Author Topic: Detailing Tip-Dawn Power Disolver  (Read 4296 times)

Offline Rcgreaves

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  • Posts: 973
  • "I'd rather be flying, but this will do nicely"
Detailing Tip-Dawn Power Disolver
« on: January 06, 2019, 02:31:11 PM »
I took these images around Thanksgiving and debated in my mind whether to post. 

Not everyone in brickdom is in the same place experientially, so perhaps my lifetime of detailing my toys will inform someone out there remote of Chee.

This Dawn Power dissolver is made for tough kitchen grease.  I soak my model aircraft nitromethane powered engine in it..they get caked with a brown goo from burned oil that builds up on the muffler and case with every run.  after a while a silver case is brown.

My parts bike muffler is cherry and my driver looks like its been up and down the Alcan a few times- so now that its clean and detailed,  I'm prepping a swap. 

Exhaust residue is difficult to scrub off the stock K75 muffler if left unchecked. the welds are pretty, but any irregularity hides a hunk of brown junk where corrosion starts.. here's my method to make em shine...

I start with a spray bottle with a 50/50 of Dawn dish soap liquid and water for general cleaning.  then I use a towel rag that has some thickness to it and work the welds between sprays of dawn. 

Now with 98% of the goo gone, I break out my dremel tool with a soft wire tip to gently buff the corners and joints to lift the dirt and goo out of these tight places. 

Lots of polishes work on stainless, I tried several on hand for the chrome silencer and decided Turtle Wax chrome polish worked better than other stainless steel cleaners.

a tooth brush should never hit the garbage can in a bikers home. great for detailing these items.  Harbor Freight sells brass brushes that don't scratch chrome. I prefer the tooth brush's nylon head.

Have you tried these white nylon wall anchors that self taps into sheetrock and hold up pictures etc?  The self-tapping point is nylon and very durable as a pick for tight spots on this project. I wrapped it with tape so the deep thread wouldn't dig so into my fingers. The point is you can press away and not scratch the mufflers pretty finish.  I guess I use this before the Dremel brush and back and forth a bit.

Its winter...in the North anyway, clean the underside of your brick. 

On the subject of maintaining the muffler:  the topic of the fiber washer seal between the exhaust pipes and silencer came up recently here:  These are fragile and made of what I jokingly term "unobtainium"

Feldpro 3009 is a sheet stock used for cutting gaskets that meets the specs for that sealing ring.  I haven't done that part of the job yet but it looks to be a suitable replacement for the OEM part no longer sold. taking off the muffler is fairly easy if you don't have to dread damaging this fragile sealing ring. 

  • Livingston in Southwest WI. USA-"With the good earth all around."
  • 94' K75S, 85' GL1200 Aspencade, 96' VFR750F, 01' GL1800. Restoring: 95' K1100RS, 83' R80RT NEW: Motorvation Formula II
Doing “better than I deserve"

Offline natalena

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Re: Detailing Tip-Dawn Power Disolver
« Reply #1 on: January 06, 2019, 05:24:54 PM »
Great job polishing the muffler. I'll have to try the wall anchor trick, as there's some 50lb and 75lb one's in the junk drawer. I usually use bamboo shish kabob sticks.
  • MST
  • 1987 K75s #0919, '05 Sportster 1200C
We don't need no stinkin' moly.

Offline Rcgreaves

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  • Posts: 973
  • "I'd rather be flying, but this will do nicely"
Re: Detailing Tip-Dawn Power Disolver
« Reply #2 on: January 07, 2019, 11:24:00 AM »
Me and my improvised tools.  Gouged fingers with mine, splinters with yours! bmp :mbird
Scotchbrite works too but looking at these zoomed images I  can see how my method scratches things a bit Nevertheless.  My old eyes can’t tell without magnification and anyway, the corrosive effects can be abated right. 

Cheers Nalalena.
  • Livingston in Southwest WI. USA-"With the good earth all around."
  • 94' K75S, 85' GL1200 Aspencade, 96' VFR750F, 01' GL1800. Restoring: 95' K1100RS, 83' R80RT NEW: Motorvation Formula II
Doing “better than I deserve"

Offline natalena

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  • Posts: 604
Re: Detailing Tip-Dawn Power Disolver
« Reply #3 on: January 07, 2019, 01:05:55 PM »
I started using "White Diamond*" metal polish, as it can be used on clear plastic as well (carefully). Polished the Staintune with a Dremel felt mop, and lot's of tedious passes up and down the surfaces. Looks great, no haze or spiderweb, and discoloration has not returned.
*known to cause cancer, but is made in USA, and some sort of petroleum and I'm guessing aluminum particles. 800-383-0251 for questions at Shultz Laboratories.
  • MST
  • 1987 K75s #0919, '05 Sportster 1200C
We don't need no stinkin' moly.

