if you don't like seeing awesome-looking aluminum frames you should stop watching
right now alright folks I've got a frame from an O 3 CR 250 which I had cleaned
up in a previous video and you can go watch that video right up here in the
corner and so basically what I did earlier is I removed all the dirt
staining and grease off the frame but this time around I'm gonna take it to
the next level there's still some scratches left over and just
inconsistencies with the finish and that is what I'm gonna take care of today so
there's a few things that aren't gonna come out during this process mainly the
wear marks on the side of the frame here I'd have to sand down quite a bit of
material to remove those and they're hidden anyways the tools for today are
gonna be a couple sheets of sandpaper we've got 80 grit 120 and 220 a sanding
block and then of course a scotch-brite pad to finish it off I'll put the links
to where you can buy all this stuff down in the description 80 grit is pretty
rough on aluminum so mostly I'll be starting with a 120 and if there's
anything really deep then that's what I'll bust out the 80 grit and then the
220 will follow up the 120 all right I'm gonna cut up a piece of this 120 and
start sanding should work pretty good just like that the key to getting a nice
consistent finish is the sand in the same direction for this frame we're
gonna sand with the shape of the frame so going the long way you can see right
here we've got a few scratches and I'm gonna work those out with a 120 grit
looks like those scratches worked their way out pretty quickly I'm gonna finish
up the rest of this piece now
this piece has now been sanded down with a 120 and it's ready for the 220 grit
so it really doesn't take that much sanding with the 220 grit basically
you're just trying to knock down those scratches made from the 120 grit now the
scotch brite pad is gonna give it that finish we're all after
now you can really see the difference between the two we've got a nice bright
clean finish over here and then on this side it is plain and dull looking before
I started this little sandy project I was gonna leave the frame how it was and
call it good to go I'm glad I gave it a second thought though man that looks
amazing just gonna follow the same steps I showed you guys on the rest of the
frame no on the inside and spots where you
can't see not really gonna worry about that it's mainly the spars and the
cradle here that I'm gonna focus on right now and obviously if you're doing
any sanding on aluminum wear a respirator
all right I've got the sparse of the frame all shined up they turned out
really good now I'm gonna move towards the cradle and this is where it gets
really rough and scraped up that's where the 80 grit sandpaper comes in handy and
I'm actually going to mount it on to the sanding block and that should make this
process a little bit easier
got the crater look and sweet and now for the rest of the frame like the
downtube in the steering head gonna give those a sand with the 220 topped off
with the scotch brite pad and then the frame will be done
what a beauty I'm gonna hold this thing outside and give you guys a closer look
at it out in the Sun
the frame looks cool and all but I know most you are wondering does this type of
finish actually last well let's take a look at the 125 I built this bike about
two years ago and I've ridden it quite a bit and the frame looks just as good as
the day I finished it and it really doesn't take that much maintenance
either so all I do for upkeep is grab the scotch brite pad and give the frame
a little buff whenever it needs it just like I showed earlier I'll move in the
same direction with the pad to get that smooth consistent finish and that's all
it takes to maintain this type of finish now if I had a mirror shine before a
polished finish that would be a headache to keep up on I appreciate you guys
watching the video and hopefully you'll learn something if you want to do this
to your own frame you know where to get the supplies down below alright I will
see you next time take care
you