[Spridgets] Bugeye side curtain some more...

[Lester]

HAH!  Yes it’s true, I could buy all new from AH Spares but I am trying to refinish these.  They aren’t judged so I just want them nice not perfect.  I’ve already decided to just clean and polish what I have.  Install the new felt somehow, new plexi, and new rubber seals then live with it.

Affording a Bugeye is peanuts, try restoring an E-Type or a Formula SAAB.  ;-)

Lester



> On Feb 10, 2018, at 11:33 AM, sprideteer at yahoo.com [bugeye] <bugeye at yahoogroups.com> wrote:
> 
> You're right, Lester.   No commercial shop is going to want to restore your aluminum frames.  It's simply more work than anyone would be willing to pay for.
> 
> First they strip the old anodizing.  You can''t do that at home with chemicals from Wal*Mart.
> 
> Then they have to polish out all the scratches and corrosion pitting.You can't do that at home with with a car paint buff.
> 
> Then they can anodize them.  To do that you need seven or eight chemicals which are mostly unavailable to the general public. You need a 16-20 volt rectifier, tanks, heaters and a chiller.
> 
> Anyone who says you can do them at home is.....uh....let's just call them uninformed.
> 
> How do I know this?  I spent 44 years in the metal finishing business.
> 
> So, what can you do at home?
> 
> You can sand them smooth, get then as perfect as you can, the paint them with automotive quality silver paint, base/clearcoat..  The base, clear, reducer and hardener, in pint quantities will cost about $75.  Or you can just buy an aerosol can of sliver from Lowes for 6 bucks.
> 
> In any event they won't look like new, but maybe they will look good enough to suit you.
> 
> As I said, I spent my entire working life in the metal finishing business.  I *could* have refinished my side curtain frames a work, at no cost to me.  It wasn't worth the effort.  I simply bought new ones complete with felt. seals and windows.
> 
> I see some posts which imply that at-home anodizing is simple.  That's absolute nonsense.  And even if you could do it, you'd just have anodized old, bent, worn, scratched and dented frames.
> 
> You can get everything you need from AH Spares for about $400 USD.  If you can't afford that, maybe you can't afford to restore or maintain a Bugeye