Sanding clearcoat/logos off an SLK carbon crank - any tips?

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jz4nyc
Posts: 666
Joined: Sat Aug 30, 2008 7:07 am

by jz4nyc

I bought a pair of used SLK cranks and want to have a clean matte or resprayed satin clearcoat finish from a rattle can.

Are there tips & tricks to be careful of when doing this? I assumed I'd start with 400 wet sand and go from there up to 2k grit. All by hand, no power tools.

Have never sanded carbon before so I'm not sure how deep the clearcoat is and what to watch out for (other than the obvious sanding into the fibers).

Would appreciate any tips by those who've done this kind of thing. :thumbup:

by Weenie


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cl9k24la
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by cl9k24la

Use a new sharp razor blade instead. Eliminates the use of a heavy grit sandpaper. Much quicker too. Wet sand with 1000 then 1200 grit. Apply a clear coat from a rattle can.

jz4nyc
Posts: 666
Joined: Sat Aug 30, 2008 7:07 am

by jz4nyc

i've seen photos here of those using a razor blade on various carbon bits (including frames) but am a bit spooked about that. i presume you keep the blade at a near perpendicular angle to the surface to "scrape" off the clear? isn't there a risk of scraping into carbon fiber?

the razor blade method seems geared towards taking clear off for ww gains (or rather, losses!). i'm not looking for that. am just trying to get the logo off and get a "bite" into the existing glossy clear so i can spray a matte clear on it.

cl9k24la
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by cl9k24la

Trust me bro... It's the easiest way to remove logos. I've done many times with success, including removing logos on an FSA K-Force carbon bar and seatpost set.... It's lot easier to ruin carbon fiber with a sandpaper, especially if your heavy handed.

jz4nyc
Posts: 666
Joined: Sat Aug 30, 2008 7:07 am

by jz4nyc

ok i'll give it a whirl. do you use any lubricant, i.e., water, dishsoap, etc?

and how much of an angle is best when holding the blade relative to the surface? or will i just figure that part out for what works best?

cl9k24la
Posts: 374
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Location: LOS ANGELES

by cl9k24la

Keep it at 90 deg angle.....no lubricant. Only use water to wet sand after removing logos with razor blade. After doing this method, you'll be removing all the logos on your bike :D good luck

jz4nyc
Posts: 666
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by jz4nyc

thanks a bunch.

AJS914
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Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

cl9k24la wrote:Keep it at 90 deg angle.....no lubricant.


I've been wondering about the razor blade method.

I can't visualize the razor blade at a 90 degree angle to the decal. Can you explain more? Thanks!

jz4nyc
Posts: 666
Joined: Sat Aug 30, 2008 7:07 am

by jz4nyc

ok so i just gave it a whirl. it was easy. started out at a slight angle then per cl's instructions, 90 degrees gets the most "bite" and gets down to the logos themselves.

i used a light pressure at first and that pulled off just a small amount of clear. steadily increased the downward pressure when moving blade back & forth, and found just the right amount that did the trick. i didn't see any impact on the carbon.

this job will take some time but thanks again cl for the tip. :thumbup:

picked a small spot on the back (in case i really botched it) to try out the scraping method and snapped a couple of photos of about 2 minutes' worth of scraping....

before:

Image

during (initial scrape before getting a feel for how much downward pressure to apply):

Image

after:

Image

kevosinn
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by kevosinn

Check my thread out. Stripped my frame and fork using a blade. Looks like you still have a little ways to go from that last picture. The sound and feel changes when you reach carbon and the white stops coming off (paint and clear coat)

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=133214
Www.crypticcycles.com Custom carbon frames, bar/stem combos, repair and component tuning.

xena
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by xena

I just wet sanded the logos off my Vuma quad cranks. Why risk damage to the carbon :noidea: The logo's soon come off, plenty of water and elbow grease.
Xena a demi god among the digital demimonde that is WW community

http://i.imgur.com/hL5v3ai.jpg

https://www.flickr.com/photos/131970499@N02/

AJS914
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by AJS914

Thanks for the pics!

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J00P
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by J00P

please show us a pic from the end result!
I might do the same for my sl-k on my caad.

by Weenie


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cl9k24la
Posts: 374
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2008 4:31 am
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by cl9k24la

xena wrote:I just wet sanded the logos off my Vuma quad cranks. Why risk damage to the carbon :noidea: The logo's soon come off, plenty of water and elbow grease.


It's harder to damage the carbon with the razor blade method.....you can actually feel the carbon once you scrape thru the clearcoat/logos.....where as in sanding, it's much easier to sand thru the carbon itself....

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