Factory raw ti - gonna brush it - anything I should know?

[Dead Man]

Howdy

I've brushed out a few Ti frames now, and have had nothing but great results. Two were blast finishes prior to brushing, one was shiny polished... totally difference experiences! The matte finishes brighten up but still come out fairly dark.. the polished frame stayed very bright and basically just took on depth. I'm sure the amount of elbow grease and the grit of pad you use makes a big difference, and I didn't do much experimentation.... not really caring what kind of result I got, so long as it was consistent and looked good. And seems pretty much no matter what you do, so long as it's uniform, it's gonna look great.

This time around, I've got a Ti frame that's UNfinished - totally in the raw. The texture is pretty rough and not super uniform. In the past, I've just done one scrub with a red pad. This time, I'm thinking I might want to do progressive scrubs... start with brown, then red.. or maybe even gray, tan, red??

Anyone have experience with brushing from raw, unfinished Ti and have tips, I'm all ears..

Thanks,

-B

[zzy]

If it's so raw that it's really uneven you may want to get it lightly blasted with fine grit sand. Having an even base will make it easier. Then go to an automotive repair shop (or amazon) and get progressive grades of scotch brite pads. Even pressure in one direction for each tube will yield a beautiful result. Polishing is nice too, and not too hard with a bunch of buffing wheels and the right compounds and a high RPM drill/dremel. But it will show finger prints and dirt easily.

[DRZRM]

I had an IF frame that had paint blasted off and came to me very rough. There was a thread with techniques, I cut strips of green Scotch Brite pads and stuck them to gorilla tape with folded over "handles" so I could use a buffing motion to speed things up. Someone else suggested velcro strips...wait. Link!

It takes longer to get the finish from raw, I'd suggest using a good respirator, I and the basement were covered with fine dust when I was finished.

[cmbicycles]

If you get scotch brite in/from a 1-2" roll, the longer lengths make the process easier as you just can wrap it around the frame and move along the tube.

[Dead Man]

Originally Posted by zzy

If it's so raw that it's really uneven you may want to get it lightly blasted with fine grit sand. Having an even base will make it easier. Then go to an automotive repair shop (or amazon) and get progressive grades of scotch brite pads. Even pressure in one direction for each tube will yield a beautiful result. Polishing is nice too, and not too hard with a bunch of buffing wheels and the right compounds and a high RPM drill/dremel. But it will show finger prints and dirt easily.

You know... One thing I've not ever done, is blast a frame. Maybe this is the one to do it with?? I'll call me local shop and see what they'd want. It'll cost more, obviously, but then I don't have to F with it.

Thanks guy!

[zzy]

A fine bead blast might be a better idea. Just the more you can do to save yourself the headache of having to even out the polish, the better.