The "Enemies" Of Hot Looking Chrome Pipes
You may have stepped right up to a fully custom-fabricated chopper, or you may have been customizing your production style motorcycle a little at a time, or may be riding a great stock-bike.
One thing is for certain - a set of really great-looking and throaty-sounding pipes does a lot to add to the appearance and presence of the machine.
No matter how you get there, a set of fancy pipes can set you back - - generally at a minimum of $500.
00, with no upper limit in sight for a one-of-a-kind triple-chromed pair of polished flame-throwers.
Needless to say, high-end custom exhaust pipes are one part of any bike that catches your attention and these days at ChopperDetailing they all too often catch our attention for all the wrong reasons.
Whether it is due to carelessness, lack of proper maintenance or simple bad-fortune, a lot of the bikes that we see come into Low Country Customs and ChopperDetailing for cleaning arrive with rather extensive boot-burn, pant-burn or "browning and bluing" on the heat shields and pipes.
The result is a "disappointing-look" on what would otherwise be, by any measure, some pretty incredible bikes.
In this newsletter we will talk about how to deal with "burning" and "bluing" in chrome pipes as two (2) separate problems with fully separate solutions.
Pant-Burn and Boot-Burn: Actually - in the case I have selected to share with you,this could be labeled "anything-burn".
A few weeks ago I worked on a chopper that hada plastic grocery bag that, after blowing across the road, melted on the forward pipe (the entire bag).
The owner had tried for more than 2 years to get it removed, but it only ever got blacker and more rock-hard as the pipes heated and cooled over that time.
When I got the bike I immediately noticed this ugly burned bag.
I also noticed, however, that the pipes had also severely "blued".
My plan for dealing with these two separate problems was to first remove the burned / melted bag and, second, to then remove the bluing.
I have read a lot of articles and tried many different approaches to boot-burn and pant burn.
This was the first "plastic grocery-bag-burn" I had seen.
It was far more extensive (and the melted material was much deeper) than any boot or pant-burn I had removed from other bikes.
My solution, however, was the same.
No need for caustic or corrosive chemicals (that could damage other parts of the bike beyond repair), no use of high-speed polishing tools, no abrasive materials - - I immediately pulled out aMr.
Clean Magic Eraser from my detailing kit, wetted it with a little Sprite-Zero soda, and started to work.
The stringy thin areas of the bag-burn came off reasonably quickly, but the major section (about 10" x 3") didn't want to budge.
I decided, after 2-hours of heavy elbow-grease, pressing the Magic Eraser into the burn with the palm of my hand, that I needed some stronger "backing" than my hand could offer.
So - I turned to my set of absolutely 100% favorite essential tools: I took out a Pimp Stixxx tip that is a 6" x .
5" piece of flat nylon, then I placed the Pimp Stixxx tip on the back of the Eraser pad and the pad on top of the burn and, bending the nylon tip to match the shape of the pipe diameter, began to work the pad back and forth in small areas.
It wasn't easy but after about 3 hours (and 6 Magic Erasers later) the grocery-bag-burn was 100% completely gone.
The best part? No scratches or dulling to the pipe finish, and no ruined paint or metal from "oven cleaner" (a commonly recommended and foolish approach) or any other extreme chemicals.
None.
"Browning & Bluing": Once I had completed the "burned-plastic-bag-removal", I then turned my attention to the bluing in the pipes and the heat shields.
This was, as it turned out, extensive.
I removed the heat shields (as noted - these had some bluing - a bad sign) and it became obvious that this motorcycle had been driven without proper tuning.
It is safe to say that all pipes (and some heat-shields) will generally "brown" or "blue" a bit, BUT - if this is extensive down the length of the pipe(s) [if 30% or more of the pipes and/or heat-shields have discolored heavily], then the engine is likely not running with a proper fuel-to-air mixture or ignition-timing, and this frequently causes extensive browning or bluing, to a degree that is far beyond the acceptable common minimum.
My assumption that this bike was in need of some serious tune-up work was correct.
