Plastic rejuvenation

mike.deblanco
I've seen Joe Abbate's work on restoring the sheen to well used plastic fuel tanks and they sure look good.
And the old trick of applying heat to the white crease in fenders to get the color back.

Anyone have any tricks to get white back into rad louvers/fork guards/disc protectors ?

I ran mine thru the dishwasher, and have done the SOFTSCRUB with Bleach but cant get the white any brighter.
Bought new lower fork guards as mine were cracked/missing mount holes and would rather try and clean up the remaining parts as they are functionally perfect.
Thanks fellow Vitards....
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Acidreamer
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Acidreamer 1/3/2018 7:45am
1/3/2018 7:45am
Theres a method i used on a white airbox where you take a razer blade and sortof scrape the top layer of plastic off. You dont want to dig into the plastic. You have the cutting edge pointing up while you drag down. If that makes sense. It worked really good. Might not be good for spots with a lot of curvature tho.
TrailDigger 1/3/2018 8:13am
1/3/2018 8:13am
You could try 1000 grit sandpaper and then buff/polish it after to make it smooth if you want, but the 1000 grit should be okay for the louvers at least.

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Tracktor
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Tracktor 1/3/2018 9:52am
1/3/2018 9:52am
Napa Alumibrite & a pressure washer can remove staining from plastics. It was a accidental find but I use it often to bring plastics back some. Soda blasting can remove top layers evenly without hurting the base also....
F150Motocrosser 1/3/2018 5:43pm
1/3/2018 5:43pm
mike.deblanco wrote:
I've seen Joe Abbate's work on restoring the sheen to well used plastic fuel tanks and they sure look good. And the old trick of applying...
I've seen Joe Abbate's work on restoring the sheen to well used plastic fuel tanks and they sure look good.
And the old trick of applying heat to the white crease in fenders to get the color back.

Anyone have any tricks to get white back into rad louvers/fork guards/disc protectors ?

I ran mine thru the dishwasher, and have done the SOFTSCRUB with Bleach but cant get the white any brighter.
Bought new lower fork guards as mine were cracked/missing mount holes and would rather try and clean up the remaining parts as they are functionally perfect.
Thanks fellow Vitards....
This. Time, patience, and this. Same practice applies to all plastics, not just tanks. You get out what you put in.

https://youtu.be/yWPwCXLSIdA
Acidreamer
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Acidreamer 1/4/2018 2:10am
1/4/2018 2:10am
mike.deblanco wrote:
I've seen Joe Abbate's work on restoring the sheen to well used plastic fuel tanks and they sure look good. And the old trick of applying...
I've seen Joe Abbate's work on restoring the sheen to well used plastic fuel tanks and they sure look good.
And the old trick of applying heat to the white crease in fenders to get the color back.

Anyone have any tricks to get white back into rad louvers/fork guards/disc protectors ?

I ran mine thru the dishwasher, and have done the SOFTSCRUB with Bleach but cant get the white any brighter.
Bought new lower fork guards as mine were cracked/missing mount holes and would rather try and clean up the remaining parts as they are functionally perfect.
Thanks fellow Vitards....
F150Motocrosser wrote:
This. Time, patience, and this. Same practice applies to all plastics, not just tanks. You get out what you put in.

https://youtu.be/yWPwCXLSIdA
Wow that looks good! +1 for doing it that way
r.sal923
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r.sal923 1/4/2018 12:21pm
1/4/2018 12:21pm
Sos pad, pressure wash, sc1. Or buy black plastic.
mike.deblanco 1/4/2018 3:05pm
1/4/2018 3:05pm
New Soft Scrub out-- Soft Scrub with OXI ! Holy S*&^%T !
INSTANT WHITE !
Areas that had rub marks did require sanding but the anything off color - yellowy tinge to it, came right back to pure white.
Good Stuff

BAZINGA !
YamahaJT1
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YamahaJT1 1/4/2018 7:34pm
1/4/2018 7:34pm Edited Date/Time 1/4/2018 7:36pm
Wet sand with a drop of Dawn... These sheets are the bomb. I have had 2 sets last over 10 years with proper care.

Yes, they are allegedly for "wood", but are also great for auto/bike/guitar body finish work. Metal finishing as well.

I rarely use them for dry sanding, and actually never used them on raw wood. Rinse them well, air dry, and store after use. Top ten product I have ever purchased. So many uses.

https://www.amazon.com/SANDING-SHEETS-INTRODUCTORY-Peachtree-Woodworkin…
mwssquad827
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mwssquad827 1/6/2018 9:06pm
1/6/2018 9:06pm
r.sal923 wrote:
Sos pad, pressure wash, sc1. Or buy black plastic.
Dude black plastic looks horrible after a couple rides
r.sal923
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r.sal923 1/6/2018 9:15pm
1/6/2018 9:15pm
r.sal923 wrote:
Sos pad, pressure wash, sc1. Or buy black plastic.
mwssquad827 wrote:
Dude black plastic looks horrible after a couple rides
Not if you cover it in energy drink stickers
wsc96
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wsc96 1/10/2018 1:21am
1/10/2018 1:21am
r.sal923 wrote:
Not if you cover it in energy drink stickers
This is true. Then they look disgusting. Sick
Rooster0714
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Rooster0714 1/21/2018 7:00pm
1/21/2018 7:00pm
mike.deblanco wrote:
I've seen Joe Abbate's work on restoring the sheen to well used plastic fuel tanks and they sure look good. And the old trick of applying...
I've seen Joe Abbate's work on restoring the sheen to well used plastic fuel tanks and they sure look good.
And the old trick of applying heat to the white crease in fenders to get the color back.

Anyone have any tricks to get white back into rad louvers/fork guards/disc protectors ?

I ran mine thru the dishwasher, and have done the SOFTSCRUB with Bleach but cant get the white any brighter.
Bought new lower fork guards as mine were cracked/missing mount holes and would rather try and clean up the remaining parts as they are functionally perfect.
Thanks fellow Vitards....
F150Motocrosser wrote:
This. Time, patience, and this. Same practice applies to all plastics, not just tanks. You get out what you put in.

https://youtu.be/yWPwCXLSIdA
That is flipping awesome dude!!! Can’t wait to do it to my old tank
pmshortt2
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pmshortt2 1/22/2018 6:39am
1/22/2018 6:39am
mike.deblanco wrote:
I've seen Joe Abbate's work on restoring the sheen to well used plastic fuel tanks and they sure look good. And the old trick of applying...
I've seen Joe Abbate's work on restoring the sheen to well used plastic fuel tanks and they sure look good.
And the old trick of applying heat to the white crease in fenders to get the color back.

Anyone have any tricks to get white back into rad louvers/fork guards/disc protectors ?

I ran mine thru the dishwasher, and have done the SOFTSCRUB with Bleach but cant get the white any brighter.
Bought new lower fork guards as mine were cracked/missing mount holes and would rather try and clean up the remaining parts as they are functionally perfect.
Thanks fellow Vitards....
F150Motocrosser wrote:
This. Time, patience, and this. Same practice applies to all plastics, not just tanks. You get out what you put in.

https://youtu.be/yWPwCXLSIdA
Rooster0714 wrote:
That is flipping awesome dude!!! Can’t wait to do it to my old tank
So pretty much if I do this I can save $250 from buying a new tank and make my 20 year old tank look brand new

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