I've looked at the "fender" thread and have a question. Although far from needing to worry at this stage having pulled my m/guards from the pile if they are aluminium are they therefore Birmabrites? Although straight they are not mint being 60 years old and showing some slight pitting. Can I rescue these with wet and dry or do I just buy new ones and save all the grief?
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Alloy mudguards
- Thread starter Tug Wilson
- Start date
Tug,
Assuming they are original you can try polishing. If they do not polish up to your liking, you can paint them black. Some Vincents were delivered this way and you would be able to say the mudguards were original.
David
Assuming they are original you can try polishing. If they do not polish up to your liking, you can paint them black. Some Vincents were delivered this way and you would be able to say the mudguards were original.
David
I don't know if would go the wet & dry route.
I have successfully used the Purple Polish 2 pack kit on my alloy guards and it works a treat on guards that have been sitting for around 35 years. I'll try and find some pics later.
I have successfully used the Purple Polish 2 pack kit on my alloy guards and it works a treat on guards that have been sitting for around 35 years. I'll try and find some pics later.
I have done the wet or dry route. You need to go very high on the grit ending in the 1500 range. They will shine with a lower grit, but close examination will show scratches. If you can find skiDemon's polish it certainly is worth a try.
David
David
As an aside to this thread my youngest son when he was an apprentice at a Ministry establishment, had the job of polishing blemishes out of helicoptor screens. He had to go through the grades until he got to 12,000 grit. And then he started on the liquid compounds. Helicoptor screens cost £10,000 so an apprentice's wages for a few days was ok!
ET43
ET43
I can't find any photos which actually show the difference but trust me, it is significant. The first product in the 2 part pack is an anti-oxidiser which I/we applied with a brush, then after a miute or so, start applying purple metal polish and keep polishing!
Check the front part of the front guard, compared to the whitened, dull rear section.
Check the front part of the front guard, compared to the whitened, dull rear section.
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Original? I'd make the effort
Howdy Tug,
On a patinaed/original looking machine there's nothing like original fenders and color/hue of their appearance is rarely matched by any reproductions. That said, you can click my site in my sig, scan down to ..a few tips, select chassis and review the Fenders (Birmabrite) piece or just click here. This is what I did to resuscitate my dented and pitted originals.
I can't emphasize enough, and it's often been mentioned, that you really only get one shot with bringing pitted ones back to any degree as they're thin and any substantial metal removal compromises structural integrity, especially for the forward section of the rear fender. I'd be inclined to take the more laborious route of wet/dry as opposed to heavy cuts made with a stand mounted buffer.
Good luck.
Howdy Tug,
On a patinaed/original looking machine there's nothing like original fenders and color/hue of their appearance is rarely matched by any reproductions. That said, you can click my site in my sig, scan down to ..a few tips, select chassis and review the Fenders (Birmabrite) piece or just click here. This is what I did to resuscitate my dented and pitted originals.
I can't emphasize enough, and it's often been mentioned, that you really only get one shot with bringing pitted ones back to any degree as they're thin and any substantial metal removal compromises structural integrity, especially for the forward section of the rear fender. I'd be inclined to take the more laborious route of wet/dry as opposed to heavy cuts made with a stand mounted buffer.
Good luck.