Ugghhh, I could not stand one more look at my rusty header pipes... bike looks really good except for those cruddy looking pipes:
(http://home.earthlink.net/~wjeurell/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/exhaustbefore.jpg)
So, I decided to try the Rutland stove polish trick that poster "Sledge", our brother from across the pond suggested. It was easy, took me about 30 minutes... sanded the rust flakes off a bit, got a rag and applied the polish. Let it dry for 20 minutes and ran the bike to "bake" it. Came out pretty good I think... I'm pretty happy with it. Man what a difference from all that cruddy looking rust... LOL
(http://home.earthlink.net/~wjeurell/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/exhaustafter.jpg)
Still rough up close, but I bet it looks 10ox better from 5 ft away. :thumb:
OK... I guess I gotta run to the hardware store.
Quote from: RVertigo on May 24, 2007, 04:56:13 PM
Still rough up close, but I bet it looks 10ox better from 5 ft away. :thumb:
OK... I guess I gotta run to the hardware store.
Yup, still rough, but I literally sanded them for maybe 5 minutes just to get the loose rust off. I didn't want to get to crazy, and I didn't even have to remove the pipes. Not perfect, Looks great from a couple of feet back... and DEFINITELY better than the rust LOL... honestly those pipes were so rusty I was afraid to get carried away taking the rust off. It's pretty weird, the bike was clearly pretty well cared for when I bought it... but it looks like the pipes are 35 years old. Stupid V&H.. LOL
Mine aren't nearly as bad... But, it would look at least 10x better without the rust pipes and the "bloody nose."
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y205/RVertigo/MotosPhotos/GS.jpg)
so, where can we get this polish???
Quote from: heatherg11 on May 24, 2007, 05:07:06 PM
so, where can we get this polish???
I actually got it from Ace Hardware, about $4 for a 12oz bottle, I used about maybe 1/4 of it... here's a link to the stuff I used:
http://www.rutland.com/maintenance_html/72.html (http://www.rutland.com/maintenance_html/72.html)
I took it for a spin to the store and back, smoked as it was baking on for about 5 minutes, but then it was fine. We'll see how it holds up riding it around...
how much was that stuff. i looked on ace.com and it's $53....but it says 12 pack. can you buy singles??
Quote from: heatherg11 on May 24, 2007, 05:18:18 PM
how much was that stuff. i looked on ace.com and it's $53....but it says 12 pack. can you buy singles??
Yup, I went to the local Ace HW, they didn't have it in stock but ordered it for me. I just got one 12oz bottle, it was like $4 bucks.
ok great
I'd read about our peeps across the pond doing it as well. definitely an improvement and a good option if you want to keep the job simple :thumb: let us know how it holds up.
How about you paint on top of it with high temp BBQ paint and call it a day.
Header paint is available in an ashy black and silvery color too actually.
Cool.
Srinath.
Hi Jonnny,
Shame about the pitted pipes, you can get a really good finish with a nice smooth surface but its a vast improvement all the same. Try a few coats of the polish and build up a coating.
Quote from: sledge on May 25, 2007, 02:32:10 AM
Hi Jonnny,
Shame about the pitted pipes, you can get a really good finish with a nice smooth surface but its a vast improvement all the same. Try a few coats of the polish and build up a coating.
Hey Sledge, no sweat. My camera and closeup high light pictures make them look much worse than they are, LOL. I can't believe how rusty these pipes were...
They are not perfect now, but they actually look really good... it is a world of difference from what they were, like night and day. I'm VERY pleased with it, I'll have to take a longer shot so you can get the better effect. I can't BELIEVE the way the PO let those pipes rust! He clearly took pretty good care of the rest of the bike...
I have a bud who's a metal worker, and he steered me away from sandblasting them because of their condition, and I was afraid to go to crazy sanding them with paper, I have a feeling they are just about rusted through. So I figured I'd give this a try before trying to buy a new(or used) exhaust. Especially because I like the way the V&H sounds.
Thanks for the tip on the Stove polish!
Alright, so here is a pic that is not so closeup, with 80 billion megapixels picking up every flaw, LOL... this is the effect I was going for. When you looked at the bike before the rusty header pipes really stuck out... not any more.
(http://home.earthlink.net/~wjeurell/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/exhaustdonesmall.jpg)
Where Did U Get That Steering Damper?
I Think Im Gonna Need One For The Kat Front End
Thanks,. Oh Yea, Bike Looks Good :thumb:
Quote from: Jay_wolf on May 26, 2007, 12:53:26 PM
Where Did U Get That Steering Damper?
