Brushed Aluminum
Brushed Chrome
Diy
I have been a fan of Scotch-Brite since I first started building bikes. There is a vintage and racing-esque visual quality to a surface that has had the brushed treatment. Another benefit to brushing your shinny metal surfaces is if it somehow gets messed up, you can just brush over it and it's like new instantly. I have been employing this technique with many of the Brass Ball bobbers I build. We are going to cover the basics of both hand and machine brushing on aluminum and chrome surfaces. When brushing aluminum, for example, you get a performance look. Aluminum is a soft metal that is the same throughout, so when it's brushed you can get a very consistent look. Chrome on the other hand lends to a more artistic freedom. The deeper you brush chrome plating the more the underlying layers will show through, resulting in some really cool vintage-type looks. For example, you can brush a chrome headlight or air cleaner cover, then brush it deeper around the ridges to let a copper color show through so it looks more weathered. Once you have the technique down, the possibilities for Scotch-Brite brushing are limitless.
All you need to start down...
All you need to start down the road of brushed finishes really is a few of Scotch-Brite's Aircraft cleaning pads and some painter's tape.
If you want to go the advanced...
If you want to go the advanced route, you can outfit your rotary die grinder with a Scotch-Brite grinder and flapper wheels, which basically saves a lot of elbow grease.
If you want to go the advanced...
If you want to go the advanced route, you can outfit your rotary die grinder with a Scotch-Brite grinder and flapper wheels, which basically saves a lot of elbow grease.
Hand Rubbing
When you start with the hand-rubbed method, be sure to tape off any surface that is adjacent to the surface you will be brushing. It really sucks when you think you can brush a strait line and then whoop, you just scratched a powdercoated frame, or worse. When brushing by hand, use long, even strokes, applying even pressure. Make sure to always brush in the same direction. If you cross directions, your surface will immediately look like crap.
Machine Brushing
When using the rotary tool, also tape off your adjacent surfaces that might be in danger of getting scratched. Attach the Scotch-Brite wheel to the die grinder and begin to take down the top surface of material brushing in the same direction. This wheel does a lot of the initial hard work. Next, change out the grinder wheel to the flapper wheel. The flapper wheel will even out the surface. Finally, use the Scotch-Brite hand pad to fine-tune the desired look.
This derby cover had a few...
This derby cover had a few scratches in the chrome, so we decided to Scotch-Brite it. It took less than a minute by machine and 4 minutes by hand to attain this look.
Here is how chrome looks when...
Here is how chrome looks when the bronze and nickel-plating under the shiny stuff is unearthed around the edges (arrow). It took three minutes by machine and 18 minutes by hand. To see Dar's video of the process visit, hotbikeweb.com.
The Lowdown
Man Hours: Varies with product
Difficulty: Basic
Aftermarket Parts Used: None
Total Cost: $63.00