Stripping Stock Pipe (attn. Cam Mitchell)

yzeater

~SPONSOR~
May 21, 2001
1,995
0
Hey Spodes,
My stock pipe is getting a little worn looking, and I was wondering how hard it would be to take the paint off? Are there any good ways to do this? Anything to put on afterwards? How can I polish it?...Does it seem like a good idea? Any opinions...thanks a lot! (I know I ask a lot of questions ;) )
-yzeater
 

Hucker

~SPONSOR~
Sep 15, 2000
996
0
Can of Krylon, simple choice. Leaves a really nice shiney finish. Your other choices are powdercoating (be cautious, pipes are really thin) Or Nickel, or chrome plating. Nickel plating would be your best bet for finish. I took Krylon to mine and its still looks great after 5-6 rides.
 

Kaw_Boy_5

Member
Apr 18, 2001
253
0
I sand the paint off all my stock pipes. Makes them look pretty cool. Just start with some 200 grit and work your way up to finishing with 400 wet/dry paper. There really is nothing you can mess up.
 

Camstyn

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Oct 3, 1999
2,246
2
I attempted to use Aircraft Coating Remover, and didn't accomplish much more than making a big mess.

I put the pipe in a bench vice and went at it with an electric drill, and a wire wheel accessory. It took a lot of time but results were great. After I was done I sanded it with fine grit sandpaper and gave it about 4 coats of high temperature clearcoat. The clearcoat only lasted about 4 or 5 rides, until roost blasted it off and it began rusting (from being on an open trailer driving in the rain).

I cleaned it up again with WD-40 and a scotchbrite pad (took 2 actually), and left it like that. The WD-40 cleanup is almost as good as the high temp clearcoat treatment, for rust prevention.

After you wash the bike, spray the pipe down with WD-40 (all of it) or it will rust. Best to wipe it down with a rag once you've given the WD-40 some time to dissipate the water. This will keep it looking nice as long as possible.
 

Rooster

Today's Tom Sawyer
Damn Yankees
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Aug 24, 2000
3,292
1
yzeater -

I just noticed your location - funny!
 

Adrenaline

Mod Ban
Oct 26, 2001
245
0
I wondered the same exact thing guys. Oh well he can put what he wishes I suppose. :think:
BTW- PM me if you want one of the pipes i have. :cool:
-Brendon (Adrenaline)
 

bruce j

Member
Dec 14, 2001
111
0
Hey Hucker, if you plan on staying , you're gonna have to chip in for the beer!
Don't worry about the empties, yzeater picks them up as he comes by...

bruce j
 

MikeT

~SPONSOR~
Jan 17, 2001
4,095
11
He's only following me so he can chew up my YZ!!!! I am honored that you think my bike will be the appetizer.. :scream:

Anyway, I'll tell you about the two options I have used in the past. The best thing I've done was to take a can of black engine paint. It is not totally flat and actually looks really good. As far as stripping, I would not try to strip the whole thing, just sand it on the rough spots to smooth them out a little.

The bare metal look is tough to keep up. We sanded down a whole pipe once and then actually coated it with clear spray paint. It yellowed a little but actually held up pretty good. The WD-40 thing will be a lot of maintenance, but it's all in how much work you want to throw into it.

MikeT
 

dell30rb

Uhhh...
Dec 2, 2001
1,510
0
Does anyone have some pics of their sanded pipes? Cam, did you use the kind of metal brush used to remove gaskets?
 
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