Fork corrosion.. CURE!

[rocks]

Right i had a recent thought, which may prevent aluminium corrosion that strips the fork coating and is cheap!..

Ok.. whats the wonder cure.. well..


wait for it..






wait for it..





still waiting for it???






Well its......



Clear Nail Varnish... Ok before you think i am kidding.
Clear non gloss nail varnish, is a clear laqure that can be applied in seconds and stops the salt getting to the ali.. its cheap.. its easy to reapply.. it will eventually wash off, but its tough wearing, so probably one application of two coats, per month.. depending on use of the bike and road salt exposure...

Well my forks are starting to go,, so.. I will be trying it out, but wont be able to comment on total success till the weather closes is..

Tips: apply more than one coat, having made sure the surface is clean and greece free.. Also can be used on exposed steel to prevent rust.. yes.. it prevents rust.

This tip came from something i saw,, and a conversation with a classic car restorer.. .... worth a try for a couple of quids worth of clear nail varnish.. or just nick the missu's..
best of all,, it dont show up.. so no one knows you have done it..

Geology.. rocks.. what rocks??

 

[boundless]

Another alternative...

Pro-Tec gun oil:

 

[rocks]

Hmmmm whats the cost..?

Hmm never thought of gun oil.. but.. I think the nail varnsih will last longer.. and since its £1.50 per pot in a local shop.. i will give it a shot..

I should have bought a box load, ripped the labells off and flogged it for £5 a go.. i wonder how long it would have taken peeps to figure it out.. one wiff or two.. ..

Anyone else got any tips..?

 

[Deleted account W]

Re: Hmmmm whats the cost..?

Anyone else got any tips..?

When varnishing toenails my wife always puts cotton wool between her toes, it stops the varnish smudging while it drys.

Well you asked

 

[MikeP]

Hmm!
I once used something similar on my R100GS to prevent salt damage in the winter months. It was a clear laquer and came in spray cans. I found that once it chipped or lifted it allowed the road salt under, then all it did was spread under the coating! It was cellulose based so the appropriate thinners took it off.

I also tried a special clear wax that supposedly protected. All that this did was attract the crud and I had the only beige ally parts for miles!

In the end I found that the best option was to use a really hard block wax polish after cleaning the bike. I learnt that you don't just polish the obvious painted bits like the tank etc. Polishing those Akront wheels was the only way to stop them turning a dull grey.

Try getting the BMW wheel cleaning kit. Not cheap but the brush set is brilliant for getting into the difficult places, the cleaning solution is in a pump spray that you can re-fill and it is more detergent than the acid types that most wheel cleaners seem to be. Doesn't harm paint and bare metal comes up really well.

 

[BiG DoM]

Essentially that nail varnish is clear laquer - 'clear coat' in the paint industry. Usually when you get a touch up paint kit they give you some of this 'nail varnish' too! Anyway a good aerosol
clear laquer (ideally for prevention of tarnish on metal) will do the trick (Tough Stuff is one recognised brand) - ensure the surface is abbraded to remove any loose oxidation and also degreased before applying.

 

[newman7096]

I've been using exterior clear varnish from B&Q for a couple of years now and have had none of the problems with corrosion on this bike!

My last GS was in an absolute state after riding through a winter!

I certainly will continue to use it but I haven't yet had to re apply it!

Great stuff!

I thought it might discolour but after two years of use theres no change!

 

[Sergeant Pluck]

i sprayed mine over with goold 'ole chain wax - its a b*tch to clean off in the spring but so far so good - not a spot of corrosion....

 

[rocks]

Chain wax=evil

I used chain wax on my bike chains.. then gave it a miss. It attracts and traps moore crud than scot oil. I just used to drizzle some scot oil on the chain when i got back from a ride.. saved my chains and kept the chains clean,, admitedly a scot oiler do work, but at the time i didnt have the £120, to get it and fitted and in the end i have never had a bike long enoght to changet he chain, and now the GS is shaft...

I am going to go with the nail varnish..
Its also good on the heads of screws and allen key bolts to stop them rusting.. when you want to remove the screw, it can be got off....

As for cotton wool between the toes.. lol....