Stripping and polishing handlebar controls...

  • marko
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Re: Stripping and polishing handlebar controls...

20 Oct 2005 14:47
#3040
I like the polished look. I used aircraft stripper on mine then polished with mothers. lots quicker and still looks great. Stripper burns like crazy if it touches your skin:woohoo: so be careful. Mark

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  • savedrider
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Re: Stripping and polishing handlebar controls...

20 Oct 2005 16:02
#3050
Your controls look great LTDrider! I agree the semi/satin finish may have looked a tad better.
Get right or get left! <*{{{><

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  • savedrider
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Re: Stripping and polishing handlebar controls...

20 Oct 2005 16:03
#3051
marko wrote:
I like the polished look. I used aircraft stripper on mine then polished with mothers. lots quicker and still looks great. Stripper burns like crazy if it touches your skin:woohoo: so be careful. Mark

I tried dunking mine overnight in Berryman's, but it didn't cut the original paint.
Get right or get left! <*{{{><

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  • ronboskz650sr
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Re: Stripping and polishing handlebar controls...

20 Oct 2005 17:36
#3074
You could lighty fog a coat of body color or black in the areas where the letters are, then sand the surface clean, leaving the colored lettering down in the grooves. Then repolish the sanded areas. I like the polished look. Adding the lettering was just an idea I had.

Post edited by: ronboskz650sr, at: 2005/10/20 20:39

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  • indykaw77
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Re: Stripping and polishing handlebar controls...

20 Oct 2005 19:21
#3111
I never saw them polished.....cool look. I kinda like both, tho.....
savedrider, what are your handlebars?? Superbike bars or otherwise?????
Kawasaki Motorcycles...because cars lean th wrong way!

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  • savedrider
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Re: Stripping and polishing handlebar controls...

20 Oct 2005 19:45
#3123
indykaw77 wrote:
I never saw them polished.....cool look. I kinda like both, tho.....
savedrider, what are your handlebars?? Superbike bars or otherwise?????

Yup, those would be the superbike bend indy.
Get right or get left! <*{{{><

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  • dannyg40
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Re: Stripping and polishing handlebar controls...

21 Oct 2005 00:51
#3166
ltdrider,
They look great ! Unfortunatly the pictures you posted made me add another project on the "to do" list over the winter on my bike :(
That really makes a big difference, looks great!

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  • John68
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Re: Stripping and polishing handlebar controls...

21 Oct 2005 03:43
#3174
neat!
That's a neat look for those controls. I have an older Kawasaki that originally had bare aluminum controls. I was contemplating doing the same thing, but have decided on acid dipping the pieces after sanding and buffing, to give it more of a fresh cast look, rather than a mirror reflection.


There are soooo many different things you can do with metal. The possibilities are as endless as the techniques.

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  • wiredgeorge
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Re: Stripping and polishing handlebar controls...

21 Oct 2005 06:41
#3199
I find that brake fluid strips the black paint off switchgear most effectively! bwhahahaha
wiredgeorge Motorcycle Carburetors
Mico TX
www.wgcarbs.com
Too many bikes to list!

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  • ltdrider
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Re: Stripping and polishing handlebar controls...

21 Oct 2005 07:11
#3203
WG:
You aint kiddin' about the Dot 3 fluid. I've stripped and repainted my reservoir 3 times. The paint just starts to bubble up under the cap. It's been about 4 months since my last touch-up. Maybe I finally got the cap to seal.
'76 KZ900 LTD (Blaze)
'96 Voyager XII (Dark Star)
'79 KZ650 Cafe Project (Dirty Kurt)
Greensboro, NC

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  • OKC_Kent
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Re: Stripping and polishing handlebar controls...

21 Oct 2005 08:10
#3217
LTDRIDER,

How did you do the lettering? Small brush or big brush and then wipe off? What brand of paint?
Oklahoma City, OK
78 KZ650 B2 82,000+ miles

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  • ltdrider
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Re: Stripping and polishing handlebar controls...

21 Oct 2005 09:37
#3225
Kent:
After I painted the pieces black, I used water-based paint (house paint). I just dabbed the paint into the letters, and wiped with a damp rag. The color stays in the letters, and seems quite durable when dry.
'76 KZ900 LTD (Blaze)
'96 Voyager XII (Dark Star)
'79 KZ650 Cafe Project (Dirty Kurt)
Greensboro, NC

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