1. Wash the part with dish soap and rinse before sanding. Just one dot of soap will help the paper stay clear of debris, making sanding more effective. 2. Start with 320. Sand very good, this is where you get rid of all the oxidation. Do a few passes, it is critical to remove it now. 3. Rinse with water and soap frequently. 4. Make sure to get tight spots now because 400 and higher do not remove oxidation well. 5. Always wash before going up to the next sand paper. Now do 400. 6. Now do 600. Note: never use any sand paper lower than 320, it makes too many deep scratches. Stay away from razor blades, steel wool and heat guns. 7. Now 1200 sand paper. 8. If you sand thourghly, you don't even need polishing compound. 9. Polish with a buffing wheel. You can pick one up at your auto parts store. 10. THIS WILL TAKE PATIENCE. Do not stay too long in one spot with the buffer. You don't want to melt the plastic.
"SHINE" .....The "Son" gets up... Before the "Sun" gets up...So that he... may have a bright future! Thanks for sharing your brilliance, for this is apparent in your passion for restoration.
simple and effective! A little bit of Elbow grease and perseverance, Thank you for this I have just spent the last hour watching cocktails of boiled linseed oil, paint thinner, WD40 and denatured alcohol, Blades and blow torches
Wow, excellent job. Nice choice for a soundtrack. Love me some Alvin Lee. I saw Alvin Lee and 10 Years After in 1977 at Winterland, San Francisco. Rock on!
Excellent! have my sons tank to do. After watching the vid, I shazamed the tune. When I scrolled down, saw the title there anyway. lol Thanks for taking the time to do this. Must have helped out many bike nuts. Cheers
That reflective shine took many hours to learn. If you wish to get the same type of shine, you better be using the SAME tools, and a ton of patience. This is not my first attempt to restore a plastic fuel tank, what you are seeing is the result of many hours of practiced and skilled labor.
Dont know how many people told me that I couldnt get the gas tank of an old 1980 IT250 looking like new again. They were wrong, very wrong. Oh this and oh that, "you will never get that oxidation out of the plastic it cant be done." Yes it can just takes some patience and a bit of elbow grease. I used this method ML did here and it works great, lots of water, soap, and wet sanding.
YES, I like the music too! Hey, I Really like your videos! The text tells/helps to understand what you are doing And the high speed gets us to the end of the job quickly without having to skip steps. I do like the soap idea. We have used that for years as it seems to really help the paper from clogging up. I have a 1985 XR350R with stock plastic that is in good shape. I don't have much if any oxidation to remove so I think I will try starting with the 400 and see how it goes. You Should Make More Videos! Yours are organised and clear presented. Much better than 90% of YT videos. Take Care.
Saw many people using a heat gun or a torch to restore plastic but it looks like crap after..Thanks for ur vid that's the result I was looking for! Gonna give it a try on my Ytm 200e!
this is the best plastic polishing video on UA-cam let me ask you something I have a delrin plastic item with Electronics inside of it is this possible to do without using water the other is about 3.5" X 2" X 1"
Fabulous video, and incredible results, with just elbow grease!! remarkable....unfortunately will never work on the white Acerbis Cagiva tanks of late 80's. Bleaching helped, but still creamy. Even sent it to Italy to a scientist who has the formulae.
Only thing I would suggest is going over it with a foam pad and polishing compound after the wool buffing pad. And the foam polishing pads don't cost that much.
great finish ! I gave up doing mine its been pink for months now, major problem is the ethenol in the petrol eating through from the inside , don't suppose you've had to seal the inside of a plastic tank ??? Its on both my KTM and older Triumph 'Im depressed !!
Thanks for the video! Is there anyway you can give me the part number and manufacture of the buffing pad you used in the video? It would be greatly appreciated. I have sanded my gas tank following your method, but have not polished it yet because I’m not sure what buffing pad to use.
I saw this video before 2 years. I have to say a big "THANK YOU" because I have full restored 2 enduro motorcycles with this method changing only the sand papers (from 1200 to 3000). Is this method fast and easy? definitely no, Should I have used some others with heat guns, razors, paint etc? Definitely No, because this is the one and only method to have FULL NEW plastic for any motorcycle with unpainted plastics. Follow the M L method and you can save X.000 $ from buying parts or trying to find them on old equipment.
excellent how to video, worked great on my tank but not so great on my side covers.. any secrets for restoring them? all scratches have been removed and the surface is very smooth and uniform and i was able to buff it out to a dull shine but nothing gets it near the shine on the gas tank. i probably should have left well enough alone after the tank but i was feeling pretty inspired after the tank came out so nice and of course its hard to find plastics for an 05 TTR250 now days..lol any insights appreciated!
