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The real brushed finish of a Merlin ti-bike

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Jon Gustafson

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Nov 21, 2016, 3:20:50 PM11/21/16
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Hi there,

I´m currently refurbishing my Merlin Extralight and I want to get that real brushed finish they have. I´ve tried everything such as a steel brush with medium tension steelwires.

I´ve tried the scotchbrite and a very fine steelwool which it´s definately not.

So, what on earth is it they´re using to achieve that finish, I´ve tried to contact them, but they don´t return my mails.

Frank Krygowski

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Nov 21, 2016, 4:56:05 PM11/21/16
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I don't know what they use. But have you tried a brass wire wheel?


--
- Frank Krygowski

russell...@yahoo.com

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Nov 21, 2016, 6:12:23 PM11/21/16
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Try sandpaper. All auto parts stores sell various grits of sandpaper made for metal. Not sure if sandpaper meant for wood works on metal or not. But maybe go to a woodworking store and see if their sandpaper works.

AMuzi

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Nov 21, 2016, 6:25:50 PM11/21/16
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On 11/21/2016 5:12 PM, russell...@yahoo.com wrote:
> Try sandpaper. All auto parts stores sell various grits of sandpaper made for metal. Not sure if sandpaper meant for wood works on metal or not. But maybe go to a woodworking store and see if their sandpaper works.
>

+1
Start with a relatively fine emery. The usual 60 grit will
leave deep scratches in your tubes. I'd try 300 cloth on the
bottom of the chainstays first to see what it looks like.

--
Andrew Muzi
<www.yellowjersey.org/>
Open every day since 1 April, 1971


russell...@yahoo.com

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Nov 22, 2016, 12:32:06 PM11/22/16
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I might be assuming too much. But I assumed the guy would start with 320 or 400 grit paper. 600 or 800 even. 220 if he wanted a "rough" finish. 60 grit is for very rough sawn wood. I don't think even the roughest and most rusted metal would need 60 grit. The wheels on 6 inch stationary grinders are 60 grit.

AMuzi

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Nov 22, 2016, 12:43:27 PM11/22/16
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400 may well be better. I frankly don't know but we're
generally on the same path here. 60 grit emery is a
commodity, ubiquitous & cheap, because it's popular for
steel prep like this:
http://www.yellowjersey.org/photosfromthepast/mikipv2.jpg

The 60 grit texture works very well with common
primer/sealers but as we both noted it's too coarse for a Ti
finish.

Tosspot

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Nov 22, 2016, 2:29:12 PM11/22/16
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Why would you not stat with a very fine grit, 100*, and work down? It
isn't like emery paper is expensive.


Doug Landau

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Nov 22, 2016, 2:44:42 PM11/22/16
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On Monday, November 21, 2016 at 12:20:50 PM UTC-8, Jon Gustafson wrote:
> Hi there,
>
> I´m currently refurbishing my Merlin Extralight and I want to get that real brushed finish they have. I´ve tried everything such as a steel brush with medium tension steelwires.
>
> I´ve tried the scotchbrite and a very fine steelwool which it´s definately not.

Why? What happens with those? Are they not scratchy enough, or ???


AMuzi

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Nov 22, 2016, 3:53:24 PM11/22/16
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Yes I think we all agree on the concept but I for one think
100 grit on titanium will leave some deep and ugly sand
scratches. Mr Seaton's approach (start with 400) made more
sense to me.

Phil Lee

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Nov 22, 2016, 7:44:48 PM11/22/16
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Frank Krygowski <frkr...@sbcglobal.net> considered Mon, 21 Nov 2016
The range of tooling used for such finishes is almost unlimited.
DeLorien used a special "flapper" wheel with some abrasive flaps among
mostly cotton for the brushed finish on their stainless steel cars.
Apparently, achieving the correct balance of "brush" and "polish" in
the finish is almost impossible without access to identical wheels,
and the skills to use the right speed and pressure to match the
original.

