Fork Renovation - Done on bike

[keggyhander]

While my bike is off the road having the tins airbrushed, I've been doing some other jobs. Latest task was the forks. Chipped lacquer, cheap finish, casting marks, god these forks are cruddy. They let the bike down.

I didn't fancy upsetting the front end to take the forks out (pain in backside on these bikes) so I did it by sitting on a freezing cold garage floor with coffee and cigs for company and doing them while still on the bike.

These are the stages I did:

1) Nitromors paint stripper to get rid of the old lacquer, aided by coarse wire wool.
2) Coarse Emery cloth
3) Fine Emery cloth
4) Coarse wire again
5) Coarse Scotchbrite
6) Medium Scotchbrite
7) 240 grit (dry), then Wet
8) 400 grit (dry), then Wet
9) 800 grit (dry), then Wet
10) 1200 grit (dry), then Wet

And finally, Ultra-fine wire wool impregnated with Solvol Autosol polish.

It's taken me two weekends and a couple of hours in the week. I didn't go with a buffing mop finish because with Ally you can't keep on top of it. At least with wire wool and autosol I can maintain this particular level of finish.

Here's the pics (1st pic is "Before"):

https://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46/keggyhander/fork_01.jpg

https://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46/keggyhander/fork_02.jpg

https://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46/keggyhander/fork_03.jpg

https://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46/keggyhander/fork_04.jpg