Damn 9 years old! I just came across this video I've spent wayyyyy too much time reading and watching videos about restoring plastic. I have an 88 Yamaha Moto 4 350 that I am cleaning up and keep putting off doing the plastics but I'm gonna need to soon. Has your process changed at all and have you found anything else that helps? Also curious what kind of sandpaper you like for plastics?
I have some fenders on my cr250 that the last guy put stickers on I pulled them off and I've sanded with 320 quite a bit and there is still a color difference in the plastic. Have you had success or should I buy new fenders?
I got the same result as you got in the end, however i could not buff it, not even with paint cleaner and wax. Maybe because i used a sponge/foam buffing wheel?
Thank you very much for the video, just one question: I have a tool that accepts sandpaper would it be good to use the tool to sand, or should i do it by hand because the tool would be too harsh or something?
I'm also trying this technique on my gas tank. Only thing is mine gas tank is white with a good bit of yellowing, the 320 grit isn't doing to well is ok if I move down to a 220 grit. I wanted to ask before I try. What do you think?
Paint is removed using paint stripper, no kidding. I use it all the time, but you will want to test a small section before spraying the whole tank because some REALLY old plastics will melt with this stuff, but the only time this has happened to me was with some XR75 number plates. Just try a tiny part and see how it reacts.
Great job. Have you tried this method on body plastics for trikes as well? I have a KLT160 that the plastics are oxidized and I'd like to get them back to black.
I have a 2013 YFZ 450 atv. The fenders and all the body plastic panels are in bad shape, not as bad as this tank tho. I think it's OEM painted metallic Black. WOULD THIS METHOD WORK ON MY BIKE? Thanks!
@DR Dan No exaggeration, before looking at a reply, my thought was 'quality over quantity, my friend'. Another 'may' run contrary to instruction for the need for patience, for a few out there - a little old-school Montrose ua-cam.com/video/jYB15Y70e9o/v-deo.html
hands down the best video for restoring plastics ive ever seen ...awesome job bro.
1. Wash the part with dish soap and rinse before sanding. Just one dot of soap will help the paper stay clear of debris, making sanding more effective.
2. Start with 320. Sand very good, this is where you get rid of all the oxidation. Do a few passes, it is critical to remove it now.
3. Rinse with water and soap frequently.
4. Make sure to get tight spots now because 400 and higher do not remove oxidation well.
5. Always wash before going up to the next sand paper. Now do 400.
6. Now do 600. Note: never use any sand paper lower than 320, it makes too many deep scratches. Stay away from razor blades, steel wool and heat guns.
7. Now 1200 sand paper.
8. If you sand thourghly, you don't even need polishing compound.
9. Polish with a buffing wheel. You can pick one up at your auto parts store.
10. THIS WILL TAKE PATIENCE. Do not stay too long in one spot with the buffer. You don't want to melt the plastic.
MikeRyap thanks for the transcript!
"SHINE" .....The "Son" gets up... Before the "Sun" gets up...So that he... may have a bright future! Thanks for sharing your brilliance, for this is apparent in your passion for restoration.
Yes!! your comment about this method is true! Tried and true, all those other "shortcuts" are BS. I've done this for years with great results.
simple and effective! A little bit of Elbow grease and perseverance, Thank you for this I have just spent the last hour watching cocktails of boiled linseed oil, paint thinner, WD40 and denatured alcohol, Blades and blow torches
Great video! Will it work good if it's cracked from being old and o.g.?I have an 86 250r.
Wow, excellent job. Nice choice for a soundtrack. Love me some Alvin Lee. I saw Alvin Lee and 10 Years After in 1977 at Winterland, San Francisco. Rock on!
This does work! takes lots of times but saves lots of money! great video. Heat gun works okay but creates a rippled surface
Excellent how to video.i just picked up a 2003 cannondale x440,and it will need some light resto on the plastics,this was very informative thank you
mad props, the best video on atv plastic repairs.
Takes FOREVER lmao. I spent like an hour in one spot and got no where. Creds to you for having the patience
Just use a sanding pad on a power tool and add your different grits of sand paper. Only do hand method in tights spaces.
Excellent! have my sons tank to do. After watching the vid, I shazamed the tune. When I scrolled down, saw the title there anyway. lol Thanks for taking the time to do this. Must have helped out many bike nuts. Cheers
That reflective shine took many hours to learn. If you wish to get the same type of shine, you better be using the SAME tools, and a ton of patience. This is not my first attempt to restore a plastic fuel tank, what you are seeing is the result of many hours of practiced and skilled labor.
+M L How much did you pay for the buffing wheel? And would you suggest any compound?
What compound did you use?
TheCamaro5 ....speedy white compound will work great
Does this leave any swirl marks that you see in the sun?
