Restoring Nuts, bolts and fasteners
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Restoring Nuts, bolts and fasteners
As you may be aware I recently bought a high milage KTM690. It's in remarkable condition for its mileage (over 20,000) but what lets it down are the fasteners. They are almost all rusty and cruddy
I don't really fancy spending £200 + (at a guess) with KTM for new fasteners so I'm looking for a way to rejuvenate the ones I have.
I am happy to spend £200 on equipment / products if I have something left over for the next job IYSWIM.
44 teeth on youtube recently mentioned getting fasteners plated, but I don't know with what or by whom!
What have you guys and girls tried/had success with ?
TIA
I don't really fancy spending £200 + (at a guess) with KTM for new fasteners so I'm looking for a way to rejuvenate the ones I have.
I am happy to spend £200 on equipment / products if I have something left over for the next job IYSWIM.
44 teeth on youtube recently mentioned getting fasteners plated, but I don't know with what or by whom!
What have you guys and girls tried/had success with ?
TIA
- KungFooBob
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Re: Restoring Nuts, bolts and fasteners
I watched this the other day, he cleans and plates the fasteners about halfway through.
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Re: Restoring Nuts, bolts and fasteners
IME cleaning them with a wire brush and then painting them after they're installed works, plating them is good, but the plating doesn't last long if you're moving them regularly, so you might as well paint them as you can always repaint them when the paint comes off.
I'd also add that I buy stainless bolts in large quantities (usually at least 100 at a time) and replace anything unstressed with them, anything stressed needs to be high tensile, handlebar bolts especially need to be high tensile, there's a lot of force on them.
I'd also add that I buy stainless bolts in large quantities (usually at least 100 at a time) and replace anything unstressed with them, anything stressed needs to be high tensile, handlebar bolts especially need to be high tensile, there's a lot of force on them.
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Re: Restoring Nuts, bolts and fasteners
Because it's rubbish, it looks cheap and nasty, because well, it's cheap and nasty.
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Re: Restoring Nuts, bolts and fasteners
Looks okay if the paint is the same colour as whatever is behind the bolt, but it is a cheap solution, the best solution is new bolts, I've never seen plating look very good unless it was done at the factory.
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Re: Restoring Nuts, bolts and fasteners
There's quite a few Youtubes on nickel plating stuff like nuts and bolts but by the time you've bought a tumbler, tank, rectifier, chemicals etc and got the voltages/current and timings worked out you might as well find a local electroplating shop. Lots of places have them tucked away - quick google shows 3 in easy reach of here so it's worth googling 'electroplating near me'.
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Re: Restoring Nuts, bolts and fasteners
Painting also means tools don't fit right. OE stuff is generally only painted when the connection is never meant to be unmade.
Count's suggestion is a good one, you might be suprised at how many really good firms are tucked away in random little places. There're a million and one of them in this part of the UK 'cause we're in the "Motorsport Valley" (there are at least six F1 teams within 60 mins drive of my house) but there are loads of 'em about.
Count's suggestion is a good one, you might be suprised at how many really good firms are tucked away in random little places. There're a million and one of them in this part of the UK 'cause we're in the "Motorsport Valley" (there are at least six F1 teams within 60 mins drive of my house) but there are loads of 'em about.
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Re: Restoring Nuts, bolts and fasteners
We copper plated a compass in Chemistry at High School in 1982, I remember it being pretty easy.
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Re: Restoring Nuts, bolts and fasteners
In 1992 I got copper sulphate in my eye during a science lesson and had to go A&E.
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Re: Restoring Nuts, bolts and fasteners
Once you're set up it's not ever so complicated with nickel but you really need a tumbler to prep them, an etching bath+power supply and a plating tank+agitator+rectifier/power supply and chemicals. Then you need to know current/time for the etching (you can just watch it fizz for a minute) then current/timing for the thickness of plating you want. You might want to coat the threads to stop them changing diameter as the nickel will 'fatten them up'. An ultrasonic degreaser wouldn't go amiss either. You might want an extract hood too.Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: ↑Mon Dec 06, 2021 8:07 pm We copper plated a compass in Chemistry at High School in 1982, I remember it being pretty easy.
Nah. Use the experts.
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But certainty is an absurd one.
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Re: Restoring Nuts, bolts and fasteners
Also the strong "CBA" factor
You'd have to be plating alot of stuff before it becomes easier than just getting a man in.
You'd have to be plating alot of stuff before it becomes easier than just getting a man in.
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Re: Restoring Nuts, bolts and fasteners
Where's the fun in that, no opportunity to splash toxic chemicals about, ruin various metal items and generally fuck things up, on your death bed do you want to be the man who taught himself electro plating or the man who paid some one to do it?
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Re: Restoring Nuts, bolts and fasteners
It depends, is it the electroplating that put me on my death bed?Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: ↑Mon Dec 06, 2021 8:43 pm on your death bed do you want to be the man who taught himself electro plating or the man who paid some one to do it?
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Re: Restoring Nuts, bolts and fasteners
Possibly, of course you could be like my father, make up anecdotes to impress other people, tell them so often that you end up believing them your self and believe you're the person you wanted to be when you die. Weirdly people believed his outlandish stories over the truth, he told people I was in the SAS, no matter how many times I deny it they don't believe me, I wasn't even in the Army.KungFooBob wrote: ↑Mon Dec 06, 2021 8:47 pmIt depends, is it the electroplating that put me on my death bed?Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: ↑Mon Dec 06, 2021 8:43 pm on your death bed do you want to be the man who taught himself electro plating or the man who paid some one to do it?
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Re: Restoring Nuts, bolts and fasteners
Bollox to all that. Ti bolts look the best.
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Re: Restoring Nuts, bolts and fasteners
Electroplated with titanium FTW! Steel tensile strength, titanium bling!
(Unfortunately you'd need to be Harry Potter and know the 'titaniamus' spell It's pretty much impossible. Not totally but almost).
Doubt is not a pleasant condition.
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But certainty is an absurd one.
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Re: Restoring Nuts, bolts and fasteners
I've got titanium nuts, the barstards have chemically welded themselves to some steel threads
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Re: Restoring Nuts, bolts and fasteners
Do you always walk like that?
Even bland can be a type of character