Sanding an AX fork - Complete pics on page 2

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CarpetFibre
Posts: 556
Joined: Thu Apr 01, 2010 10:24 am

by CarpetFibre

It's a raised section that runs down the outside of the fork that the logo sits on - goes right from the crown down to the drop outs. There's also a raised section that runs down the inside as well but it doesn't start from the top. I'll put some more pictures up when I'm done.

By the way I ordered the 303 spray and I'm going to give that a go. Looks promising...

artray
Posts: 1347
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2011 2:08 pm

by artray

303 is great stuff I use it on my seat and seatpost and cranks which I have sanded down on my Guru.
Ive just stripped my old Trek superlight 5900 and apart from a few decals I am just going to use the 303 .
Forks Look good ,they are my favourite forks. I have enve 1.0 forks on my guru they are light as Fu%k as I really slam my stem, but I love the wishbone look of the AX better , Post some pics when done

by Weenie


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CarpetFibre
Posts: 556
Joined: Thu Apr 01, 2010 10:24 am

by CarpetFibre

Thanks for the advice artray. I love the stripped Trek frames, they look fantastic. Shame they don't really fit me geometry wise.

I've finished now - just waiting on the 303 to arrive. Forks weigh 221g - removing the paint only saved 5g so it must've been a good paint job. I'll be trimming the steerer a fair bit still so hopefully I'll end up at a weight around 210g. Here are a few pics:

Image
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2002maniac
Posts: 183
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2012 3:16 pm
Location: Utah, USA
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by 2002maniac

Beautiful fork! Why someone would paint that is beyond me. :noidea:

artray
Posts: 1347
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2011 2:08 pm

by artray

+ 1 above
Wow 210grms ,thats insane . I am Jealous .They must be the lightest forks on this sight.
Fantastic :thumbup:

leosantos
Posts: 115
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 12:41 pm

by leosantos

besides the aesthetic point, should stripping the ax lightness logo off save how many grams? Id guess 2-3, and that it wouldn't hurt the carbon structure.. seriously now, looks so good the fork and your job with the knife, but why not finish it with fine sand paper? maybe 800 to start and 1200-2000 to finish? anyway I seriously envy that fork, but to my peace of mind it would look terrible with my glossy frame.. maybe when I have an all black carbon bike then that is the fork to match! incredible how it can save over 100 gr from already light carbon forks.. ride reports asap plse, this site needs it!

artray
Posts: 1347
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2011 2:08 pm

by artray

CarpetFibre ,you can get some finishing paper , its a kind of off white colour and its very very thin and smooths out the finish a little bit.

CarpetFibre
Posts: 556
Joined: Thu Apr 01, 2010 10:24 am

by CarpetFibre

Guys I'll probably leave the finish as it is for now save for the 303 when it arrives. I did go over with 1000 grit wet sanding very lightly to finish and despite how it looks, it is very smooth to the touch. Don't worry, I'll start a build thread soon for this new project, I have lots of exciting parts for this one. Stay tuned in the gallery section! :thumbup:

Thanks again everyone for the helpful advice. Definitely gave me some confidence on this one.

NWSAlpine
Posts: 296
Joined: Fri May 18, 2012 7:11 pm
Location: FL

by NWSAlpine

A more permanent solution to protect from UV is one of the new generation synthetic sealants. What you want is some Optimum Opti-coat 2.0. I have had it on my car for almost a year and it's still like it's freshly waxed.

A lot of guys use this after restoring headlights to prevent UV yellowing as the clear is stripped when refinishing. A little bit of this goes a long way. My whole bike is protected.

SW
Posts: 182
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:04 pm

by SW

Sorry to open up a slightly old thread, but I'm currently working on a stealth/matte black project and am trying to decide how to finish the bare frame. Currently I have a Look 586 frame and fork completely stripped down, along with Look bottle cages, SR cranks, brake levers, etc....Lot's of time with a razor blade!

For those who have used 303 Aerospace...how long does it last before needing to reapply? Anyone tried this Optimum Opti-coat 2.0? It's a little more expensive but if it's a more permanent solution then it would be worth it.

Thanks!

CarpetFibre
Posts: 556
Joined: Thu Apr 01, 2010 10:24 am

by CarpetFibre

I find it usually needs re-applying every 2 weeks or perhaps 3. However if you clean your bike you ought to re-apply it afterwards then too as I find cleaning products like Muc-off seem to get it off.

It's very quick and easy to do with forks and doesn't seem to get the stuff too much elsewhere - I just have to take the front wheel off.

Probably don't want to get too much of this stuff elsewhere - some of it ends up on our lino floor sometimes and makes it very slippery for a few weeks! You wouldn't want this on your brake pads I don't think.

SW
Posts: 182
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:04 pm

by SW

Thanks for the info...that's quite a bit more often than I had hoped for - I think I'll give the Opti-Coat 2.0 a try since it claims to be permanent.

bikedoc
Posts: 638
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2007 3:16 pm

by bikedoc

be very carefull with muc-off it can remove paint and eat rubber seals etc. Dont ever wash a white car with it unless you want all the paint to come off as has happened to 2 people i know who tried this.

artray
Posts: 1347
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2011 2:08 pm

by artray

I just use baby wipes to clean my whole bike . Easy peasy and they clean your hands pretty good if you dont use gloves.

mattyb95
Posts: 128
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2012 11:54 am

by mattyb95

Most likely with things like 303 or car waxes, if on a clean frame, a spray of water beads very tightly on the surface then you still have protection, when the beads aren't quite as tight it either means your bike is dirty or the wax layer has gone.
(Too much time spent detailing cars in my youth!)

by Weenie


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