Vapor Honing of aluminum bits, crankcase and transmission?

[NCriding]

Vapor honing is becoming pretty popular as machine cost starts to drop. Has the resulting finish from vapor honing been scrutinized positively or negatively yet by event judging?
I'm considering using the following piece of equipment for a 1936 VLD restoration.
Www.vaporhoningtechnologies.com

Thanks for your feedback!

[daves79x]

I'll make a VERY late reply! I think many judges will call the vapor blasted aluminum 'over-polished' and deduct maybe 1/2 point max. But it sure is a great way to clean aluminum.

Dave

[NCriding]

Better late than never, thanks for weighing in! I still have not finished my restoration, but really like the vapor hone machine. It’s actually quite gentle. Don’t try to remove rust, that’s impossible. It won’t really even take paint off unless you have way too much time on your hands, but it will remove stains from aluminum.

The glass beads are 230 grit, so mix that in a water blast and its pretty gentle.

[exeric]

I stopped glass beading engine, and trans cases years ago. It just doesn't look right, and there is always the risk of not getting that last pocket of bead out of a crevice. I am an advocate of elbow grease, stiff brushing, harsh detergents, and maybe some Mother's Mag Wheel cleaner. It's impossible to replicate the finish of H-D cases as they looked from the factory because no one alive would know, or has an example. You can only take your best guess based on factory photos. Harley machined raw casting, and then washed them with harsh detergents, in industrial dish washers. That was the finish. Glass beading does look good on some things, and if you like that look; do it, it's your bike. If you're attempting an accurate restoration, you'll have to work on a less 'white' color that is systemic of glass beading.

[NCriding]

I agree, glass beading does not look right, especially for HD’s. I’ve spoken with the guys at Barber about the many bikes they have with a glass bead finish on engine casings, etc. and they are embarrassed by those bikes. Barber buys bikes in all conditions, including incorrectly restored, with the intention of sorting them out later, but they get displayed in the meantime. Then the guys in the shop have to un-do the glass bead finish. At least they have tremendous resources to get the job done.

My initial question about vapor blasting still stands, as it is not a glass bead finish. Vapor honing is very gentle, but does leave the parts slightly shiny. Maybe that shinyness can be dulled with some caustic detergent?

And finally, has anyone suffered from judging on this issue?

[PRG]

Howdy chaps,

2nd on the resulting finish from bead or similar media blasting, pleasant but not faithful to the originals if that was not a final step in the component’s initial mfg’g process. Years ago I bought a pair of NOS Indian Chief heads and it was a pleasant revelation. They were noteworthy for an overal cast finish contrasted by the sheen of finish machine work at washer lands etc., beautiful. At that moment I then inserted a preliminary step into alloy reclamation to avoid media blasting if at all possible or minimal at most. It consisted of multiple passes through what we call the dishwasher at Pat Williams Racing, an industrial cleaning machine similar to the one at the link below.

This equipment is used in shop environments requiring extreme cleanlinness and the rendering of metals previously in contaminated environments now capable of being repaired/welded. One hangs their parts on the tree within which rotates at about 3rpm while subjected to a steady spray of the appropriate cleanser under pressure in a high heat environment. The result is like an astringent leeching out any oil and most all discoloration. You can likely find one of these at a local transmission shop.

http://www.bendpak.com/shop-equipmen...er/rs-750.aspx

[Chris Haynes]

Sadly by this date in time many aluminum parts have already been blasted. Some with very coarse media. Once that damage is done it is done. People who are in a hurry, like professional shops, use heavy media because it works fast. Using a Vapor or Hydro hone with very fine media is like scrubbing with a brush. It gets the job done quickly and without altering the finish.