I Think Im Gonna Need One For The Kat Front End
Thanks,. Oh Yea, Bike Looks Good :thumb:
It was actually on the bike before the prior owner even bought it... it's just for looks though, it's Blown... LOL. Worked when I bought it, but started leaking it's oil on about my 4th ride with it... definitely made the bike a bit more stable, but Honestly the stock GS doesn't need it really, you may want it on the Kat front end though.
they look really good thats all , and for the Kat front end , i think it will help a lil
I used some of this today and man, it really makes it look good. i only put one coat on, but when that bakes on really well, I will probably put another coat on. It really makes it look 100x better. got an extra bottle if anyone can't find any. it's $4.50 + ship. That's exactly what I bought it for. I got 2 thinking I may need it, but there's no way I would use it. let me know if anyone wants it.
Here are some pics of my bike with the pipe done with rutland polish.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/shortybd11/album?.dir=/9580re2
Quote from: heatherg11 on May 28, 2007, 06:10:11 PM
Here are some pics of my bike with the pipe done with rutland polish.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/shortybd11/album?.dir=/9580re2
Looks good Heather... I'm so glad that Sledge posted that tip. I couldn't be more happy with the way it came out on my bike. Yours looks pretty good too!
Say, How do you like those dominator lights at night, compared to the stock headlight?
well, once I adjusted them to where I wasn't raccoon hunting (in the trees) they are great. I would say atleast as bright as stock maybe more. It's pretty close. I got them for the look, but they are about the same as far as lighting.
Looks much better!
Does anyone know if which polish this thread is about? I can find anything that comes in 12 ounces. Only these two things:
Rutland Liquid Stove Grill Polish (8 oz bottle)
http://www.rutland.com/productinfo.php?product_id=51
or
Rutland Stove Polish Paste (2.7 oz tube)
http://www.rutland.com/productinfo.php?product_id=50
Thanks! :cheers:
I'm pretty sure its the Rutland Liquid Stove Grill Polish (8 oz bottle)
Thanks much. :thumb:
Anyone else wanna weigh in?
After reading this thread I placed an order for the stove polish and it should arrive in 2 days.
I will take some before and after pics if you are interested.
Quote from: dohabee on February 09, 2009, 01:34:24 PM
After reading this thread I placed an order for the stove polish and it should arrive in 2 days.
I will take some before and after pics if you are interested.
That'd be much appreciated by everyone, especially me! :cheers:
Incidentally, which "stove polish" did you get - the bottle or the tube?
I am hoping i got the bottle, (guy said it was a bottle on the phone) but I will know for sure on thursday.
Quote from: dohabee on February 09, 2009, 06:01:13 PM
I am hoping i got the bottle, (guy said it was a bottle on the phone) but I will know for sure on thursday.
Thanks - looking forward to the pics. I hope it's the right one! :thumb:
Hey dohabee,
Any word?
Thanks! :thumb:
picked me up a bottle today at the local hardware store. hoping to try it out today or tomorrow!
Local shop had it? Sweet!
Would love to hear back from either - or both - of you. Especially with pics! :icon_mrgreen:
Went in Thursday to pick up the polish I ordered and they tell me "sorry, it will be here friday" so I go in today and now "sorry, it will be here monday".
On the plus side now I wont get yelled at for messing with my GS all day on valentines day.
Quote from: dohabee on February 13, 2009, 03:15:15 PM
On the plus side now I wont get yelled at for messing with my GS all day on valentines day.
LOL! :icon_lol:
http://www.acehardware.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=rutlands%20stove%20polish&origkw=rutlands%20stove%20polish&sr=1
they usually have a local story all over the US.
I got it from pleasants which carries ACE products one of the two owns eachother but whatever lol.
I just started the process about 6am this morning, around 5am I put the clip-on bars in to bake.
yea tell me about it, its a saturday and im up at 430am .... I have no idea why.
I will post pics soon
Okay, I heard back from the OP (Johnny5) and he said that he used the LIQUID, not the paste.
Also, I tried to put in a special order with my local ACE Hardware and they called me back to say that they could only order a box of 12. Since they don't usually stock this stuff, they didn't want to buy 12 just to sell one. Sucks but I get it.
I'll keep looking around my area though and see what turns up. Thanks for report back and photos in the other thread Susuki_Jah! Looks great! :thumb:
Wow man, that looks a MILLION times better than before... your bike looked SO ratty with those rust pipes. Great, great job!
:star: :star: :star: :star: <--- you get 4 stars... put them on your fridge or wear them on your jacket to show your friends.