M L
could you use 1400 grit or higher and then buff it with a microfiber towel with wax?
I cant find the wool buffing wheel.
Best demo on UA-cam, thanks mate , awesome song too.
Dont know how many people told me that I couldnt get the gas tank of an old 1980 IT250 looking like new again. They were wrong, very wrong. Oh this and oh that, "you will never get that oxidation out of the plastic it cant be done." Yes it can just takes some patience and a bit of elbow grease. I used this method ML did here and it works great, lots of water, soap, and wet sanding.
Only people who can't do something will bother to say that it cannot be done!
Absolutely my friend, couldn't agree with you more.
good job man....i had no doubts
YES, I like the music too! Hey, I Really like your videos! The text tells/helps to understand what you are doing And the high speed gets us to the end of the job quickly without having to skip steps. I do like the soap idea. We have used that for years as it seems to really help the paper from clogging up. I have a 1985 XR350R with stock plastic that is in good shape. I don't have much if any oxidation to remove so I think I will try starting with the 400 and see how it goes. You Should Make More Videos! Yours are organised and clear presented. Much better than 90% of YT videos. Take Care.
Best video on UA-cam.
that is the same work i did on my honda XLR 125 ! great work bro !
You forgot to mention elbow grease, it looks like you used plenty of it, turned out great, looks really good.
Thanks , great video. I have mechanically restored my 1989 RMX250 and will do the plastic eventually.
this turned out excellent. very nice. my ocd will make me do the bottom too though. restoration os in the details.
Saw many people using a heat gun or a torch to restore plastic but it looks like crap after..Thanks for ur vid that's the result I was looking for! Gonna give it a try on my Ytm 200e!
this is the best plastic polishing video on UA-cam let me ask you something I have a delrin plastic item with Electronics inside of it is this possible to do without using water the other is about 3.5" X 2" X 1"
You wanna make something shiny? You gotta sand it first!
I do this daily on cars, people don't appreciated what goes into 10,000 dollar paint jobs lol
So true!
Primer sand primer sand primer sand primer sand primer sand primer san.....
Great video. Need to try this on my 85 Odyssey fenders.
Song: I'd Love To Change The World - Ten Years After
Great Video Thanks
Awesome job.....I've got one to do on a 92 YZ80.......Thanks for the video....
Fabulous video, and incredible results, with just elbow grease!! remarkable....unfortunately will never work on the white Acerbis Cagiva tanks of late 80's. Bleaching helped, but still creamy. Even sent it to Italy to a scientist who has the formulae.
you think it would work on a yz 1990 White tank
This guy had a result with his YZ tank.
forums.mxtrax.co.uk/showthread.php/307413-Plastic-and-Fibreglass-fuel-tank-help/page4
Very nice. Good tune as well!
Good work! I'll have to try on my Honda 200R! Music is fitting too!
that's some real craftsmanship. are you for hire?
great tips thanks. Im gonna try to restore my old black plastics. Hopefully make them look like new
+jay Wyce great song too
Thanks for the tips mate. Very appreciative
Fantastic video. Came looking for good info and found a bunch of vids with people using razor blades! Yikes!! Glad I was able to find something legit.
Nice work ! Great tip and awesome music!
Great job you have some good skills
THANK YOU!You perform excellent quality work!!!
Best video I've seen on the subject . How many joints were necessary ?
nice thanks for the info..but did u use buffing compound?
Only thing I would suggest is going over it with a foam pad and polishing compound after the wool buffing pad. And the foam polishing pads don't cost that much.
Do you use a compound to polish or just the wheel?
great finish ! I gave up doing mine its been pink for months now, major problem is the ethenol in the petrol eating through
from the inside , don't suppose you've had to seal the inside of a plastic tank ??? Its on both my KTM and older Triumph 'Im depressed !!
absolutely awesome vids. thanks for doing these.
your a legend someone who got it strait foward and right exelent job m8 liked the video
Excellent. Thanks for the video. I will be using your technique.
That's exactly how I do my tanks takes time and effort great job man 👍
Nice work! A little extra elbow grease goes a long way!
Great video! Thanks for all the useful advices :)
Awesome job on the tank...and video!
Thanks for the video!
Is there anyway you can give me the part number and manufacture of the buffing pad you used in the video? It would be greatly appreciated. I have sanded my gas tank following your method, but have not polished it yet because I’m not sure what buffing pad to use.
damn good job don't need to look no further ,time to start my bike plastics ...thankx man
Nicely done, great result.
Will it work/speed up the process if I use my rotary sander with the same grit sandpaper’s
You have any measurements for your stand ?
