Polishing Diaphragm Covers

[MONTREALMAX]

Hello All
While working on my carbs I mildly scratched the diaphragm covers moving them on the bench. I forgot to move the rag under them :doh:

How do you go about polishing them back to normal? Has anyone had to do this?

Sorry if this is the wrong spot to post this was not sure where to ask

 

[Thevmaxrider]

If you have gone through the clear into the metal you will have to strip them to polish it out, then re-clear them.

 

[one2dmax]

No real way to fix the factory finish since it's a machined look. We chrome them but that's a completely different look.

Sean

 

[gtotiger1]

I just polised mine last night, really easy , go to you local sears , buy a 6 inch flannel polishing wheel for a 1/2 arbor electric motor , and the 4 pack of polish compounds they have , and of course you need an electric motor to put the wheel on , then start with the white compound from the kit, that will strip the clear factory coating off and polish the under alum. Then finish with the red compound, it will take about 20 minutes a cover , but when you done you will have 2 things, (1) chrome looking beautiful carb diaphram covers, and (2) burnt fingers, damn they get hot !!!!!! Try it !

 

[dannymax]

I just polised mine last night, really easy , go to you local sears , buy a 6 inch flannel polishing wheel for a 1/2 arbor electric motor , and the 4 pack of polish compounds they have , and of course you need an electric motor to put the wheel on , then start with the white compound from the kit, that will strip the clear factory coating off and polish the under alum. Then finish with the red compound, it will take about 20 minutes a cover , but when you done you will have 2 things, (1) chrome looking beautiful carb diaphram covers, and (2) burnt fingers, damn they get hot !!!!!! Try it !

Sounds cool, how about posting a couple pics.

What part of NY are you from?

 

[82ndCowboy]

I just polised mine last night, really easy , go to you local sears , buy a 6 inch flannel polishing wheel for a 1/2 arbor electric motor , and the 4 pack of polish compounds they have , and of course you need an electric motor to put the wheel on , then start with the white compound from the kit, that will strip the clear factory coating off and polish the under alum. Then finish with the red compound, it will take about 20 minutes a cover , but when you done you will have 2 things, (1) chrome looking beautiful carb diaphram covers, and (2) burnt fingers, damn they get hot !!!!!! Try it !

Tiger,
You know the name of the polishing compound?
I'd like to try it on my valve covers (just the aluminum strip) and my scoops.

 

[Rusty McNeil]

I just polised mine last night, really easy , go to you local sears , buy a 6 inch flannel polishing wheel for a 1/2 arbor electric motor , and the 4 pack of polish compounds they have , and of course you need an electric motor to put the wheel on , then start with the white compound from the kit, that will strip the clear factory coating off and polish the under alum. Then finish with the red compound, it will take about 20 minutes a cover , but when you done you will have 2 things, (1) chrome looking beautiful carb diaphram covers, and (2) burnt fingers, damn they get hot !!!!!! Try it !

A1 plus on this method, it's exactly how I've done all my polishing ...

Except I use paint stripper to remove the clear coat since it's faster than polishing it off....

 

[dannymax]

Rusty-How do you maintain the nice shiny finish? Doesn't bare aluminum tend to oxidize fairly quickly?

 

[naughtyG]

just spray clear coat on it while it shines :eusa_dance::clapping:unk:

 

[gtotiger1]

The name of the compound, well sears sells it in the tool coral, its specifically for buffers, its in a 4 pack , with 4 different cake polishes, one is called red ruge, one is tripoli, one is white rouge, and the other , well i forgot. But sears has it !! I agree with the paint stripper, however the clear on my diaprams was so this it took 2 seconda, however i did my scoops last night, i 2 tomed them i did just the brushed parts , the upper section , and left the painted silver, that i had to sand the clear off with an orbital sander and 320 grit, then started with the tripoli, thn white ruge, then red ruge, like glass i say awsome i will try to post some pics.

 

[Rusty McNeil]

I've never had any luck with clear coat in a rattle can....so that was out, but I did try it......

Rusty-How do you maintain the nice shiny finish? Doesn't bare aluminum tend to oxidize fairly quickly?

Basically by repolishing it every so often, and keeping it waxed in between...

In all honesty, unless you enjoy this stuff a whole lot, polished aluminum is a maintenance nightmare.....

I ride my bike probabaly 7500 a year and often in the rain and so wash it, or wipe it down and detail it, just about every weekend.

Once aluminum is polished right the first time, repolishing it with Mothers or similiar isn't really that big a deal, about like using the old turtle "hard" waxes back in the old days....

The real key is if you get it wet you need to wipe it down as soon as you get it home and not let it sit, that's the #1 worst thing you can do for aluminum.

I use a product generally called "Honda Polish" although the one i use is a generic ( I think the brand is by "bike stuff") duplicate of the Honda product. It smells like a cross between wax and wd-40 when sprayed in the lid.

It's a fantastic product, you can basically give a fairly dirty bike a good bath without using any water, although more often it's used as an "in between" or daily wipe down thing.....

3-4 minutes every day when you get home wiping down with Honda Polish and you can go months without washing a bike, unless you get it so filthy that it's gonna scratch if a water hose isn't used to get the heavy dirt off.....

 

[Jayhawk]

Just want to throw in that, for any females on the board, I'm happy to offer my diaphragm polishing services. Free of charge. And, you don't even need to remove it!

 

[dannymax]

Just want to throw in that, for any females on the board, I'm happy to offer my diaphragm polishing services. Free of charge. And, you don't even need to remove it!

Can't polish a Mack truck with a Q-tip lad!! :rofl_200::biglaugh::rofl_200:

 

[82ndCowboy]

Can't polish a Mack truck with a Q-tip lad!! :rofl_200::biglaugh::rofl_200:

Sure you can, it just takes hours and hours and hours...
You do need lots of dedication and stamina though! :eusa_dance:

And I hear they have a pill to help the staminnally challenged now. :rofl_200:

 

[xoe00]

Where do you get "bike stuff" or "honda polish"? Any major chains carry it -- haven't seen it anywhere...

 

[one2dmax]

honda motorcycle dealer for the "honda polish". Yamaha polish is the same stuff but seems to be harder to find.

Oh, and screw polishing - I have one word for you - chrome!

Sean