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PostPosted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 1:17 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2011 10:09 am
Posts: 74
Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA
Greetings fellas,

I have been mostly a lurker here for a few years, but early this year I setup shop here in Tucson, Arizona where I live, purchased and setup the finest vapor blasting equipment I could find. Since then I have blasted hundreds of parts, have a bunch of very happy customers. I really like the work, and use it on my own restoration projects of course as well.

I just did complete a set of H2 cases, plus a center cylinder head (sample for my customer, first hit's free and all that!), thought you guys might be interested to see the before and after photos of that.

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You get the idea :-). For reference, this project was three hours in total, plus $30 return shipping to California, net $180 at 2015 rates ($50 per hour). 48 hours in-shop. And this is what I do, same as you, fix and restore old Japanese motorcycles, and I love them as much as you do. I will treat your parts as if they were my own, I promise.

Please keep me in mind if you need this service, or post or PM or email me with questions at nils@restocycle.com. I'd be happy to quote your projects ahead of time, and you can also find a lot more info, including online ordering, on my website, linked-to from my signature.

Best,

Nils Menten
RestoCycle LLC
Tucson, AZ, USA

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Nils Menten
Tucson, Arizona, USA

I do vapor blasting! http://www.restocycle.com
Ikon Shocks: http://www.ikonshocksusa.com


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PostPosted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 2:28 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 6:37 am
Posts: 10460
Location: Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Awesome! One question though, I would guess, everything still needs to be thoroughly cleaned of the grit?

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Twist the throttle, tilt the horizon, and have a great time. What triples are all about...........


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PostPosted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 2:54 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2011 10:09 am
Posts: 74
Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA
Ja-Moo wrote:
Awesome! One question though, I would guess, everything still needs to be thoroughly cleaned of the grit?



HEY John,

I'm in your corner of the world since we last talked.

The short answer is yes, definitely, as with any type of abrasive blasting. Removal of the media probably comprises 25% of the time I spend processing parts. And far and away, the best way to clean parts of residual media is to not let it enter in the first place. And so I plug, and plug, and plug, and tape and mask. It's not the fun part, but it is crucial. And I use detergents that aid in its release from the surfaces, and heat, and degreasers, and compressed air, and water. Did I mention it's not the fun part? :-)

N.

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Nils Menten
Tucson, Arizona, USA

I do vapor blasting! http://www.restocycle.com
Ikon Shocks: http://www.ikonshocksusa.com


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PostPosted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 3:20 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jun 08, 2011 10:08 pm
Posts: 1901
Location: Campbellville Ontario
Silly question - if a fella was to aggressively sand out the "corrosion pitting" would your vapour process be able to bring back that "not polished" factory look?


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PostPosted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 4:11 pm 

Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 11:25 am
Posts: 3137
Question: what porosity level remains after the blasting process, that picks up and holds greases/oils/dirt? It is obvious the level is below that of sand blasting, just how much less?


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PostPosted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 5:25 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 6:37 am
Posts: 10460
Location: Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Good to see you are close by Nils!

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Twist the throttle, tilt the horizon, and have a great time. What triples are all about...........


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PostPosted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 6:07 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2011 10:09 am
Posts: 74
Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA
Duplicate response...

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Nils Menten
Tucson, Arizona, USA

I do vapor blasting! http://www.restocycle.com
Ikon Shocks: http://www.ikonshocksusa.com


Last edited by Noblehops on Mon Nov 16, 2015 6:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 6:08 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2011 10:09 am
Posts: 74
Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA
Zambia wrote:
Silly question - if a fella was to aggressively sand out the "corrosion pitting" would your vapour process be able to bring back that "not polished" factory look?



Yeeeeaaaaahhhhhhhsortof. For sure, just like repairing a gouged sidecover, if you sand or file these off, I can refinish it with the process and your work will be blended perfectly in, inasmuch as you were able to do a smooth job of it. But the vapor blasted finish is not as flat/fine as the factory finish, it's more of a fine lustrous satin. It looks great, perfect on many parts just as is, but if you're trying to replicate the original finish exactly, in some cases you will end up doing some hand or DA buffing work to do it. In my experience this comes into play mostly on side covers, and not on engine cases though.

That pitting is a thing though, for sure. The 70s were not the golden age of Japanese metallurgy, and a lot of sins were hidden under paint and clearcoat on engine components of the era, and not just by Kawasaki. The metal can vary quite visibly on a single side of a single part when you strip all that coating and oxidization off, and you can see streaks, color differences, and pits. It depends on just what they tossed into the metal vat that day.

This is the second set of triples cases I've done in the last month and both sets had some good pitting on the area above the transmission, and vapor blasting it is a great way to make it more noticeable :shock: , especially when it's first done, and shiny and clean. The good news is that when you put the motor back on the bike and install carbs and snorkels and whatnot, it's not as much of an eye-catcher as it is when the part is in your lap, or on your bench.

Any aluminum that is laid bare by this or a similar process starts to oxidize though, the instant it comes in contact with oxygen, which is not a bad thing per se, it's hard and forms a protective 'skin' on the soft metal beneath. Over time this slightly darkens and dulls the aluminum. But that's gonna take a while after vapor blasting - years I'm told.

You wanna find a medium-sized part and fix it like this, then send it to me? I'll process it for you gratis in the name of science and technology, just take good before pictures before you start your repair, and we will see how well it works for your purposes.

N.

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Nils Menten
Tucson, Arizona, USA

I do vapor blasting! http://www.restocycle.com
Ikon Shocks: http://www.ikonshocksusa.com


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PostPosted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 6:14 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2011 10:09 am
Posts: 74
Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA
H2RTuner wrote:
Question: what porosity level remains after the blasting process, that picks up and holds greases/oils/dirt? It is obvious the level is below that of sand blasting, just how much less?


Yaknow, I don't know how to quantify that. I've seen demo videos done by other shops that show a sharpie getting written on a part, wiping off easily (with solvent) from the vapor blasted part, and not really wiping off on the other. I'm gonna try it on a sample part and see. Give me an hour :-)

But yes, the process peens the surface microscopically and closes the pores of the metal, and that is part of the benefit, it slows down future oxidization and corrosion, and makes maintenance easier and more effective, without resorting to coatings.

Back in a bit, this will be interesting.

N.

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Nils Menten
Tucson, Arizona, USA

I do vapor blasting! http://www.restocycle.com
Ikon Shocks: http://www.ikonshocksusa.com


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PostPosted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 8:01 pm 

Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2014 3:45 am
Posts: 796
Location: Cen Tex
I recently bought a basket case H2 and am in the early stages of rebuilding the motor.
Was planning on powdercoating the motor as I do not care for the "naked" look of aluminum after it is aged.
It was brought to my attn that Nils offers this service and after seeing the pics of his Z1 motor, I was sold!
I could not be happier, Nils runs an A1 shop and communication could not have been better. The pics speak for themselves, the parts come out beautiful! What surprised me the most is there is no residue of any kind on the parts, but they will be cleaned regardless before assembly.

I see this as Triple Porn:

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