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Pretty much. Depends on the condition of them now though(corrosion, etc). In a perfect scenario you would start with a polished or semi-polished finish then go at it with the scotch brite. PB blaster makes a good lube for "wet sanding". Just go at it in one direction though, if you go in circles it will show....
Craig
Craig
If you give it a go. Post some pictures! 
All the polished alloy parts are clear coated from the factory except maybe the very early models. Probably best to strip that off 1st or you'll just be rubbing on paint. Bead blasting would give you the look you desire and be much quicker.
angus67
Welder's penetrate deeper!!
bead blasting would turn it white? no?
use paint striper to get the clear off, and like you said, attack!!
use paint striper to get the clear off, and like you said, attack!!
Tech7
XS650 Junkie
Yeah, you gotta start with a nice polished surface first. It hurts to scuff it after polishing it though!
No, bead blasting won't turn it white, lol. It will remove any corrosion, white or otherwise, maybe even that clear coat if you blast long enough, and leave a nice mat gray textured surface. Better suited to sand cast parts like cylinders and heads because on a polished part, you would have to sand it smooth and polish afterward to get the shine back. Here's a before and after shot of a rather nasty head I did recently that was spray bombed black (what were they thinking?) .....
angus67
Welder's penetrate deeper!!
i love that natural alum. look. when I had my engine apart. I couldnt get my rocker shafts out for the chemical dip. so it was darker against the fresh machined head, so I bombed it black.
Okie
XS650 Addict
I have a friend who has a small blast machine.....he uses crushed walnut shells, give it a nice shiny look and doesn't remove any metal.
TeeCat
One-Mik Wonder
Hey, guys... along a similar vain and seems to fit with this thread:
How about the textured finish that sort of looks like small "crop circles" or scalloping, if you will. I saw an example of that in here recently... anyone know how that's done? Gives a similar effect, but patterned.
TC
How about the textured finish that sort of looks like small "crop circles" or scalloping, if you will. I saw an example of that in here recently... anyone know how that's done? Gives a similar effect, but patterned.
TC
Machine turning??
