How do you strip off the protective fork coating?

bents
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bents
Edited Date/Time 12/21/2015 11:44pm
I've seen a couple of builds where that yellow coating was stripped off to look factory, but no one ever described how to do it. Has anyone here done it? I think it looks awesome.
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r.sal923
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r.sal923 6/4/2015 8:57pm
6/4/2015 8:57pm


plowboy
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plowboy 6/4/2015 9:06pm
6/4/2015 9:06pm
r.sal923 wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2015/06/04/93651/s1200_image.jpg[/img]


I was gonna say the same thing....but it would be less effort to toss the forks in an empty oil drum, add 5 gallons of gas and just let fire do all the work.
bvm111
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bvm111 6/4/2015 10:03pm
6/4/2015 10:03pm
wait... you want to do what???? Dizzy Dizzy Dizzy Dizzy
theToothPerry
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theToothPerry 6/4/2015 10:08pm
6/4/2015 10:08pm
bents wrote:
I've seen a couple of builds where that yellow coating was stripped off to look factory, but no one ever described how to do it. Has...
I've seen a couple of builds where that yellow coating was stripped off to look factory, but no one ever described how to do it. Has anyone here done it? I think it looks awesome.
Sandblast and scotchbrite.

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KTMShane699
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KTMShane699 6/4/2015 10:09pm
6/4/2015 10:09pm
What yellow coating? The anodizing? People get fork part treated with different processes. Some simply for color. Some for performance. Some for both. What exactly are you trying to do?

Shane
cwtoyota
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cwtoyota 6/4/2015 10:32pm
6/4/2015 10:32pm
The color is just a dye that is added into the surface of the aluminum during the process.

Don't buff the hard coat off of your fork tubes, aluminum Is soft like cheese without it.

The anodizing adds a ton of durability to the forks. Hard anodizing (aluminum oxide) is one of the hardest substances out there. It makes plain mild steel seem soft and is as hard as most files. In fact, many types of grinding wheels are made from the stuff.

If you want your forks to have a different color, take them to a shop and have them hard anodized or Kashima coated in the color you like.
tmauto769 6/5/2015 4:06am
6/5/2015 4:06am
to strip anodizing, you need to drop them in a lye solution, make sure you plug the ends as you don't want to strip the inside coating off. BTW after you strip the coating off you can have them anodized again without color so it hardens the surface with the appearance you are looking for.
MxKing809
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MxKing809 6/5/2015 5:13am
6/5/2015 5:13am
I had them turned down in a lathe

HackMan162
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HackMan162 6/5/2015 6:00am
6/5/2015 6:00am
Keep in mind, if you strip the color anodizing off, you will want to clear anodize (no dye) afterwards to protect the aluminum from oxidizing.
Dtat720
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Dtat720 6/5/2015 6:20am
6/5/2015 6:20am
Turned on a lathe? I wouldnt ride on them again. They are already thin, turning them weakens them. The anodizing that is on them from the factory serves 2 purposes, 1, to harden the surface and protect against roost and rocks. Keeps the surface from denting and scratching. 2, it strengthens the tubing overall by hardening the surface. Anodizing brings the natural ceramics in the aluminum to the surface, it forms hexagonal pores which hold the dye to give it color. Its hardened in a nickel acetate bath to "melt" the ceramics locking the color in and closing the pockets to form a solid ceramic surface.

Turning them on a lathe just removed all of the protection
bents
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bents 6/5/2015 6:51am
6/5/2015 6:51am
Thanks to those that provided a response containing pertinent information. MXKing, that is the look I was inquiring about. I truly didn't know the engineering behind the coating so thanks for the info (especially Dtat720). I was also thinking about the look on the factory KXF forks as they have a look almost identical to MXKing's forks.
MOTORSPORTFOX
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MOTORSPORTFOX 6/5/2015 6:56am
6/5/2015 6:56am
2012 KX450F Tubes stripped and re-anodized:


bents
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bents 6/5/2015 7:00am
6/5/2015 7:00am
Beauty. That is what I was trying to get to in terms of look.
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mxtech1 6/5/2015 7:35am
6/5/2015 7:35am
MxKing809 wrote:
I had them turned down in a lathe [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2015/06/05/93661/s1200_20150428_211751.jpg[/img]
I had them turned down in a lathe

I was hoping you weren't serious.....but you were.
alexk417
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alexk417 6/5/2015 7:37am
6/5/2015 7:37am
I'm very confused...Blink
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disbanded 6/5/2015 7:43am
6/5/2015 7:43am
I bought my forks dinner and they stripped later that night
MxKing809
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MxKing809 6/5/2015 8:02am
6/5/2015 8:02am Edited Date/Time 6/5/2015 8:06am
MxKing809 wrote:
I had them turned down in a lathe [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2015/06/05/93661/s1200_20150428_211751.jpg[/img]
I had them turned down in a lathe

mxtech1 wrote:
I was hoping you weren't serious.....but you were.
I didn't have a choice. They were junk forks that someone took a pneumatic wire wheel to in hopes to achieve the OP's same idea of stripping the factory finish off. I got them as a spare set, basically thrown in with a wheel.... so I didn't care taking a chance on them. I would NEVER recommend this to your everyday, good forks. It's also on a 125, that I won't be pushing hard or hucking 120 footers

