Boofniff
05-07-2002, 12:57 AM
More Enthusiasm Than Sense:
As you read this article you will discover the truth of the title, some things are not worth the time and effort to restore, and that is all there is to it.
For some, to me the project is as much of a pleasure as the final product, in this case an ATV… I am just such a fool.
This is the steering off of an fl250, (yes I am aware that this is a 3 wheeler page, but I enjoy writing articles and I enjoy this page and I am still waiting on parts for the 200es)
You can purchase perfectly good one for less than 20.00. When I removed it the aluminum was badly corroded due to the heavy pad wrappings at the hand grips and across the bottoms the machine had sat outside for quite awhile and water had collected under the wraps, I wish I had taken a pic of it at the time, you can see some of the damage on the right hand side, badly pitted and stained, running this on your atv will embarrass you and your atv buddies might call you names, time to drag out the big guns, first a bench grinder with a wire wheel attachment is a handy and cheap tool to have look around at your local flea market, about 20.00 dollars. Yes I know but you can use the grinder again. Take care when using a bench grinder as it is very hungry for human flesh and when alone at night will think of ways to feed… on you.
Lightly brush the surface to start, getting more aggressive as you go around, remember you are going to have to remove those scores by hand most likely, so don’t take any more than is necessary.
Once you have wire brushed it to your satisfaction give it a good wipe down and take a close look. Still have some pitting in the surface? Depending on how fastidious your are you might wish to go back to the grinder, I don’t mind a few pits myself and since I have both gun and temper my buddies keep their mouths shut
Step two:
Find yourself a comfortable place to sit; this is going to take awhile.
I start out with a fine tooth file both flat and a rat tail, this is also a good time to remove those irritating casting lines, work around your piece running the file at a slight angle to the marks left by the wire wheel, once you have gone all the way around inspect closely. Got a few spots left? You know the drill.
Next I get out the sand paper starting with 120 going to 220 then to 320. At this point you should have a reasonably smooth surface (if not keep at it) you will notice that it is kind of dull looking, not the mirror like finish that you can see on the left side of the picture, remain calm, the good news is you are now at the final step.
The Final Step:
Go down to your local hardware store and purchase a rag wheel that has the same size arbor as your new bench grinder, and you also want to purchase a stick of Emery and a stick of Tripoli. Put the rag wheel on your grinder, just because it is cloth don’t mean that the grinder has quit wanting a piece of you, it will try and snatch that part RIGHT OUT OF YOUR HAND, be careful, sucker bounce of the wall leave you unconscious.
First use the emery with wheel spinning stick the emery stick into the wheel until there is a good coat on it, now take your part in hand and let the buffing begin, once you have what seems like a mirror finish use the Tripoli, don’t be shy push that part hard, WATCH OUT, hey dude didn’t I tell you it would grab it.
This method will work on just about all metals be careful with chrome as it can peel and slice you 6 ways to Sunday.
As you read this article you will discover the truth of the title, some things are not worth the time and effort to restore, and that is all there is to it.
For some, to me the project is as much of a pleasure as the final product, in this case an ATV… I am just such a fool.
This is the steering off of an fl250, (yes I am aware that this is a 3 wheeler page, but I enjoy writing articles and I enjoy this page and I am still waiting on parts for the 200es)
You can purchase perfectly good one for less than 20.00. When I removed it the aluminum was badly corroded due to the heavy pad wrappings at the hand grips and across the bottoms the machine had sat outside for quite awhile and water had collected under the wraps, I wish I had taken a pic of it at the time, you can see some of the damage on the right hand side, badly pitted and stained, running this on your atv will embarrass you and your atv buddies might call you names, time to drag out the big guns, first a bench grinder with a wire wheel attachment is a handy and cheap tool to have look around at your local flea market, about 20.00 dollars. Yes I know but you can use the grinder again. Take care when using a bench grinder as it is very hungry for human flesh and when alone at night will think of ways to feed… on you.
Lightly brush the surface to start, getting more aggressive as you go around, remember you are going to have to remove those scores by hand most likely, so don’t take any more than is necessary.
Once you have wire brushed it to your satisfaction give it a good wipe down and take a close look. Still have some pitting in the surface? Depending on how fastidious your are you might wish to go back to the grinder, I don’t mind a few pits myself and since I have both gun and temper my buddies keep their mouths shut
Step two:
Find yourself a comfortable place to sit; this is going to take awhile.
I start out with a fine tooth file both flat and a rat tail, this is also a good time to remove those irritating casting lines, work around your piece running the file at a slight angle to the marks left by the wire wheel, once you have gone all the way around inspect closely. Got a few spots left? You know the drill.
Next I get out the sand paper starting with 120 going to 220 then to 320. At this point you should have a reasonably smooth surface (if not keep at it) you will notice that it is kind of dull looking, not the mirror like finish that you can see on the left side of the picture, remain calm, the good news is you are now at the final step.
The Final Step:
Go down to your local hardware store and purchase a rag wheel that has the same size arbor as your new bench grinder, and you also want to purchase a stick of Emery and a stick of Tripoli. Put the rag wheel on your grinder, just because it is cloth don’t mean that the grinder has quit wanting a piece of you, it will try and snatch that part RIGHT OUT OF YOUR HAND, be careful, sucker bounce of the wall leave you unconscious.
First use the emery with wheel spinning stick the emery stick into the wheel until there is a good coat on it, now take your part in hand and let the buffing begin, once you have what seems like a mirror finish use the Tripoli, don’t be shy push that part hard, WATCH OUT, hey dude didn’t I tell you it would grab it.
This method will work on just about all metals be careful with chrome as it can peel and slice you 6 ways to Sunday.