Chris Costello
XS650 Enthusiast
Included are some pictures.
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Oxidation and Rust
- Thread starter Chris Costello
- Start date
Included are some pictures.
uncle meat
XS650 Addict
When I first brought mine home, the rusty pitted blinkers were in a parts box and I wanted to use them. My wife grabbed some water and crumpled tin foil and got busy on the blinkers. They turned out pretty nice.
I would try that on the head pipes first to knock the big stuff off, not on the cases though.
UM
I would try that on the head pipes first to knock the big stuff off, not on the cases though.
UM
Check out: http://www.xs650.com/threads/how-do-i-clean-the-chrome-on-my-exhaust.7168/#post-74564
There are other posts as well.
There are other posts as well.
Hi Chris,
Soap-filled steel wool pads in warm water will work well to start with if combined with a large amount of elbow grease.
more elbow grease and your favorite metal polish afterwards will increase the shine.
Or follow the steel wool treatment with a bench-mounted power buffer. Less elbow grease but more dismantling.
Soap-filled steel wool pads in warm water will work well to start with if combined with a large amount of elbow grease.
more elbow grease and your favorite metal polish afterwards will increase the shine.
Or follow the steel wool treatment with a bench-mounted power buffer. Less elbow grease but more dismantling.
Hey Chris, Welcome to the forum.
You can definitely remove the surface rust, clean them up and get them to 'shine again' but you will never be able to restore them to original smooth finish. Unfortunately the rust eats through the chrome down to the base metal over time and leaves tiny holes, 'pits'. There is nothing you can do about that (other than having the parts re chromed) as the chrome has been eaten away by the rust leaving a pitted surface, however from a 'normal' viewing distance these pits are barely noticeable and a good shine tends to help mask them.
I have tried several methods for removal and found the least destructive/most effective was using 0000 steel wool with 'Mothers' chrome polish as a lubricant, once dry after a good rub with a warm soapy water sponge. You can get a bag of 0000 steel wool at any hardware store.
I found using a lubricant such as Mothers or even water as Fred suggests with a little dish soap as a lubricant tends to help cut through the rust and minimizes scratches.
I have tried other (courser) grades of steel wool and these are handy to have for more aggressive clean up but watch how much pressure you are applying as they will scratch more easily. Also tried the aluminum foil method that many use and was surprised that the aluminum foil actually leaves more scratch marks than 0000 steel wool. Seems counter intuitive but that was my experience. 0000 or whats called '4 ought' steel wool is surprisingly fine and is used to polish out finishes on fine furniture. For smaller parts as uncle meat describes above the foil might be better but I found it scratched mufflers/pipes too easily so stopped using it.
Finish up after rust removal with a metal polish such as 'Autosol' or 'Blue Magic" which has been talked about a lot on the forum lately, with "LOT'S'' of elbow grease and several applications.
Take lots of before, after and progress pictures so you can see your progress and stay encouraged.
Remember to always test a procedure and product choice in a less visible area first to make sure you are happy with the results.
It is a lot of work but worth it and you will be amazed at how nicely you can clean them up.
You can definitely remove the surface rust, clean them up and get them to 'shine again' but you will never be able to restore them to original smooth finish. Unfortunately the rust eats through the chrome down to the base metal over time and leaves tiny holes, 'pits'. There is nothing you can do about that (other than having the parts re chromed) as the chrome has been eaten away by the rust leaving a pitted surface, however from a 'normal' viewing distance these pits are barely noticeable and a good shine tends to help mask them.
I have tried several methods for removal and found the least destructive/most effective was using 0000 steel wool with 'Mothers' chrome polish as a lubricant, once dry after a good rub with a warm soapy water sponge. You can get a bag of 0000 steel wool at any hardware store.
I found using a lubricant such as Mothers or even water as Fred suggests with a little dish soap as a lubricant tends to help cut through the rust and minimizes scratches.
I have tried other (courser) grades of steel wool and these are handy to have for more aggressive clean up but watch how much pressure you are applying as they will scratch more easily. Also tried the aluminum foil method that many use and was surprised that the aluminum foil actually leaves more scratch marks than 0000 steel wool. Seems counter intuitive but that was my experience. 0000 or whats called '4 ought' steel wool is surprisingly fine and is used to polish out finishes on fine furniture. For smaller parts as uncle meat describes above the foil might be better but I found it scratched mufflers/pipes too easily so stopped using it.
Finish up after rust removal with a metal polish such as 'Autosol' or 'Blue Magic" which has been talked about a lot on the forum lately, with "LOT'S'' of elbow grease and several applications.
Take lots of before, after and progress pictures so you can see your progress and stay encouraged.
Remember to always test a procedure and product choice in a less visible area first to make sure you are happy with the results.
It is a lot of work but worth it and you will be amazed at how nicely you can clean them up.
Advice above is all good. Don't use steel wool or a steel brush on the aluminum. Use sandpaper or Scotch-Brite.
Yes, good point Marty. I have also used lubricated Scotch-Brite pads as a first step to break away and remove heavy rust as shown in Chris's pics.