Doug Landau

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Nov 22, 2016, 8:16:57 PM11/22/16
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It would help if the OP said what the results of the scotchbrite and steel wool were and how they differed from what is desired/already present


russell...@yahoo.com

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Nov 22, 2016, 9:41:06 PM11/22/16
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On Tuesday, November 22, 2016 at 1:29:12 PM UTC-6, Tosspot wrote:
>
> Why would you not stat with a very fine grit, 100*, and work down? It
> isn't like emery paper is expensive.

In the wood working world, 100 grit is a very medium grit. Not fine and definitely not very fine. 600 is very fine. 320-400 is fine. 220 is a little less than fine.

I'm surprised Andy uses 60 grit on metal. Seems way too coarse for metal work. Its very coarse for much softer wood. Let alone hard metal.

John B Slocomb

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Nov 23, 2016, 2:33:43 AM11/23/16
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I think if you are trying to achieve the so called "brushed finish" I
would start with something in the 6 - 800 grit range, or even finer,
and work toward the larger grits if necessary.

The theory being that it is much easier to put scratches in, rather
than taking them out :-)

John B Slocomb

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Nov 23, 2016, 2:33:44 AM11/23/16
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(:-) I habitually use 40 grit "flap wheels" to clean up rusty of just
grotty looking metals. Works just fine.

AMuzi

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Nov 23, 2016, 12:36:22 PM11/23/16
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It's the standard material, and for good reason. Start here:
http://www.yellowjersey.org/kelly4.jpg

Try to get here before acid wash and primer:
http://www.yellowjersey.org/end13l.jpg
http://www.yellowjersey.org/den13l.jpg
http://www.yellowjersey.org/chs16b.jpg

Bob Flumere

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Nov 23, 2016, 2:56:32 PM11/23/16
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Scotch Brite...
---
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cycl...@gmail.com

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Nov 23, 2016, 3:49:37 PM11/23/16
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On Monday, November 21, 2016 at 12:20:50 PM UTC-8, Jon Gustafson wrote:
It doesn't seem to strike people that the Extralight is pretty thin and you absolutely must use the finest abrasive you can get away with. John B. was closest with his idea of starting with 600 grit and working your way down. It is always easier to make it rougher than to take out the scratches you cause by starting too coarse.

Doug Landau

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Nov 23, 2016, 4:14:55 PM11/23/16
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Start with 600 and work your way UP not down.

Better yet start with a wet rag covered with rubbing compound, and work your way up to polish.

Gregory Sutter

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Nov 24, 2016, 11:04:12 PM11/24/16
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On 2016-11-23, Bob Flumere <rflu...@comcast.net> wrote:
>
> Scotch Brite...

Right. Too bad Mark Hickey doesn't post here anymore. From his site:
http://www.habcycles.com/techstuf.html

"Brushed. This is the finish used on all Habanero frames. Once you
own a brushed frame, you'll never want anything else. The brushed
finish produces a soft, smooth silver finish (which I find much
more attractive than bead blasted or polished, but chalk that up as
personal opinion). It's very scratch-resistant, and minor abrasions
are virtually invisible on the surface. If you do manage to scratch
or otherwise mar the surface, a few passes with a ScotchBrite pad or
400 grit sandpaper restores the finish perfectly. This means that
you should be able to keep your frame looking brand new literally
forever!"

--
Gregory S. Sutter Mostly Harmless
mailto:gsu...@zer0.org
http://zer0.org/~gsutter/

Gregory Sutter

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Nov 24, 2016, 11:23:15 PM11/24/16
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On 2016-11-25, Gregory Sutter <gsu...@zer0.org> wrote:
> On 2016-11-23, Bob Flumere <rflu...@comcast.net> wrote:
>>
>> Scotch Brite...
>
> Right. Too bad Mark Hickey doesn't post here anymore. From his site:
> http://www.habcycles.com/techstuf.html

Also these:

http://forums.mtbr.com/vintage-retro-classic/brushing-refinishing-titanium-383392.html#post4103310

http://forums.mtbr.com/frame-building/refinishing-titanium-530487.html#post5825870

cycl...@gmail.com

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Nov 26, 2016, 2:09:19 PM11/26/16
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Thanks Greg. But I would still start with 600 since the finishes on these bikes varies enough to be recognizable.
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