polishing work

schlakeandbake308

schlakeandbake308

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in my free time i often do a lot of polishing work. Would there be any interest from people to have polishing work done? the stuff for the xs650 isn't really that bad to do, but i know it can be intimidating. Just looking for some input. extra scratch during law school is never turned down!!
 
I despise polishing work...so I would be all over that, IF I didn't have my bike all complete and it's riding season. :)
 
You can see some of it in my threads for my bike and what not. This is the timing cover for my norton, i did that a week or so ago. i just need to hit it one last time with a dry wheel to get that final shine.

I bought a side cover today from user doncon. Ill do a before and after on it so everybody can see what can happen. that would probably be the best way to show what i can do.
 

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i agree, before and after is a good way, maybe even a before and after on the same part (half and half)
 
yeah i can do that, should make it pretty easy to see it. ill use the clutch cover in the attachment, but when i do it ill post a bunch of pictures. I might pull some other 650 parts and do them to put up here for folks to see. Thanks for the interest guys
 
Brassneck said:
I despise polishing work...
Click to expand...

Really? I just love love love it! :D
For me there's nothing better than relaxing on the couch with a beer while I slowly wet sand a large, oddly shaped piece of corroded aluminum using a hand-cramping swirling motion, only occasionally pausing to blow a long stream of black slime from my nose, a foul composition of rouge, aluminum particles, and mucus, the result of an earlier session of buffing a different part.
Nothing.
Better.
:thumbsup:



So, schlakeandbake308, what do you typically charge for a pair of engine side cases? :D
:bike:
 
cycleranger said:
Really? I just love love love it! :D
For me there's nothing better than relaxing on the couch with a beer while I slowly wet sand a large, oddly shaped piece of corroded aluminum using a hand-cramping swirling motion, only occasionally pausing to blow a long stream of black slime from my nose, a foul composition of rouge, aluminum particles, and mucus, the result of an earlier session of buffing a different part.
Nothing.
Better.
:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Yep, pretty much sums it up...except I'm in my cramped garage with black stained fingers and music blaring at inappropriate levels. :)
 
thats the ticket!! I've got speakers all around my garage, it depends on the mood I'm in, but occasionally content can't get me in a little trouble with the folks inside the house haha. Cold beer in the fridge and my buddy working on his old bonnevile is my idea of a perfect evening! Its not that polishing is tons of fun haha, but it is relaxing when you compare it with how i spend most of my time... (this year...studying the federal income tax code).
To be honest, i hadn't thought much about the actual pricing. But i can promise you i would never charge as much as some of these people get away with. There is a guy here in Oklahoma City who tried to charge me $245 for the alternator cover 2 years ago :yikes:. Thats why i taught myself to do it haha. it is time consuming, but I've gotten much faster with it. I can probably go start to finish on engine case covers in 3-4 hours, as long as they aren't too jacked up. Those valve covers are way faster. i could get into the brass tax of breaking everything down to the second, but I'm going to have enough of that once i pass the bar exam. What i would probably do is figure out what needed to be done and go from there.
If you wanted every component done, valve covers, engine cases, kickstart lever, fork lowers, etc. etc., i would make it a much better deal than some hourly rate. This is really just to help me out on the side, Im not looking to get rich. As bad as this sounds, I'm going to be in that garage working on something regardless. For just starting out with this, and having no one to back my work, we can work out a price together that we are both comfortable with.
 
Cycleranger, as i sit here and think about this... i really don't have anyone to vouch for me. I'd do the first set of engine case covers for the price of shipping, as long as the pictures get posted on this thread by the buyer and they give a review of how it turned out.
 
schlakeandbake308 said:
Cycleranger, as i sit here and think about this... i really don't have anyone to vouch for me. I'd do the first set of engine case covers for the price of shipping, as long as the pictures get posted on this thread by the buyer and they give a review of how it turned out.
Click to expand...

I appreciate the offer but I'm already well into polishing my parts.
However, I'll bet someone else would take you up on that offer.
 
whenever I polish stuff, I use my portable working cart (has a belt sander, grinder/polisher and drill press) to take it outside. I have a nice big piece of cardboard I throw up against the wall and go to town. I'm somewhat limited in how big of a piece I can polish, because I don't have a nice long arbor with plenty of clearance, but it works pretty good for what i need it for. But it's certainly not something i really enjoy doing or am that great at...
 
Nobody's taken Schlake up on this yet? I'd be happy to have you do my covers - except they are already vapor blasted. I don't know if that would showcase your work enough?

I didn't take tax in law school, but polishing aluminum pretty much beats most of the courses I did take! Don't worry, pretty soon you'll be out and practicing law and then have no time to work on your bike. DAMHIK.
 
just finished up the final on thursday Santa Fe.... brutal. Conflicts wasn't too bad, but tax was about the toughest one yet. now just need to knock this paper out...
 
i unfortunately jumped the gun on this, i hadn't heard about a job for the summer and was looking at other options for income. shortly after i posted this i was offered a job in texas. ill be here till august and then i will be returning to Norman, Oklahoma to finish up school. id be happy to take on the job at my return
 
schlakeandbake308 said:
i unfortunately jumped the gun on this, i hadn't heard about a job for the summer and was looking at other options for income. shortly after i posted this i was offered a job in texas. ill be here till august and then i will be returning to Norman, Oklahoma to finish up school. id be happy to take on the job at my return
Click to expand...
sign me up! I have a pair of good condition side covers I'd like to get done.
 

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