Offline The Mighty Gryphon

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Re: Detailing Tip-Dawn Power Disolver
« Reply #4 on: January 07, 2019, 02:52:52 PM »
I started using "White Diamond*" metal polish, as it can be used on clear plastic as well (carefully). Polished the Staintune with a Dremel felt mop, and lot's of tedious passes up and down the surfaces. Looks great, no haze or spiderweb, and discoloration has not returned.
*known to cause cancer, but is made in USA, and some sort of petroleum and I'm guessing aluminum particles. 800-383-0251 for questions at Shultz Laboratories.

Only if you live in Cali.
  • In my garage in Marilla, NY
  • '91K100RS White/Blue
Current:
'91 K100RS16V "Moby Brick Too"

Past:
'94 K75RT "Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS"
'92 K100RS16V "Moby Brick" (RIP, deceased in a vehicular assault)
'94 K75S Special Edition Dakar Yellow "Cheetos"
'89 K100RS Special Edition "Special Ed"

Offline Martin

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Re: Detailing Tip-Dawn Power Disolver
« Reply #5 on: January 07, 2019, 03:42:15 PM »
6" cotton mop on a bench grinder, a 6" stick of stainless polish followed by McGuire's metal polish on a burr grinder and cotton mop.

Regards Martin.
  • North Lakes Queensland Australia
  • 1992 K75s Hybrid, Lefaux, Vespa V twin.

Offline The Mighty Gryphon

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Re: Detailing Tip-Dawn Power Disolver
« Reply #6 on: January 07, 2019, 04:49:24 PM »
I buffed out the stainless on my K100RS.  It discolored back to brown in less time than it took to clean the damn thing.
  • In my garage in Marilla, NY
  • '91K100RS White/Blue
Current:
'91 K100RS16V "Moby Brick Too"

Past:
'94 K75RT "Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS"
'92 K100RS16V "Moby Brick" (RIP, deceased in a vehicular assault)
'94 K75S Special Edition Dakar Yellow "Cheetos"
'89 K100RS Special Edition "Special Ed"

Offline Rcgreaves

  • ^ SuperNatural Motobricker
  • Posts: 973
  • "I'd rather be flying, but this will do nicely"
Re: Detailing Tip-Dawn Power Disolver
« Reply #7 on: January 07, 2019, 05:19:16 PM »
So Gryph did I miss the memo, is cancer only a Cali thing?? Joking..
  • Livingston in Southwest WI. USA-"With the good earth all around."
  • 94' K75S, 85' GL1200 Aspencade, 96' VFR750F, 01' GL1800. Restoring: 95' K1100RS, 83' R80RT NEW: Motorvation Formula II
Doing “better than I deserve"

Offline The Mighty Gryphon

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  • ^ Quintessential Motobricker
  • Posts: 6617
Re: Detailing Tip-Dawn Power Disolver
« Reply #8 on: January 07, 2019, 07:36:09 PM »
What does the safety warning say?  Usually they say something like "contains ingredients that have been found in California to cause cancer".
  • In my garage in Marilla, NY
  • '91K100RS White/Blue
Current:
'91 K100RS16V "Moby Brick Too"

Past:
'94 K75RT "Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS"
'92 K100RS16V "Moby Brick" (RIP, deceased in a vehicular assault)
'94 K75S Special Edition Dakar Yellow "Cheetos"
'89 K100RS Special Edition "Special Ed"

Offline natalena

  • ^ SuperNatural Motobricker
  • Posts: 604
Re: Detailing Tip-Dawn Power Disolver
« Reply #9 on: January 07, 2019, 09:19:55 PM »
TMG is correct. The warning is under www.P65Warnings.ca,gov
birth defects and reproductive harm may ensue, but there is no mention of "unique café" noted, as it may too early to quantify the damage.
  • MST
  • 1987 K75s #0919, '05 Sportster 1200C
We don't need no stinkin' moly.

Offline Rcgreaves

  • ^ SuperNatural Motobricker
  • Posts: 973
  • "I'd rather be flying, but this will do nicely"
Re: Detailing Tip-Dawn Power Disolver
« Reply #10 on: June 12, 2019, 10:35:51 PM »
six months later and this muffler project too is awaiting cold weather.
  • Livingston in Southwest WI. USA-"With the good earth all around."
  • 94' K75S, 85' GL1200 Aspencade, 96' VFR750F, 01' GL1800. Restoring: 95' K1100RS, 83' R80RT NEW: Motorvation Formula II
Doing “better than I deserve"

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