sanding fins???
sanding fins???
i was wondering if anyone has ever done their fins on the motor like exile choppers does? i think they use some steel wool on the exposed (unpainted) ends of the motor and sand them out so they are a dull metal like brushed aluminum? my fins are so stained they look like crap! i need to change something about them! any ideas?
RE: sanding fins???
the problem is i do not even know how to start? do i use sandpaper, do i use steel wool... what about after i am done? how would you guys sugest i seal it? maybe some high temp rattle can clear coat? i am open to all the ideas... i just got done with a ton of powder coating work and custom work now my friends want me to enter it in the dyna comp at the rally we are going to this weekend... got to fix the fins first...
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 4,051
Likes: 8
From: Detroit Michigan
RE: sanding fins???
best bet is to buy a extra set of jugs off ebay for like 25.00 and try a few diffrent style, til you get what you are looking for, then do that to your jugs. might be the best 25.00 you ever spent. jackyl
Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,525
Likes: 4
From: Johnson City TN U.S.A.
RE: sanding fins???
I wonder if Russel would give a few secrets away. 
I've worked with metals my whole life but have never sealed bare Aluminum.
The Moly frames on the race bikes are sealed with high temp clear so I know it does exist.
Try some Google action bro.
I've worked with metals my whole life but have never sealed bare Aluminum.
The Moly frames on the race bikes are sealed with high temp clear so I know it does exist.
Try some Google action bro.
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,506
Likes: 1
From: eastern shore, md.
RE: sanding fins???
russell mitchell @ exile..and anyone else who does it...uses 3m scotchbrite pad [green] that and a lil wd-40 to make it easier[sorta like cutting oil] go all in one direction.. and viola!
Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 145
Likes: 0
From:
RE: sanding fins???
I would be REAL careful using green scothbrite - 1, this is pretty aggressive. Gray or white may be a better choice since they are finer. And 2, the scotchbrite, because of it being thick will also sand thesides of the fins. This will not only polish the ends of the fins but part of the sides as well. This won't leave a sharpe / cleanedge. This is especially true if you have black jugs.
I scratched / messed up a part the my fins and had to clean / sand it back to stock. I used sandpaper coarse to smooth (100 dry, 220 dry, 280 Wet / dry 400 wet / dry) on double-sided tape to a paint stick. Then used semi-chrome on a rag wrapped real tight on a paint stick - so NOT to get polish on the sides of the fins.
To do it right takes a lot of patience. Doing BOTH jugs on the bike would be a labor of love... A PITA.
Good luck - dd
I scratched / messed up a part the my fins and had to clean / sand it back to stock. I used sandpaper coarse to smooth (100 dry, 220 dry, 280 Wet / dry 400 wet / dry) on double-sided tape to a paint stick. Then used semi-chrome on a rag wrapped real tight on a paint stick - so NOT to get polish on the sides of the fins.
To do it right takes a lot of patience. Doing BOTH jugs on the bike would be a labor of love... A PITA.
Good luck - dd
Trending Topics
RE: sanding fins???
dyna any pics of the project you did... that sounds good! i havea black motor anddo not want to hit anything other than just the very ends of the fins... any corosion problems since you did it?
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
6 Weirdest Harley-Davidsons Ever Sold to the Public
Verdad Gallardo
7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window
Verdad Gallardo
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 145
Likes: 0
From:
RE: sanding fins???
JRK, No oxidizing on the fins I cleaned up. The stock fins are machined on the edge and you can see the (slight) ridges where they machine them. When you polish them you lose that ridge. That would be tough to see in pics. They are unsealed too. You have to look REALLY close to even notice my fix. And I had a couple of(slightly) bent fins I had to straighten.
But the Semi-Chrome, Mothers polish helps to seal the pores in the cast aluminum and mine still look good and it's been at least six months - even with the high engine heat.
If I were polishing undamaged fins I'd use less aggressive sandpaper to start - 280 or 400 wet dry, then 600. No need to go any finer (800 / 1000) on cast alunimum. Then Semi-chrome. I used 80 / 100 because I had scratches to get out first.
My black paint on the jugs was scratched as well. I used half gloss, half flat Testors model paint to match - worked well, stuck a matches. Just blend it (feather it) out. HD sell engine paint but why bother??
My (stock) exhaust bolt tab on the trans case wasbroken and I switched to 2 into 1 pipes so didn't use it. I epoxied the hole, sanded and blended the paint and it looks factory. I can send a pic of that. It actually looks better than an empty hole when you don't use that to mount the pipes.
All this to say I'd do my best to talk you out of polishing ALL Jug / Head fins on the bike. That is a LOT of work and to make sure you don't hit the sides of the fins you have to be REAL careful. And the fins will cut you like a razor if you slip. Wear gloves.
Let me know how I can help - dd
But the Semi-Chrome, Mothers polish helps to seal the pores in the cast aluminum and mine still look good and it's been at least six months - even with the high engine heat.
If I were polishing undamaged fins I'd use less aggressive sandpaper to start - 280 or 400 wet dry, then 600. No need to go any finer (800 / 1000) on cast alunimum. Then Semi-chrome. I used 80 / 100 because I had scratches to get out first.
My black paint on the jugs was scratched as well. I used half gloss, half flat Testors model paint to match - worked well, stuck a matches. Just blend it (feather it) out. HD sell engine paint but why bother??
My (stock) exhaust bolt tab on the trans case wasbroken and I switched to 2 into 1 pipes so didn't use it. I epoxied the hole, sanded and blended the paint and it looks factory. I can send a pic of that. It actually looks better than an empty hole when you don't use that to mount the pipes.
All this to say I'd do my best to talk you out of polishing ALL Jug / Head fins on the bike. That is a LOT of work and to make sure you don't hit the sides of the fins you have to be REAL careful. And the fins will cut you like a razor if you slip. Wear gloves.
Let me know how I can help - dd
