[spocomptonrider]

I recently had my frame stripped to the bare aluminum After having a works Intense Socom, I liked the low maintenance and scratch resistance of the frame. My question is this, do I need to seal the aluminum now to keep it from absorbing all manner of oils and grease or can I run it as is without worry? Intense ships their frames directly from the heat treater to the customer so I cant see much of a difference. Also with a sealant is there anything that I can apply myself and have it look half way decent or will I have to take it somewhere to have it clear annod or clear powdercoated. My last experience with powder coaters wasn't exactly an enjoyable one so I would rather avoid them if at all possible... Anyway I'd also like to keep the same matte finish.

 

[gonefirefightin]

polish it

 

[spocomptonrider]

hmm, I was tossing that idea around also but its a ton of work to keep them looking good. One muddy ride and you pretty much have to tear it down and repolish. Does the polish close the pores of the metal to the point where you don't have to worry about contamination? I still have a can of polish and a mothers powerball so its a possibility for sure.

 

[bullcrew]

I agree polish it, if you clear ano it it will get a ti gold look to it if they do it deep enough. If you go lighter to keep it silver it will break the surface everytine it hits stuff.
Id just WD40 it and wipe it down regularly or polish it and keep mothers around.
You can have a clear PC done and its pretty hard to screw that up, thats an idea just mask the areas yourself (green tape they have) and plug the holes with the silicone inserts they should have as well.

If you want an issueless run take it to Ron Custom coat in Lewiston Idaho, the man does a smokin job. I like olympic in LA and thats who I use when Im back home but its cause they are close or Id ship to Ron....

Either way good job on the frame stripping, looks good!


Polishing doesnt seal the pores its smoothes them out and doesnt allow stuff to embed as its too even thus the shine.
Yes aluminum rubs pretty bad as far as scuffs when its polished but you can also have it sprayed with a prep and clearcoat (autobody) and thats pretty durable as well.

 

[bullcrew]

OK if it were me and I was looking for max bling as well as a durable coat heres exactly what Id do!

1: Have decals made for the bike ie V-10 santacruz and possibly some racing stripes or tribal and then Id apply it to the frame.

2: polish frame where decals are to be applied

3:Apply decals to where you want em

4: bead blast medium to fine media

5: take it to absolutefinish in Lewiston and have them ano it and then dye it color of your choice

this will give a ghost like pattern, we call it ano tats we used to do it to PB markers and all sorts of stuff when I worked there and it is SICK!!!!

 

[spocomptonrider]

bullcrew, great ideas for sure but between my powder coating fiasco and waiting on new parts to arrive I've been out of a bike for going on a month now and pretty much can't afford to keep it torn down for even a few more weeks. Races are right around the corner and believe me I need all the practice I can get! So my options are kind of limited. I pretty much have a week to get this thing back together and I'm still waiting on a shifter, cranks, ti-spring, and new fork lowers to show up. If this were last year and there was still 2 feet of snow on the ground that would be the route I would take no question.

 

[bullcrew]

bullcrew, great ideas for sure but between my powder coating fiasco and waiting on new parts to arrive I've been out of a bike for going on a month now and pretty much can't afford to keep it torn down for even a few more weeks. Races are right around the corner and believe me I need all the practice I can get! So my options are kind of limited. I pretty much have a week to get this thing back together and I'm still waiting on a shifter, cranks, ti-spring, and new fork lowers to show up. If this were last year and there was still 2 feet of snow on the ground that would be the route I would take no question.

No I understand Weiser and I are doing the NW races as well as beacon this year so we are riding alot lately.

The ano or PC wouldnt take but a day, they can prep and ruun it usually asap I know Ron, if you call and tell him a day he will get it in and done in a couple hours while you go eat.
Either way hope to see you guys there as well as tim and the Bbutler guys too.

Love a good freeride DH race!


If its a big hurry and you want a raw look thats easy to take care of and it will oxidize a littel like the foes rs7 then take fine scotchbrite too it and its easy to fix just hit it with the scothbrite a little once in a while. I think steel wool 000 or 0000 will give it a flat raw look as well. Id go to home depot and try, it wont be but a little time and a couple of bucks!
Keep me posted Id be curious to see.