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philG
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philG 6/5/2015 9:21am
6/5/2015 9:21am
You arent anodising any of that , the tubes and sliders arent aluminium . They are steel .
Dtat720
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Dtat720 6/5/2015 9:31am
6/5/2015 9:31am
philG wrote:
You arent anodising any of that , the tubes and sliders arent aluminium . They are steel .
I wonder what is going to happen to the set i have in anodize right now....
I havent seen a steel upper in a very long time... The lowers, yeah, chromium steel. Uppers? Aluminum all day erry day
philG
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philG 6/5/2015 9:42am
6/5/2015 9:42am
philG wrote:
You arent anodising any of that , the tubes and sliders arent aluminium . They are steel .
Dtat720 wrote:
I wonder what is going to happen to the set i have in anodize right now.... I havent seen a steel upper in a very long...
I wonder what is going to happen to the set i have in anodize right now....
I havent seen a steel upper in a very long time... The lowers, yeah, chromium steel. Uppers? Aluminum all day erry day
You know , after i typed that , i went to check, the wall thickness seems really thin for Aluminium . Never thought about it that much but now i have looked , you are right
Ebs
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Ebs 6/5/2015 9:46am
6/5/2015 9:46am
Rope + dirt road = backwoods media blaster

Might have to buy seals in the bulk pack though.
mx_563
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mx_563 6/5/2015 11:09am
6/5/2015 11:09am
oven cleaner. several applications worth. Apply, wait, wipe repeat.
JohnnyD13
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JohnnyD13 6/5/2015 11:40am
6/5/2015 11:40am
Take the forks completely apart, get 2 parts battery acid and mix with a gallon of race gas. Then Put a gallon of that shit they used in breaking bad, and put the fork legs in for 4 hours. Your welcome
The real deal 2014 6/5/2015 11:42am
6/5/2015 11:42am
You're going to need a pair of pliers, some map gas two 30lb ball bearings a Mexican two midgets a stripper named candy. It needs to be a full moon on leap year on a cool summer night
Dtat720
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Dtat720 6/5/2015 11:59am
6/5/2015 11:59am
To answer the question, get a large enough tupperware container to hold the tubes, fill with water enough to cover them by about an inch or so. Go to lowes and get Lye, it is with the drain cleaners. Has to be 100% lye. Mix it at a ratio of 2 table spoons per gallon of water. Put the tubes in and montior them over the next 10-15 minutes. You will need to roll them around a bit to agitate the mixture and ensure all parts are exposed to the mixture. Shouldn't take more than 20 minutes to completely strip them. They will be dark gray when done. But that will wipe right off.

If you let it sit too long, the lye will start to oxidize the aluminum. But that takes a really long time.
mark_swart
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mark_swart 6/5/2015 12:23pm
6/5/2015 12:23pm
I had a set on a YZ that the anodizing was already coming off of in some spots, so I gave it a try.

I used Easy Off oven cleaner (the yellow can) and a few scotchbrite pads. Probably took an hour and a half.

Don't let it sit too long, just spray and give it a few minutes and get to scrubbing while it is still soft. I made the mistake of spraying both at the same time, and by the time I got to the second one it was a much big pain.

Afterwards I went with fork protector decals for the lower legs and metal polish up top to try and slow oxidation. Time will tell I guess..
Cygnus
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Cygnus 6/5/2015 12:44pm
6/5/2015 12:44pm Edited Date/Time 6/5/2015 12:45pm
To remove anodizing all ya need is some easy off oven cleaner. It's quick and easy.

Shit I missed marks post right above mine.
Travis_Hudson 12/21/2015 10:00pm
12/21/2015 10:00pm
MOTORSPORTFOX wrote:
2012 KX450F Tubes stripped and re-anodized: [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2015/06/05/93665/s1200_401013_10201366389864900_2105386942_n_1.jpg[/img]
2012 KX450F Tubes stripped and re-anodized:


Who did you have do these? I want to do the same thing to my YZ. Thanks.
mark_swart
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mark_swart 12/21/2015 11:44pm
12/21/2015 11:44pm
mx_563 wrote:
oven cleaner. several applications worth. Apply, wait, wipe repeat.
This works. Use the Easy Off in a yellow can, rubber gloves and a green scrub pad. Let it sit for a few minutes, but not long enough to dry.

I ONLY did this on one of my bikes because someone else had already screwed up the coating with something in the past, so it had spots of unfinished areas that looked bad. If it was in good shape, I would leave it alone.

But the Easy Off and an hour or two of elbow grease will get you silver/ raw aluminum forks if that's what you want!

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