking forward to some pics after it is done.
 
Ceramic coating, wet-sanding and such...

K75S,

Yes, I sent my headers off for ceramic coating on the 17th---they should be back here around the 10th-15th of March if not sooner. Don't worry, I'll be sure to post several photos.

I decided going with Performance Coatings in Auburn, Washington as they do a really nice bright aluminum-looking finish called Chromex. A bit more expensive than the standard satin finishes but it was strongly recommended to me by someone who's had it done. I called them up and talked to Derrick there before shipping---he said they usually media blast things first and also polish them after the coating in a vibratory tumbler---so you could either send them something new or well-used for coating, no problem. I do think that the better that the piece is to begin with that the better the outcome will be, though.

The Chromex finish should complement the other polished aluminum on my bike so I decided to give it a try. I also plan to re-buff the muffler and gas tank once I get my buffing wheel all set up; the spindle adapter and flannel buff I ordered will be here in a few more days.

Here's a picture of my headers just before I sent them off (I had also cleaned them up with some CLR and No. 7 Metal Polish which both helped to remove the brownish discoloration fairly well):

2022010wetsandingbuffing009.jpg


Finally got a chance to continue wet-sanding the rest of the painted parts this afternoon---they're almost all ready for polishing which I hope to have completed tomorrow. Then I can really start reassembling the bike, only having to wait for some new OEM bolts, muffler clamp and a gasket (that's apparently been missing fom my bike's exhaust system) ordered from MaxBMW. The front brake caliper bolts were pretty rusty so I decided to spring for some new ones. I remembered to also order a rubber cap for one side of the center stand tubes so water will no longer get inside (hopefully).

The tank will go on last as I want to get it well-polished before refilling it and starting up the bike again.

Here's one photo I took of the buffing process the other day (wanted to see how well it would work out before doing the rest) with a fairing side panel:

2022010wetsandingbuffing018.jpg


I'll try to take some more photos when I've finished all the sanding and polishing before I put them back on the bike, too. Needless to say, I'm getting excited nearing the completion of all of this!:dance
 
Minor update

Got the sanding and polishing all done today and will start reattaching the trim/moulding and various bits to the fairing pieces tomorrow. Then back on the bike they go!

While it all went OK the price I had to pay to get a smooth finish was a surface with much less "depth" than with all that luscious clear coat. Such is life and motorcycle painting, I suppose.

I did get rid of about 90% of the runs in the clearcoat without sanding through the base coat, at least.

I will try out some Lemon Pledge or paste wax eventually which might help give everything a tad more shine as well as ward off deterioration from our acid rain environment here.

Here are a couple of photos I took while in process; the finished results look much better, of course---I'll shoot pix of those when they're back on the bike.

Catstupperpolishing010.jpg


Catstupperpolishing011.jpg


This arrangement helped me considerably while I tried to do the edges and narrow areas by myself:

Catstupperpolishing014.jpg
 
what started out as a sall project...

Found your thread this morning and read it all...your not done yet?
Reading this reminds me of a cust. that wanted her counter tops replaced.
Well now that she was putting new counters might as well replace the cabinets.Since we are replacing the cabinets we can now replace that old floor.You know the appliances are looking....:help
I can not wait to see the final product when its finished in 2012:lurk
U really are doing your ride justice.
 
Found your thread this morning and read it all...your not done yet?
Reading this reminds me of a cust. that wanted her counter tops replaced.
Well now that she was putting new counters might as well replace the cabinets.Since we are replacing the cabinets we can now replace that old floor.You know the appliances are looking....:help
I can not wait to see the final product when its finished in 2012:lurk
U really are doing your ride justice.

Ouch. Burn.
 
Chromex'd headers arriving tomorrow

Just a heads-up for those curious about the Chromex ceramic coating I had done to my headers---they're waiting for me at the post office now. I'll photograph them and post the results here as soon as I get them out of the box.

More details to follow; I'm nearing completion at long last.:dance
 
Chromex ceramic-coated headers

Got the headers back from Performance Coatings in Auburn, Washington today (actually arrived Saturday while I was at work). They turned out perfectly well and I was also really pleased with their service and attention to detail.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this outfit to anyone wanting ceramic coating done.

