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polishing titanium

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allan_...@my-deja.com

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Dec 4, 1999, 3:00:00 AM12/4/99
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So how does one mirror polish one's
titanium bike. Like the mirror polished
litespeeds.

emery cloth? really fine wet/dry sandpaper?
some sort of polishing compound?


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Before you buy.

Brian Nystrom

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Dec 4, 1999, 3:00:00 AM12/4/99
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allan_...@my-deja.com wrote:

> So how does one mirror polish one's
> titanium bike. Like the mirror polished
> litespeeds.
>
> emery cloth? really fine wet/dry sandpaper?
> some sort of polishing compound?

The answer is: With great difficulty.

Litespeed actually polishes their tubes before building the frame in
order to reduce the amount of labor involved. If you're deterimed to
polish your frame, you'll need to starts with fine grit emery cloth (600
grit) to get a basic smooth finish, then switch to polishing compound on
a buffing wheel for the final finish. Be prepared to spend a lot of
time, especially when trying to polish around frame fittings, the BB
area and the seat stay cluster. You can also expect to spend a lot of
time maintaining the finish afterward.

If you ask me, it's not worth it. You can create a fine brushed finish
using Scotchbrite. It's easier to apply and very easy to maintain. It
also doesn't produce the blinding glare that a polished finish will on a
sunny day.

--
Regards

Brian

Roger

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Dec 4, 1999, 3:00:00 AM12/4/99
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allan_...@my-deja.com wrote:
>
> So how does one mirror polish one's
> titanium bike. Like the mirror polished
> litespeeds.
>
> emery cloth? really fine wet/dry sandpaper?
> some sort of polishing compound?

Wet and dry will do to begin with, but for that final mirror finish, you
need T-Cut paint cutting compound. (It's also perfect for restoring the
original gloss finish to scratched plastic baths!)
--
Roger

Web: http://freespace.virgin.net/roger.cantwell
ICQ: 40038278
*** Please remove 'filler' from the Reply address ***

Gocycle

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Dec 4, 1999, 3:00:00 AM12/4/99
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I recently polished my brilliant polished Litespeed to a mirror finish.
I found a polish used at antique car shows to polish metals.

It is called Wenol Polish. At first, I was skeptical- but after a few
minutes the bike was shining like a mirror.
Wenol also has a finishing cream.
The product can't be found locally where I reside, so I did a web search
of the product. Purchased it from a site located in TN
1-800-936-6548 Arise and Shine inc.

Hope this helps.


}}}}}GoCycle}}}}}


Arby

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Dec 5, 1999, 3:00:00 AM12/5/99
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I don't want a mirror but how do I get scratches out?

Gocycle wrote in message
<17823-38...@storefull-221.iap.bryant.webtv.net>...

Curloo Bicycles

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Dec 6, 1999, 3:00:00 AM12/6/99
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Try using a medium grade of wet-n-dry paper with a
small amount of water. Then go finer from there, use a
metal polish after that.

I recently built a Ti frame and polished the tubes first,
same as Merlin etc.., but forgot just how much effort
is required to remove the weld "muck".

The sort of this you give the junior staff to keep them
occupied for 1-2 months !


Lloyd

--
Curloo Bicycles
email: cur...@curloo.com
web: http://www.curloo.com
Arby <joe-...@email.msn.com> wrote in message
news:uVBp7c4P$GA.250@cpmsnbbsa03...

Greg Stenger

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Dec 6, 1999, 3:00:00 AM12/6/99
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I had to polish up a Ti frame after a crash that left a dent in the seat
tube and scratched the finish. I was lucky enough to have a neighbor who
does car restoration and he let me borrow his hand-held power buffing wheel
and rouge. It made pretty easy work of what would have probably been a
tough job to do by hand. I started with a more abrasive compound and then
moved to the finer ones.

Greg Stenger
gste...@mindspring.com

Mark Hickey

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Dec 6, 1999, 3:00:00 AM12/6/99
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"Arby" <joe-...@email.msn.com> wrote:

>I don't want a mirror but how do I get scratches out?

If it's a brushed finish, it's a piece of cake (assuming they're not
TOO deep). For anything other than a bona fide GOUGE, just use some
400-grit sandpaper to start with. If it's not a scratch that will
catch your fingernail, just a few passes should leave the finish
looking like new. Depending on the frame, you might want to follow up
with a little work with a Scotchbrite pad, which is less abrasive
(giving a more "matte" finish).

If it's deeper, you have to decide just how much material you really
want to remove to try to hide a scratch. Figure the material is
something less than 1mm thick (best case) and less if it's in a frame
using butted tubes. Be careful...

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.cynetfl.com/habanero/
Home of the $695 ti frame


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