Oxidation

[givergas]

does anybody know how to clean up Oxidation on a Preston petty fenders. im using elbow grease but though there might be a trick out there thanks...albert

[Bullfrog]

Do you have any experience with "scraping" like woodworkers do on fine furniture? Scraping will remove that relatively thick white layer pretty quickly. Then you'll be ready for final sanding and Mop-N-Glo finish. I have a Preston Petty Tony D which looked worse than your fender. Scraping brought it back - along with some detailed scraping to restore the logo. It is now a "race weight" fender. Been running it for years. I have a branny new one . . . but have grown fond of the reworked one - we've been together through a lot of miles.
Ed

[matt glascock]

A single-edge razor blade holder a la paint scraper works great. You'll be amazed at the pretty plastic hiding under there. Go slowly and just down to the good stuff. I did that to my Toad front fender, and after that, I just rubbed it down with WD-40 (why not?) and mounted it. Looks great on a patina build.

[givergas]

well thats what ive been doing as ive been messing with wood projects for a long time im familiar with scrapers and razor blades, thanks for the input i will carry on . nice to know im on the right track ....albert

[Bullfrog]

PS: The Mop-N-Glo recommendation came from a seminar put on by Lee Fabry at Hodaka Days a few years ago.
Ed

[viclioce]

What does the Mop-N-Glo do? Does it work as a finish sealant? Just curious. I’ve never heard of this. Is there a Resonator article on it? Victor

[Bullfrog]

It is floor "wax" -- available almost every where at low cost. Lee reported that results with Mop-N-Glo were indistinguishable from the use of high cost plastic restoration products.

Ed

[matt glascock]

Also, I should have mentioned, if you use a single-edge razor blade, keep the cutting edge close to perpendicular to the surface you are working on as opposed to using it like a chisel to avoid accidentally gouging into healthy plastic. You'll be surprised at how fast that powdery, oxidized plastic comes off.

[givergas]

well here it is . a couple of things to add i kept a spray bottle of water near to help the dust down a bit , i used a brass brush, a cheap little one from harbor freight to scrub where i scraped and that seemed to help get some spots off, and it was oddly satisfying to do this to watch the fender transform made it a nice project. not perfect but wasnt looking for it to be ...albert

[dirty_rat]

Once most of the heavy stuff is off, you can start sanding with sandpaper. Keep going with finer grades of paper (wet and dry works best - keep it wet to keep the dust down). Once you finish with the sanding, I have heard some people run a heat gun over the fender which is supposed to make the surface smoother (I haven't tried that yet, but I hear there are a few videos on You Tube describing it). Last, as Ed mentioned, put on a coating of floor polish (I have had good luck with Pledge Future floor polish - but I think the name has been changed).

[Dale]

Also, I should have mentioned, if you use a single-edge razor blade, keep the cutting edge close to perpendicular to the surface you are working on as opposed to using it like a chisel to avoid accidentally gouging into healthy plastic. You'll be surprised at how fast that powdery, oxidized plastic comes off.

Matt, I go one step further with the blade and "back scrape" rather than any forward motion with the cutting edge. That removes the chance of gouging.
Dale

[matt glascock]

Smart. I will confess to a few dings. I have a severely oxidized fender I want to try the heat gun finish on. I'll give it a try. Thanks Dale.