On their website they indicate shipping by UPS or FedX only; I requested USPS as it's about a third of the cost compared to them for Hawaii---and they honored my request. My total cost was $99 and change; considerably less than I had anticipated initially ($140-$150 for Chromex plus about $59 for FedEx Home Delivery).

Here are some before/after photos:

BEFORE
2022010wetsandingbuffing009.jpg


AFTER (on-camera flash)
Chromexdheaders022.jpg

and
(taken with available light indoors)
Chromexdheaders023.jpg


I now know what others mean when the Chromex finish is nicer in hand; most photos don't do it justice. It's identical in color and overall appearance to bright or polished aluminum---perfect for my bike!

I'll get these reinstalled on the bike pronto (with a set of new copper nuts and crush washers) Probably a good idea to use some high-temp anti-seize on the studs, too.

More reno details to follow later this week (have a string of days off together so I should be able to finish things up by next weekend, fingers crossed!).
 
Those headers are just gorgeous.

Wonder if I could convince my wife that they're candlesticks and stick them on the dining room table :bolt

-tim
 
Know what you mean, Tim!

I almost didn't want to reinstall them on the bike---so I could admire them in my den a bit longer...:laugh

Here's another shot of them with their brand-new copper nuts (and crush washers installed in the exhaust ports):

Coppernuts003.jpg


The headers match the tank now, too.:whistle

This is the tank just before I reinstalled it late yesterday after numerous buffing, cleaning and polishing sessions:

Coppernuts006.jpg


More details to follow....
 
Thanks, Kgadley; I'm scrambling to get it up and running by tomorrow if possible---that'd make it exactly 9 months since I started this project.

Going back outside now to start installing the front fenders, fork brace and then sand and buff the windscreen. Lots of little things to do but I'm getting to the end of things at last. Stay tuned.

Ill post a full, long-overdue update soon and complete photos once the bike is ready. Fingers crossed that's tomorrow!
 
Sneak preview, another name change and 9-month update:

Part 1) (going to post this in a few parts in between some chores tonight)

Basically completed my project today---after nine long months of work, numerous expeditures, delays, re-dos, etc.---along with a few mistakes and small triumphs here and there.

The last few weeks have been fairly rewarding, making it possible for me to get the bike all back together late this afternoon. While I was planning to put a couple gallons of ethanol-free gas in the shiny tank and take it around the block a few times today---the local weather turned sour on me about the time I was all ready.

Since I'll also need to go to the DMV and retrieve my license plate and re-register the bike before I really get out on the road (I filed a non-op certificate last year) I decided to wait on firing her up for the time being. I go back to work tomorrow morning and won't have time to do so until late next week.

At least the rain, mist and cold fog did not deter my spirits. I kept on working on the last few details; replacing several rusty frame-to-engine bolts, brake caliper bolts and reinstalling the windscreen that I buffed with blue tripoli yesterday.

While it is truly a joy to see my bike complete once again I will not be posting complete pictures here until I have a nice dry day where I can take some good "AFTER" shots that I can post along with a couple of "BEFORE" shots to better show all the differences.

Speaking of differences; I have decided on a new name for my bike. No longer Chiquita, no longer Alumina.......

Since the bike was built in Berlin and sounds like a Bernina sewing machine, I came up with "Berlina." :laugh

Here's a few sneak peaks of Berlina:

9-monthupdate009.jpg


9-monthupdate012.jpg


9-monthupdate018.jpg
 
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Thank you, Brian; I only wish there was a crowd of Beemers on this island---we're outnumbered by HDs and riceburners by a gazillion to one...
 
IT'S ALIVE!!!!


Very cool! Wow, what a difference. It looks great.:german:german:german


You might want to think about sanding the BMW on the crank cover down to bare aluminum so it matches the other side. Not the fins and everything. Keep it understated. But, it's a little dark on that side right now.

With that tank you will become very good at your Flamingo Kid impersonation (wax on, wax off). It's beautiful. Well done.



:dance:dance:dance
 
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