Triumphrat

d3v1c3

Im looking for good techniques here. My D&D endcaps have some small scoring on them from the road and I was wanting to clean them up. Has anyone ever repaired anything like this? I was thinking starting at a medium grit and going to a very fine. Should I wet sand it though? How can I get that untouched look from it? I have always used jewelers rouge on my tools to polish them up but those are stainless usually and I use that for an almost mirror finish. Is there any abrasive product I can use to get that factory look?

mikeinva

I think they have a clear coat on them you will have to get off first.then you can sand them and buff them .Never dull works great to put the finished shine on them.

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Why do I feel young on my bike

d3v1c3

Thanks, Ill give this a try when I manage to get the end cap off. I wonder what effect a heat gun will have on the stubborn cap.

Easy13

Careful application of an oil filter wrench should give the endcap enough of a twist to get it off.

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Bron-Yr-Aur

3M makes a really good wet sandpaper. It's measured in microns instead of grit. I believe it's a synthetic material, i.e. the abrasiveness is very consistent, producing a very consistent finish. It's extremely durable, the backing being made of some sort of plastic instead of paper. You won't tear it by hand.

If the scratches aren't too deep, I'd start with wet 30 micron, then 15. From there you could use the rouge if you choose. Sorry, I don't have the first idea where to source it, though. Maybe an autobody supply place? I used it when I fabricated solid surface (acrylic) counter tops.

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mikeinva

you can take a srew driver very carfuly and tap them out with a hamer do it on the bottom so you wont see it if you mess up the caps any.The can be a pain to get out the first time.

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Why do I feel young on my bike

steve betts

I just finished cleaning up some scratches on my Dominators that were quite deep and it looks perfect now except for slight dimpling if your face is 6 inches away. From a step back you don't even notice it.

If the scratches are deep, you'll be there all day if you don't start with fairly heavy grit wet sandpaper, like about 220. You can also use a Dremel stone to get them to a point where they can be sanded. Then simply alternate "north - south" sanding with "east - west sanding" as you progress to finer and finer grit right up to 1500 grit if you're really fussy. Getting it smooth to the 220 grit is the most time consuming part. To finish the job to near perfection, you need a polishing wheel on a bench grinder. The white compound is what you use, jeweler's rouge is unneccessary.

Take your time. It takes several beers to do this job properly.

Re-reading your post, you don't want to do any of the above if it is just fine scratches. The finest grit wet sandpaper that you can get away with is what you use, but the polishing wheel on the bench grinder might be able to do everything for you without any need to sand.