 

[spocomptonrider]

Sweet dude, the beacon race is gonna be legit this year. We are in the process of adding quite a few things so it won't be the 'same old beacon race'.

Right now its been glass bead blasted, is it going to absorb oil (i.e. chain lube) like a sponge and look like poo or should it be ok? It may be taking a trip to see your guy as I probably won't be seeing a few of the parts till late next week.

 

[bullcrew]

Sweet dude, the beacon race is gonna be legit this year. We are in the process of adding quite a few things so it won't be the 'same old beacon race' right now its been glass bead blasted, is it going to absorb oil (i.e. chain lube) like a sponge and look like poo or should it be ok? It may be taking a trip to see your guy as I probably won't be seeing a few of the parts till late next week.

I dont work there anymore but I know the system and the layout and that facility is TOP NOTCH. They spent a grip of cash on all computerized process run times etc.... Seriousley its alot nicer than 90% of the lines out there. Ron at Custom Coat has a pretty laid back operation but his quality is second to none. He has a guy that works for him and is meticulous as well as prides his work and preps it right so either way is a win win.

Yes if you hit it with lube it will coat so so but will get debris and crap in the low spots then you have to clean and reapply. Think of it like a ICE surface (polished) or a mountain range (bead blasted) which one will hold dirt better????

I like raw but its a pain to keep up on, Id buff it and hit it with a fine scotch brite just brazing the surface if you want to keep it the way it is..

 

[DirtyMike]

Just to add, a good clearcoat will work wonders for duarbility as well...

 

[spocomptonrider]

I guess what I am really trying to ask is do I have to cover the frame in some sort of sealant (without negative results) or can I just run it?

 

[bullcrew]

I guess what I am really trying to ask is do I have to cover the frame in some sort of sealant (without negative results) or can I just run it?

Just run it!

 

[Banshee Rider]

I stripped my Nomad a couple years back and left it raw. For some reason Santa Cruz raw aluminum is entirely different then the Intense works finish. One ride in the mud and my Nomad was forever-stained with dirt, not the case with my works M3. I ended up polishing the Nomad to keep it from looking terrible all the time.

 

[DirtyMike]

I guess what I am really trying to ask is do I have to cover the frame in some sort of sealant (without negative results) or can I just run it?

Its not going to weaken the frame or anything like that... itll me more open to oxidation without at least a polish. Youll be suprised how easily a quick polish can be had though.

 

[JustMtnB44]

I guess what I am really trying to ask is do I have to cover the frame in some sort of sealant (without negative results) or can I just run it?

You should put some kind of coating on it, even just spray clear coat would probably work ok. Polishing also works because it smooths out the surface, making dirt less likely to get embedded in the material and stain the frame.

I stripped my Nomad a couple years back and left it raw. For some reason Santa Cruz raw aluminum is entirely different then the Intense works finish. One ride in the mud and my Nomad was forever-stained with dirt, not the case with my works M3. I ended up polishing the Nomad to keep it from looking terrible all the time.

^ This is what happens to bare aluminum when exposed to dirt and mud. I'm fairly sure the manufacturers that offer raw finishes put some kind of coating on the frame, or else they would all look like crap after 1 season of use.

 

[greengreer]

I say just run it like it is. I have a Sinister in the raw and it's fairly easy to clean. Some mud will "stain" it, especially red clay, but I have found the best way to get it clean is simply to rub it with your hand as you run water over it. Also if you have any scuffs or scrapes in the aluminum you can use 3M Scotch-brite and work with the grain of the metal to have it looking good as new.
My frame still looks good after a few months of a lot of mud and grime:

 

[bullcrew]

There you go "Scotch brite it" and go ride...

 

[greengreer]

There you go "Scotch brite it" and go ride...

I hope you know I am not referring to your dish sponge- there is an automotive product that 3M produces...

 

[bullcrew]

I hope you know I am not referring to your dish sponge- there is an automotive product that 3M produces...

