Tank Polishers Opinions Please

[kdx Geoff]

What's the chance of getting some consistent original color ?

This side I've not touched and based on the areas where the decals were, the damage is on the outside.



I've put about an hour into this side and the top.



The 'no fear' sticker has left its mark.


l really don't want to paint the tank and lm prepared for say ...... 20 hours of labour.

The scratches and gouges have come out fairly readily so its just a color thing.

Thanks

Geoff

[oldfart]

Use the back side of a hacksaw blade, as it gives a nice wide and even shave. 

[80-85 husky]

I think you've jumped the gun Geoff and missed the sanding with wet and dry section. polishing is last after you scrape and sand all the oxide plastic off. Lazy b

[kdx Geoff]

Gentlemen, there was no oxide to remove 

I went straight to sanding, 120 dry first to remove the deeper marks, 400 dry then wet to clean up the 120 dry and lm now at 800 wet. The surface of the tank is good in its condition but the color......

[frostype400]

Should be able to get that reasonable hold a stanley blade sideways pull it back towards your self I find easiest to not make to many marks with it first take what seems like a heap off till you get some decent colour I am doing a IT tank at the moment takes a while the main step is the first scraping down with the stanley blade do the whole thing with a blade first so you don't have to sand for hours.

I had a much worse rm500 tank I got pretty nice last week.

There is sun faded oxidised plastic you wont polish what you have there grab a stanley blade start on a flat section there will be plastic every where take off as much as needed till some decent colour comes back it will seem you are taking to much off but tanks are pretty thick you have a fair bit you can remove.

[Lewis]

Geoff,bring your tank around and we'll have go at it. Got a few ideas we could try. Lewis

[pokey]

The acerbis tank on this domi was orange/ pink with stains when I picked it up.

scraped with back of hacksaw blade for more than a few hours
 wet and dry in a few grades
 buffed with rubbing compound and voila.

[kdx Geoff]

I've spent a couple of hours scraping and sanding just the top looking for an improvement of which lm yet to see, it looks this color anywhere there's been long exposure to the sun. The underneath is fine.

There are some great tank saves out there and lm thinking this is not going to be one of them. Many of the pics of this model kdx tank that l have found on the net show the tank the same dull green which is not too bad until its next to nice green then its really dull. lm confident paint is not an option....what about bleaching ? l imagine the plastic may not like bleach, or a heat gun....

 

I'd love to drill a hole and see what color the plastic is all the way through....

[pokey]

Keep going Geoff and don't be frightened, the plastic is pretty thick and the colour will come. Scrape and keep scraping. Sanding is just to blend the scrape lines after you get colour happening.
Polishing is then done to blend the sanding lines and to get a shine.

 I can see a few scrapes where the colour is just starting to come good.

[oldfart]

 keep scraping away you will be rewarded in the end.   

[kdx Geoff]

     ok     

[Maicoman]

What model Kawasaki is that tank off Geoff?

[kdx Geoff]

What model Kawasaki is that tank off Geoff?

Its for an '80/82 era kdx 250/420/450.

Same tank (and color) as this bike at DDR

http://www.ddr.net.au/node/2027

[shelpi]

Thanx for all this as I am doing a Maico 1983 tank as we speak

[kdx Geoff]

Thanx for all this as I am doing a Maico 1983 tank as we speak

How's it looking ?