As it turned out, the bike was running extremely rough - - often not starting at all, and was in the LCC shop to have some serious engine work done, so I had the benefit of having the pipes fully removed, making it easier for me to work on them.
When I first got this expensive set of pipes laid-out on the floor, here is what I observed (see picture): I intentionally laid the pipes on a set of soft towels and I sat on the floor.
This gave me the best possible combinations of bracing and positioning to use while applying force to work on the problem.
I had, right there on the floor with me, a container of Blue-Job and a bottle of Flitz.
I also made use of my Pimp Stixxx and several Microfiber towels.
To begin the process I used the Flitz to clean the pipes, from end to end, of any grease, grime, sand and road-dirt.
Removing this allowed me to see the depth of the bluing, and this also made certain that any dirt or abrasive elements had been removed from the pipe prior to me beginning the "cleaning and buffing" process with the Blue-Job cleaner.
Skipping this step would have meant possibly scratching the finish while removing the bluing.
As you can see in the photo above, the "bluing" with these pipes was about as deep and extensive as it could possibly be, and this meant that I was in for a great deal of work if I intended to return these pipes to some level of "show-ready-finish".
I used the Blue-Job as directed by the product manufacturer - - first wetting the supplied polishing cloth, followed by lightly and carefully dabbing it into the Blue-Job powder and then rubbing this onto the surface of the pipe, working in small areas only while maintaining a "paste" consistency with the Blue-Job cleaner on the pipe.
I found that I could work the paste for about 5-to-7 minutes before it would begin to dry out and harden.
In order to polish for a longer period I could re-wet the polishing cloth a bit.
(Note: Be careful when re-wetting - - a little moisture goes a long way, and too much moisture can make the paste become runny, forcing you to use more of the powder to thicken the consistency back into paste again).
If I allowed the paste to get too hard by drying-out too much, it could be quite difficult to remove.
It was because of this difficulty with wiping & removal that I also found it was best for me to stop and evaluate my work as soon as the drying had progressed to about 50-60%, check the progress [or lack-thereof ] of my work, and assess the depth of the full discoloration.
This gave me a clue about how much more I needed to polish any section.
Often I found that I did not need to polish the same spot a second time.
It was better for me to move to an entirely new section of the pipe(s).
As I mentioned above: About every 5 minutes or so I would stop, take a good Microfiber towel and wipe off the Blue-Job to see how well I had accomplished the removal of any discoloration.
As needed, I would then re-work an area again (using the same steps), or I would move to another small section of the pipe.
Begin wiping off...
Continue wiping off...
Finish wiping powder paste off, then observe & evaluate the results.
After about 2-to-3 hours of this work per-pipe, I ended up with a virtually "new" looking set of pipes, ready to be re-installed back onto the chopper.
Ultimately - With the pipes re-installed and the engine work complete, and with careful tuning and timing (and assuming no errant grocery bags flying across the road in front of the bike), this set of pipes was once again ready to assume the role for which they were intended - - to loudly & proudly proclaim this bike as a hot-looking thundering machine.
There you go - - a simple solution to commonly challenging problems that every motorcycle owner confronts.
I was thrilled at the results (though not surprised - this is the process we always use and we get consistently stellar results).
Time consuming? Yes.
Tiring on the fore-arms, elbows and wrists? Yes.
Amazing? Look at the photos in this newsletter and then you tell me..
..
..
..
..
..
The only down-side to this particularly difficult yet highly rewarding Detailing job? The owner of LCC, though thrilled beyond belief (and more than a bit incredulous, considering the hundreds of dollars that had previously been spent trying to correct these problems, especially the removal of the melted grocery bag), sheepishly told me that he didn't need or intend for me to remove the burned-bag and bluing..
..
The bike owner had actually decided to buy a new set of pipes for the bike from Low Country Customs and have them installed the very same day.
Oh-well...
at the very least he can sell the "used pipes" without a grocery-bag melted into them or unsightly bluing, and this means selling them for a greater profit, maybe even enough to recover a few of his costs from trying to "fix" this for a couple of years.
