Clean lower fork tubes

How do clean the lower half of the forks without scratching them? There is a layer of dirt and road grime , I believe. Pictures attached.

From my notes:
www.kzrider.com/forum/5-chassis/597995-c...ed-fork-tubes#670358
Cleaning those Ugly Yellowed fork tubes. by RFE81LTD1K.
acetone. then polishing wheel & rubbing compound.
Also, marvel mystery oil is supposed to be good for cleaning aluminum.

My fix wasn't too expensive but it wasn't easy. About 20 hours of work to wet sand them from 220 grit to 2K grit. Then buff them with buffing wheels and compound. I got the kits from Eastwood.

acetone ,Dont forget rubber gloves and NO SMOKING be carefull with that stuff

The acetone strips off the peeling plastic coating 9er? Assuming that is what you are showing us. No doubt that will make them look much better. If the bare aluminum has oxidized that will remain, correct?

over 20 years ago I buffed all my covers and forks and just kept it clean, with mothers and neverdull occasionally. As long as no build up or standing water Thats all you need really. The forks I posted are from a 781000 Im putting back on the road has factory finish for now and all the dirt will hang in the finish, but for now it is what it is I go through Rio Grande Jewelry .com for my supplies. very helpful people. but the main thing is keep all wheels for different compounds and sanding supplies in seperate baggies and every thing free of residue, and clear of soap. Have fun getting the scratches out of the scratches out of the scratches on the full surface so no ripples appear. Good Luck.

Clyde

after going this far a scotch bright treatment is a shame

Thank you all for the responses. Sorry I should have searched first and I probably would have found the post on cleaning them. If I understand it right the acetone will take off the factor clear coat?

If you are going to do the 220 grit sanding and progressively go to 2000 grit followed by polishing you can skip the acetone as the 220 grit will cut thru the yellowed clear finish and save you one step
Dave

Also, always, always, always sand in the same direction. Longitudinally is best. That is, up and down along the tube. If you at some point sand side to side around the tube, you will have to sand 47.2 times as much up and down to remove the sideways scratches.
Start with the coarsest grit and gently sand until you have a uniform cloudiness. Copious amounts of WD40 makes for a better product as it will keep all the little bit in suspension rather than letting them get imbedded in the metal. It will also release the metal bits from the sand paper so it does a better job and lasts longer.
Once you have a uniform cloudiness, use a really soft cloth (microfiber towels work great), to remove the slurry from the tube. Reapply WD40, and proceed with the next finer grit paper. Don't be afraid to use more lubricant. Sand until the deeper scratches from the previous sanding are gone. Be thorough and patient. When the tube is uniformly a little less dull, wipe the tube down with a clean towel and move to the next grit. Once you have finished with the finest grit, get out the aluminum polish and a stack of clean microfiber towels and polish until the shine burns out your eyeballs. Yes, this is a slow, tedious process, but you will love the results.

Hand sanding is WAY too much work. I recommend using a sisal wheel and black cutting compound. If the corrosion is deep start out with 220 grit sandpaper on a DA sander. I've done tons of polishing with this routine and it turns out great. If you insist on sanding by hand there is no reason to go beyond 800 grit or so unless you want a brighter finish than the OEM original finish. That was somewhere in the vicinity of 600 grit.

Here are my fork sliders after clear coating with Por-15 Glisten clear.