robmack
Well-known member
Hi,
There have been other threads on this board that briefly discussed products for removing bluing discolouration on chrome header pipes. There's not been an indepth discussion of any one product so I thought I'd share my recent experience with Blue-job Chrome Polish.
I'l begin by shamelessly recommending a URL to visit where a wonderful write up can be found about the Blue-job product. There is no point in me repeating the information when Webbikeworld has done a magnificent job of describing the product.
Blue-Job Chrome Polish Review by Web Bike World
Although Web Bike World did not get the result from using this product as they expected, I found the product did an outstanding job of restoring my damaged pipes and mufflers back to their pre-damaged condition with moderate effort and in a short time.
The background starts when I recently brought my V7 in for to the local Moto Guzzi dealership for a valve adjustment. The headers on the bike were slightly blue at the exhaust ports when I dropped the bike off at the dealership, as depicted in this photo:
Apparently, the dealership did something to the bike while in the service bay that damaged the crome pipes and muffler. I received the bike back from the dealership with both pipes blued right to the muffler, as shown in these photos:
The dealership denied all culpability so I was left to repair the problem on my own.
I thought I'd give Blue-job a try. I purchased a tin from Snow City Cycle and read up on how to use the stuff. The recommended practice now is to use a Random Orbital Sander (ROS) to speed up the process. I highly recommend this method myself after trying it. Instead of purchasing the Blue-Job Exhaust Wipes (a seperate product), I went to a local Shoppers Home Health store and bought a package of 200 unsterilized non-woven surgical wipes for about $3.00. These are wipes used for cleansing wounds. They are 4" X 4" squares which fit perfectly on the ROS. The loop and hook on the ROS secures the wipe. I sprayed a little water on the wipe and sprinkled a tiny bit of Blue-job powder on the moistened wipe. I'll emphasize that it does not take much powder. After all, the can of Blue-job only contains 14g of powder. I did the entire exhaust system including both pipes and mufflers with just under one can. The moisture on the wipe will create a paste of the powder. This paste along with the vibration action of the ROS quickly removed all the bluing and golden tarnish, leaving behind the original chrome finish. Certain spots were difficult to get to so I resorted to hand polishing those areas. The task involved cleaning all pipes and mufflers and took me 2 hours to complete. The chrome was fully restored to its original sheen, leaving only a few areas with a only hint of blemish.
I highly recommend this product. When used properly, it removes bluing, golden tarnishing and residue from chromed components. The package emphasizes that this product will not work on plastic chrome, aluminum and other surfaces.
UPDATE: Having taken the bike out for a couple of rides, I am noticing that the bluing is returning to the areas that were previously cleaned. I suspect that bluing will occur easier to chrome which has previously been damaged with bluing and this product will not prevent that characteristic. Blue-job will only clean up the problem, not reverse it.
There have been other threads on this board that briefly discussed products for removing bluing discolouration on chrome header pipes. There's not been an indepth discussion of any one product so I thought I'd share my recent experience with Blue-job Chrome Polish.
I'l begin by shamelessly recommending a URL to visit where a wonderful write up can be found about the Blue-job product. There is no point in me repeating the information when Webbikeworld has done a magnificent job of describing the product.
Blue-Job Chrome Polish Review by Web Bike World
Although Web Bike World did not get the result from using this product as they expected, I found the product did an outstanding job of restoring my damaged pipes and mufflers back to their pre-damaged condition with moderate effort and in a short time.
The background starts when I recently brought my V7 in for to the local Moto Guzzi dealership for a valve adjustment. The headers on the bike were slightly blue at the exhaust ports when I dropped the bike off at the dealership, as depicted in this photo:
Apparently, the dealership did something to the bike while in the service bay that damaged the crome pipes and muffler. I received the bike back from the dealership with both pipes blued right to the muffler, as shown in these photos:
The dealership denied all culpability so I was left to repair the problem on my own.
I thought I'd give Blue-job a try. I purchased a tin from Snow City Cycle and read up on how to use the stuff. The recommended practice now is to use a Random Orbital Sander (ROS) to speed up the process. I highly recommend this method myself after trying it. Instead of purchasing the Blue-Job Exhaust Wipes (a seperate product), I went to a local Shoppers Home Health store and bought a package of 200 unsterilized non-woven surgical wipes for about $3.00. These are wipes used for cleansing wounds. They are 4" X 4" squares which fit perfectly on the ROS. The loop and hook on the ROS secures the wipe. I sprayed a little water on the wipe and sprinkled a tiny bit of Blue-job powder on the moistened wipe. I'll emphasize that it does not take much powder. After all, the can of Blue-job only contains 14g of powder. I did the entire exhaust system including both pipes and mufflers with just under one can. The moisture on the wipe will create a paste of the powder. This paste along with the vibration action of the ROS quickly removed all the bluing and golden tarnish, leaving behind the original chrome finish. Certain spots were difficult to get to so I resorted to hand polishing those areas. The task involved cleaning all pipes and mufflers and took me 2 hours to complete. The chrome was fully restored to its original sheen, leaving only a few areas with a only hint of blemish.
I highly recommend this product. When used properly, it removes bluing, golden tarnishing and residue from chromed components. The package emphasizes that this product will not work on plastic chrome, aluminum and other surfaces.
UPDATE: Having taken the bike out for a couple of rides, I am noticing that the bluing is returning to the areas that were previously cleaned. I suspect that bluing will occur easier to chrome which has previously been damaged with bluing and this product will not prevent that characteristic. Blue-job will only clean up the problem, not reverse it.