This article copyrighted - July, 2007 - all rights reserved: http://www.
ChopperDetailing.
com
One thing is for certain - a set of really great-looking and throaty-sounding pipes does a lot to add to the appearance and presence of the machine.
No matter how you get there, a set of fancy pipes can set you back - - generally at a minimum of $500.
00, with no upper limit in sight for a one-of-a-kind triple-chromed pair of polished flame-throwers.
Needless to say, high-end custom exhaust pipes are one part of any bike that catches your attention and these days at ChopperDetailing they all too often catch our attention for all the wrong reasons.
Whether it is due to carelessness, lack of proper maintenance or simple bad-fortune, a lot of the bikes that we see come into Low Country Customs and ChopperDetailing for cleaning arrive with rather extensive boot-burn, pant-burn or "browning and bluing" on the heat shields and pipes.
The result is a "disappointing-look" on what would otherwise be, by any measure, some pretty incredible bikes.
In this newsletter we will talk about how to deal with "burning" and "bluing" in chrome pipes as two (2) separate problems with fully separate solutions.
Pant-Burn and Boot-Burn: Actually - in the case I have selected to share with you,this could be labeled "anything-burn".
A few weeks ago I worked on a chopper that hada plastic grocery bag that, after blowing across the road, melted on the forward pipe (the entire bag).
The owner had tried for more than 2 years to get it removed, but it only ever got blacker and more rock-hard as the pipes heated and cooled over that time.
When I got the bike I immediately noticed this ugly burned bag.
I also noticed, however, that the pipes had also severely "blued".
My plan for dealing with these two separate problems was to first remove the burned / melted bag and, second, to then remove the bluing.
I have read a lot of articles and tried many different approaches to boot-burn and pant burn.
This was the first "plastic grocery-bag-burn" I had seen.
It was far more extensive (and the melted material was much deeper) than any boot or pant-burn I had removed from other bikes.
My solution, however, was the same.
No need for caustic or corrosive chemicals (that could damage other parts of the bike beyond repair), no use of high-speed polishing tools, no abrasive materials - - I immediately pulled out aMr.
Clean Magic Eraser from my detailing kit, wetted it with a little Sprite-Zero soda, and started to work.
The stringy thin areas of the bag-burn came off reasonably quickly, but the major section (about 10" x 3") didn't want to budge.
I decided, after 2-hours of heavy elbow-grease, pressing the Magic Eraser into the burn with the palm of my hand, that I needed some stronger "backing" than my hand could offer.
So - I turned to my set of absolutely 100% favorite essential tools: I took out a Pimp Stixxx tip that is a 6" x .
5" piece of flat nylon, then I placed the Pimp Stixxx tip on the back of the Eraser pad and the pad on top of the burn and, bending the nylon tip to match the shape of the pipe diameter, began to work the pad back and forth in small areas.
It wasn't easy but after about 3 hours (and 6 Magic Erasers later) the grocery-bag-burn was 100% completely gone.
The best part? No scratches or dulling to the pipe finish, and no ruined paint or metal from "oven cleaner" (a commonly recommended and foolish approach) or any other extreme chemicals.
None.
"Browning & Bluing": Once I had completed the "burned-plastic-bag-removal", I then turned my attention to the bluing in the pipes and the heat shields.
This was, as it turned out, extensive.
I removed the heat shields (as noted - these had some bluing - a bad sign) and it became obvious that this motorcycle had been driven without proper tuning.
It is safe to say that all pipes (and some heat-shields) will generally "brown" or "blue" a bit, BUT - if this is extensive down the length of the pipe(s) [if 30% or more of the pipes and/or heat-shields have discolored heavily], then the engine is likely not running with a proper fuel-to-air mixture or ignition-timing, and this frequently causes extensive browning or bluing, to a degree that is far beyond the acceptable common minimum.
My assumption that this bike was in need of some serious tune-up work was correct.
As it turned out, the bike was running extremely rough - - often not starting at all, and was in the LCC shop to have some serious engine work done, so I had the benefit of having the pipes fully removed, making it easier for me to work on them.
