Here’s how to make exotic trim panels look as good as new
Whether it’s factory-fit or an expensive extra, carbon fibre looks great on all bikes. However, just like painted surfaces, the outer lacquer can become tarnished or damaged over time, either through scratches or stone chips, or even just discolouration through UV exposure. This guide is for restoring cosmetic blemishes not repairing frayed, split or cracked carbon.
Parts like carbon-fibre frame guards, heel plates, huggers and mudguards get a particularly hard life and so will be ripe for a bit of tarting up. The first thing to do is remove the component from the bike – in this case we have a scratched and stone-chipped front mudguard, which is easily removed by undoing four 8mm bolts with a T-bar.
Degrease the whole mudguard with white spirit and use a paper towel to wipe away any excess. Don’t forget to degrease the unfurnished reverse side, too, to ensure that the entire component is grease free. Repeat the application again. As you are degreasing the part, assess all the scratches to be removed.
To remove scratches you need to use wet and dry paper in different stages. Start with 240-grade paper and rub laterally across the scratch, not up and down. Spend as much time on this as you can and remember to lubricate the paper regularly with water. When the scratches have been removed, go over it again with finer 1000-grade to remove the 240 marks.
With the scratches faded, wash the part with warm water and a mild detergent, then degrease with white spirit and dry with a clean paper towel. Assess the marks and go back to the rubbing stage if they’re still visible; use 240-grade first then go over again with the 1000. Wash and degrease again.
When you’re happy the scratches/chips are gone, the part needs to be prepared for lacquering. This will give the lacquer a better surface to adhere to. Rub the part all over with a grey scotchbrite pad and a small amount of white spirit. The entire surface needs to be evenly flattened to a dull finish.
Using a fresh bucket of water and detergent, wash the part for the final time and rinse off with clean water. Degrease again then wipe away any excess with a clean paper towel. Finally, make sure the part is completely dry, inspect and check that the surface is uniformly flattened; the whole surface area should be a dull matt finish with no sign of previous lacquer.
The next step is to find yourself a suitable spray area; it needs to be large enough, well ventilated, free from moisture and reasonably warm. Mask the area with newspaper to prevent any overspray. Figure out a way of supporting your part prior to spraying – you don’t want to be handling it before it’s completely dry.
Wipe the part with a tack cloth to completely remove any particles of dust that have settled. For best results, do this immediately prior to spraying the lacquer. These disposable wipes have a tacky composition that lifts all loose particles of dust and contaminates without compromising the prepared surface.
Shake the can well, then apply a light coat in short, controlled bursts as you sweep across the part. Leave to dry for 10 minutes then apply a second light coat. Spray a third, slightly heavier coat 10 minutes after that. Leave to dry for two hours, then the part can be polished. Use a fine 3M polish to start and then finish off with a good wax polish.
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