Woo Hoo! A Big Project!

[dougie]

What did you use to clean the stainless?

[melville]

What did you use to clean the stainless?

I used my Chinese Tool Store grinder/buffer (just the buffer side) with a stitched cotton buff using "grey" compound. It was a compound intensive polish, enough so that I wore a respirator whilst doing the job. It was a few minutes on the clamps, a bit more on the balance pipe, and well over an hour on the headpipe. I got to a spot where I didn't trust my grip enough to do the second headpipe and called it a day with that part of the project.

[Deleted User 62]

Nicely done Mel, but then... I knew you were the one for the job! (that box looks familiar)

[melville]

Yeah, no progress today. Got a box o' parts today, probably enough to fire the thing up mit open pipes! Not this weekend, though.

In other events this week, Mrs. melville and the boys bought me a GoPro camera for finishing hell season over to the Number Factory and today things dried up enough for an Airhead coaster test of the camera. Here it is (clicky on the picky):



45 seconds of Freedom!

Got a weekend of making sawdust and paint splatters tomorrow and Sunday over to the new rental. I should be able to spin wrenches next weekend.

[mattcfish]

Almost 2 years and you haven't fired it up and ridden! You have much, much more patience than I. Slow and steady...I suppose.
Watching your video makes me dread the eventual coming of electric bikes.
Keep up the good work. I can't wait for the conclusion of this epic saga.

[melville]

Almost 2 years and you haven't fired it up and ridden! You have much, much more patience than I. Slow and steady...I suppose.
Watching your video makes me dread the eventual coming of electric bikes.
Keep up the good work. I can't wait for the conclusion of this epic saga.

It ran briefly in the fall of 2009.......and I've had the bike since February of 2007! Just little stuff, and the exhaust, to do.

[twist]

you have a lot of patience! I think it would have made me nuts waiting so long to ride.

[tenni128]

Looks great, Mel...keep up the good work!

[melville]

All done with the latest round of carpentry 'n' plumbing (electrical, too!). Back to the bike. After polishing the petcock body, the related hardware was looking kinda drab:



The lever was kinda plain as well, so I sanded off where it said "FUEL" and "KARCOMA" to smooth things out:



Then I sanded the nuts and had the younger boy rattle the can so I could do this:



After a bit of curing and a second coat, I reassembled the tap with new o-ring and gaskets and put it loosely on the tank:



Tightening to follow when the paint is fully cured. Now I have to BLING the other fuel tap.

In other news, my local Airhead guy got mirrors in for me and I like them:



But I had to make one wee change:



Just some little stuff and the exhaust remain between now and VROOM.

[melville]

Finished the repolish on the headpipes. There's a tiny chance I could get enough done tomorrow to hear it run mit open pipes, but more likely next weekend.