When I first got this expensive set of pipes laid-out on the floor, here is what I observed (see picture): I intentionally laid the pipes on a set of soft towels and I sat on the floor.
This gave me the best possible combinations of bracing and positioning to use while applying force to work on the problem.
I had, right there on the floor with me, a container of Blue-Job and a bottle of Flitz.
I also made use of my Pimp Stixxx and several Microfiber towels.
To begin the process I used the Flitz to clean the pipes, from end to end, of any grease, grime, sand and road-dirt.
Removing this allowed me to see the depth of the bluing, and this also made certain that any dirt or abrasive elements had been removed from the pipe prior to me beginning the "cleaning and buffing" process with the Blue-Job cleaner.
Skipping this step would have meant possibly scratching the finish while removing the bluing.
As you can see in the photo above, the "bluing" with these pipes was about as deep and extensive as it could possibly be, and this meant that I was in for a great deal of work if I intended to return these pipes to some level of "show-ready-finish".
I used the Blue-Job as directed by the product manufacturer - - first wetting the supplied polishing cloth, followed by lightly and carefully dabbing it into the Blue-Job powder and then rubbing this onto the surface of the pipe, working in small areas only while maintaining a "paste" consistency with the Blue-Job cleaner on the pipe.
I found that I could work the paste for about 5-to-7 minutes before it would begin to dry out and harden.
In order to polish for a longer period I could re-wet the polishing cloth a bit.
(Note: Be careful when re-wetting - - a little moisture goes a long way, and too much moisture can make the paste become runny, forcing you to use more of the powder to thicken the consistency back into paste again).
If I allowed the paste to get too hard by drying-out too much, it could be quite difficult to remove.
It was because of this difficulty with wiping & removal that I also found it was best for me to stop and evaluate my work as soon as the drying had progressed to about 50-60%, check the progress [or lack-thereof ] of my work, and assess the depth of the full discoloration.
This gave me a clue about how much more I needed to polish any section.
Often I found that I did not need to polish the same spot a second time.
It was better for me to move to an entirely new section of the pipe(s).
As I mentioned above: About every 5 minutes or so I would stop, take a good Microfiber towel and wipe off the Blue-Job to see how well I had accomplished the removal of any discoloration.
As needed, I would then re-work an area again (using the same steps), or I would move to another small section of the pipe.
Begin wiping off...
Continue wiping off...
Finish wiping powder paste off, then observe & evaluate the results.
After about 2-to-3 hours of this work per-pipe, I ended up with a virtually "new" looking set of pipes, ready to be re-installed back onto the chopper.
Ultimately - With the pipes re-installed and the engine work complete, and with careful tuning and timing (and assuming no errant grocery bags flying across the road in front of the bike), this set of pipes was once again ready to assume the role for which they were intended - - to loudly & proudly proclaim this bike as a hot-looking thundering machine.
There you go - - a simple solution to commonly challenging problems that every motorcycle owner confronts.
I was thrilled at the results (though not surprised - this is the process we always use and we get consistently stellar results).
Time consuming? Yes.
Tiring on the fore-arms, elbows and wrists? Yes.
Amazing? Look at the photos in this newsletter and then you tell me..
..
..
..
..
..
The only down-side to this particularly difficult yet highly rewarding Detailing job? The owner of LCC, though thrilled beyond belief (and more than a bit incredulous, considering the hundreds of dollars that had previously been spent trying to correct these problems, especially the removal of the melted grocery bag), sheepishly told me that he didn't need or intend for me to remove the burned-bag and bluing..
..
The bike owner had actually decided to buy a new set of pipes for the bike from Low Country Customs and have them installed the very same day.
Oh-well...
at the very least he can sell the "used pipes" without a grocery-bag melted into them or unsightly bluing, and this means selling them for a greater profit, maybe even enough to recover a few of his costs from trying to "fix" this for a couple of years.
This article copyrighted - July, 2007 - all rights reserved: http://www.
ChopperDetailing.
com
Source...