daniel deblanke
XS650 Enthusiast
im thinking of making my tank and side covers brushed metal
has anyone done this before?
seems pretty easy job.
has anyone done this before?
seems pretty easy job.
this is definitely what i'm going for.Yep two or three. Some are powder coated and some paint
i looked at a guy on youtube doing that, but I WOULD EFF it UP!!!What about using small rolloc discs (1" ?) to create an "engine-turned" (also called "jeweling" or "fish scale") look? Time consuming, for sure, but you won't see another one! ...well, maybe something like it, but prolly not an Xs650!
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That is what I used to take the paint off. I used a scotchbright pad on the area to take the swirls out. Takes a bit of time but for the entire tank and fender will be using paint stripper for sure but need to search which is a good one to use.
I did it on my original Special tank. I used a DA sander and left some paint on for effect. Add stickers and some 2K clear and done.
I sold it on eBay when I upgraded to a 750 tank. I am still using the side covers which hot the same treatment.
The 2K clear really holds up well to fuel.
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I found a super cheap set of side covers on ebay and badgeless tank on craigslist and tried the brushed metal experiment over winter.
I used several passes of aircraft stripper on them, then wirebrush, 200 grit sandpaper and scotchbright. I painted the underside of the tank and backsides of the side covers with black gloss rustoleum and I let everythig sit and odxodize for about a month. sometimes I tried experimenting with leaving a wet paper towel on the side panels to see what patterns i would get. Eventually i put a thin coat of boiled linseed oil on everything daily for a few weeks to let it build up. Seems pretty good so far after about 3 months. I leave it street parked and try to keep a cover on it most of the time. Has been fine in the rain uncovered though. I reapply a few coats of oil every few weeks and let the surface progress.
Look for "airplane stripper". I got mine at Wally Mart, and it works just fine. Messy, but you're done in 15-20 minutes. Put your parts on a bunch of old newspapers, so after you scrape off the mess, you just crumple up the paper, and toss...