Front fork slider painting - what with?

Hi Guys,

So my forks are looking a bit on the pitted side. Not the chrome tubes but the bit that they slide into, not sure what its called. I'll be having the front wheel off this weekend to sort out the speedo and was thinking of doing the forks at the same time. What should i paint them with and whats the best stuff to use and what prep do i need to do.

Cheers guys

Originally Posted by Badeye

Hi Guys,

So my forks are looking a bit on the pitted side. Not the chrome tubes but the bit that they slide into, not sure what its called. I'll be having the front wheel off this weekend to sort out the speedo and was thinking of doing the forks at the same time. What should i paint them with and whats the best stuff to use and what prep do i need to do.

Cheers guys

you could get them powercoated,the forks on my b6 have been done and seems to work well

It seems winter has been hard on lots of peeps forks... See

[Steve]

smooth right, rub the slider first with some abrasive pad/paper,the result is not perfect but not bad.....and cheap

Can't see what bike you have but if they are alloy (like the curvy) just clean off any paint/laquer and polish them they look and stay great.

[rictus01]

On the presumption you don't want to spend the time and money stripping the fork lowers entirely, the main problem is the lacquer isn't all that good to start with but of course it won't have totally worn away , so rubbing down getting them smooth you're liable to end up with some parts retaining some lacquer on them and some bits down to the base metal, if you're happy with the smoothness of the finish a good shortcut is to use exhaust paint as it won't react with the boader between the remaining lacquer and the metal (unlike some paints), it comes in black or silver, and when dry is a matt finish, you can lacquer over the top if you want gloss, or some clear vinyl on the fronts will make it last a lot longer, good points are it's quick, cheap, only need one coat, fast drying.

the other way is to totally strip them, then either prime and paint or Lacquer, I wouldn't advise you to leave them naked as they will oxidize or require constant cleaning (of course if you're one of those who polishes as much as rides then that may well be a bit more fun for you ).

Cheers Mark.

Originally Posted by rictus01

On the presumption you don't want to spend the time and money stripping the fork lowers entirely, the main problem is the lacquer isn't all that good to start with but of course it won't have totally worn away , so rubbing down getting them smooth you're liable to end up with some parts retaining some lacquer on them and some bits down to the base metal,

the other way is to totally strip them, then either prime and paint or Lacquer, I wouldn't advise you to leave them naked as they will oxidize or require constant cleaning (of course if you're one of those who polishes as much as rides then that may well be a bit more fun for you ).

Cheers Mark.

My son and I took a couple of hours using various grades of emery cloth, (did not use a paint stripper) then Solvo Autosol, it it easy to see where the lacquer has been removed. Done it about 8 month ago and it is good quality alloy and has not needed to be polished again yet. Comes up like a mirror, with just a wipe with a dry cloth. highly recommended and does not stone chip or flake as paint or lacquer does.
We were so pleased with the result that we have done the same to the heel guards on the footrests.

Originally Posted by rictus01

On the presumption you don't want to spend the time and money stripping the fork lowers entirely, the main problem is the lacquer isn't all that good to start with but of course it won't have totally worn away , so rubbing down getting them smooth you're liable to end up with some parts retaining some lacquer on them and some bits down to the base metal,

the other way is to totally strip them, then either prime and paint or Lacquer, I wouldn't advise you to leave them naked as they will oxidize or require constant cleaning (of course if you're one of those who polishes as much as rides then that may well be a bit more fun for you ).

Cheers Mark.

My son and I took a couple of hours using various grades of emery cloth, (did not use a paint stripper) then Solvo Autosol, it it easy to see where the lacquer has been removed. Doe it about 8 month ago and it is good quality alloy and has not needed to be polished again yet. Comes up like a mirror, highly recommended and does not stone chip or flake as paint or lacquer does. Plus you can do it in stages if you get bored and don't need to remove the wheel.
We were so pleased with the result that we have done the same to the heel guards on the footrests.

[rictus01]

most bare metals including alloy aren't a durable finish requiring attention if use out on the road, of course the finish will tarnish far less over time if it remains in a shed, this is why such things as chromium/ nickel plating , paints and lacquers are used.

As I've previously posted, if biking is just a hobby and polishing is your thing then it could be seen as a plus I suppose, I know some enjoy that aspect.

Cheers Mark.

Originally Posted by rictus01

most bare metals including alloy aren't a durable finish requiring attention if use out on the road, of course the finish will tarnish far less over time if it remains in a shed, this is why such things as chromium/ nickel plating , paints and lacquers are used.

As I've previously posted, if biking is just a hobby and polishing is your thing then it could be seen as a plus I suppose, I know some enjoy that aspect.

Cheers Mark.

My son uses his bike every day (though not when roads are salted) and the finish has lasted, proof of the pudding is in the eating. They have required no more attention than the rest of the bike to keep looking good.