Yes and its red or grey depending on where or grit... KC autobody supply carries it here!

I would hope he doesnt pimp the green and yellow from the grocery store...
I use it all the time on race cages for desert trucks (mine inparticular) Just sold the beast...

So for spocomptons reference hes right go to KC autoody up there or other and get the fine grit 3m scotchbrite..

 

[DirtyMike]

Yes and its red or grey depending on where or grit... ..

Red, Grey, Green, Black, few others I belive......

 

[spocomptonrider]

Sweet, thanks dudes. I've got some red and black scotch-brite pads laying around from tuning skis so I think the process will go something like:
Hit it with some mothers alu polish
buff a little
polish again
hit it with scotch-brite pads

ride it and see what happens.

^ This is what happens to bare aluminum when exposed to dirt and mud. I'm fairly sure the manufacturers that offer raw finishes put some kind of coating on the frame, or else they would all look like crap after 1 season of use.

I'm fairly certain Intense does nothing aside from heat treating the frames before shipping, I was able to polish both of my works frames without stripping sanding etc. Not sure exactly how the heat treating process affects the grain or pore structure of the metal though. But aren't all aluminum frames heat treated for strength?

 

[DirtyMike]

. But aren't all aluminum frames heat treated for strength?

Yup, except maybe Department store brands

 

[greengreer]

Sick truck Bullcrew. Got any more pics?
Oh yeah, sorry to get off topic

 

[Sonic Reducer]

don't want to derail the thread too much, but what is the best way to strip a frame? my sunday's paint is kinda haggard and I really like raw metal look on anything. I've stripped an aluminum dirtbike tank with aerosol "aircraft" stripper and it was a gross PITA and took a few applications even with 1970's crap paint. I've also stripped bmx frames in even cruder ways than that. Is there a better way to do it myself or should I have it done professionally by a powdercoater or otherwise? that aircraft stripper crap isn't all that cost effective of an option once you factor in the time and dealing with the NASTYness of that ****.

 

[bullcrew]

Sick truck Bullcrew. Got any more pics?
Oh yeah, sorry to get off topic

OFF TOPIC: Here ya go!

ON TOPIC:
Just use the light scotchbrite and keep a bit handy for touch ups literally. The frame actually looks pretty cool that way might as well run it for a bit.

 

[spocomptonrider]

Bullcrew that thing is dopetastic, but where do the bikes go?

don't want to derail the thread too much, but what is the best way to strip a frame? my sunday's paint is kinda haggard and I really like raw metal look on anything. I've stripped an aluminum dirtbike tank with aerosol "aircraft" stripper and it was a gross PITA and took a few applications even with 1970's crap paint. I've also stripped bmx frames in even cruder ways than that. Is there a better way to do it myself or should I have it done professionally by a powdercoater or otherwise? that aircraft stripper crap isn't all that cost effective of an option once you factor in the time and dealing with the NASTYness of that ****.

I took mine to a media blaster, they used 2 applications of aircraft stripper then glass bead blasted it to get the remaining powdercoat off. They did a real nice job and only charged $50 definitely worth it IMO to not have to deal with any of that garbage especially the stripper, stuff is nasty. With your sunday you don't have to worry about voiding your warranty which is also nice. Since you are in Seattle I would go and talk to Jerry at Big Tree Bikes, he stripped his sunday and a bunch of other random parts about a year ago and they turned out really good, he could point you in the right direction.

 

[KillerSloth]

I didn't know that was your truck. I saw it for sale on dezertrangers.com lol.

Pretty badass though, wish I had the money for it.

I can't even afford to do the suspension on my Ranger though lol

 

[jeremy_2640]

Here is a really decent article on aluminium polishing/buffing with a couple of misconceptions debunked, check it out: http://www.gmtips.com/3rd-degree/dox/tips/buff/info/info.htm

 

[bullcrew]

I was fabbing a 3 bike rack for it to sleeve on to the rear cage when it was done. Then decided to sell it, not much prerunning or 1450 class here in Boise. So till Im back in slocal Ill just run the rover...

 

[Haywoodublowme]

Check out zoopseal.com.