I saw this video before 2 years. I have to say a big "THANK YOU" because I have full restored 2 enduro motorcycles with this method changing only the sand papers (from 1200 to 3000). Is this method fast and easy? definitely no, Should I have used some others with heat guns, razors, paint etc? Definitely No, because this is the one and only method to have FULL NEW plastic for any motorcycle with unpainted plastics. Follow the M L method and you can save X.000 $ from buying parts or trying to find them on old equipment.
nice video, good music, and definately the way i will be doing it. 86 yz80 project.
Fantastic job!
excellent how to video, worked great on my tank but not so great on my side covers.. any secrets for restoring them? all scratches have been removed and the surface is very smooth and uniform and i was able to buff it out to a dull shine but nothing gets it near the shine on the gas tank. i probably should have left well enough alone after the tank but i was feeling pretty inspired after the tank came out so nice and of course its hard to find plastics for an 05 TTR250 now days..lol
any insights appreciated!
Excelente video explicativo de como pulir plástico.Excelente canción¡.Lo voy a realizar en un sillín Kasimax mx que está rojo oscurecido.
Any tips for removing the stickers of a plastic tank?
wow, thank you very much for this video! great job!!! kind regards Thomas
Terrific quality job instead of the knarly heat gun jobs for knuckle heads
Idk how you use this song without being removed but I’m glad you did! Great vid and much better then some lame ass techno!
Damn 9 years old! I just came across this video I've spent wayyyyy too much time reading and watching videos about restoring plastic. I have an 88 Yamaha Moto 4 350 that I am cleaning up and keep putting off doing the plastics but I'm gonna need to soon. Has your process changed at all and have you found anything else that helps? Also curious what kind of sandpaper you like for plastics?
Well done mate ...
nicely done! thanks for the share. just what I was looking for.
I have some fenders on my cr250 that the last guy put stickers on I pulled them off and I've sanded with 320 quite a bit and there is still a color difference in the plastic. Have you had success or should I buy new fenders?
Just what I needed thanks for sharing this man I really appreciate it
same concept on aloy rims come up perfect bit i tell ya got no fingerprints left after all that sanding lol
great job
what type and brand of sand paper do you recomend?
many thanks.
Great Job and Kick Ass tune. I play it on guitar probably once a week. Peace !!!!
Thanks dude!
I got the same result as you got in the end, however i could not buff it, not even with paint cleaner and wax. Maybe because i used a sponge/foam buffing wheel?
Awesome work!!! Great help thanks!
really great, thanks. Good music too!
do you know if this will also prevent bubbling of new decals from gas fumes?
Thank you very much for the video, just one question: I have a tool that accepts sandpaper would it be good to use the tool to sand, or should i do it by hand because the tool would be too harsh or something?
I'm also trying this technique on my gas tank. Only thing is mine gas tank is white with a good bit of yellowing, the 320 grit isn't doing to well is ok if I move down to a 220 grit. I wanted to ask before I try. What do you think?
Could you use a DA sander to make it go faster or would it leave little pig tail marks?
GREAT MUSIC🤘🇳🇿Good job dude
Im doing a Honda 250 R 3-wheeler tank right now . I went 320-400-600-1500-2000-3000 . Barely needed a buffing !
beautiful work
I wanted to try this on a old JT chest protector but it has like a weird limescale on it ....any ideas what process I should use ?...great vid btw
great video thank you sir
Awesome!!!!
Fantastic!!
Super!!
Many thanks for this.
Thanks for the video its awesome! Question? Can I add wax?
I add a buffing compound, but not wax.
Great video! How do you remove paint properly if someone has painted the tank with a spray can of paint? thanks
Paint is removed using paint stripper, no kidding. I use it all the time, but you will want to test a small section before spraying the whole tank because some REALLY old plastics will melt with this stuff, but the only time this has happened to me was with some XR75 number plates. Just try a tiny part and see how it reacts.
sweet job !
Thanks for the praise!
After wet sanding my yellow plastics has a whitish fade. Why's that? I didn't buffer it yet. Would that be Why? Thanks
Would this technique work on ATV plastics as Well?
nice video!!! tanks for sharing it with us... cheers!
Well done sir
good job and good vid.
Great job. Have you tried this method on body plastics for trikes as well? I have a KLT160 that the plastics are oxidized and I'd
like to get them back to black.
Yes I have used this method on fenders and shrouds.
Brilliant. Thank you !
excellent video.
who sings this song and what is it called
I have a 2013 YFZ 450 atv. The fenders and all the body plastic panels are in bad shape, not as bad as this tank tho. I think it's OEM painted metallic Black. WOULD THIS METHOD WORK ON MY BIKE? Thanks!
approximately how long did u spend on each grit? and how long did u spend on how large of an area at a time? thanks!
Most tanks require 7-12 hours of sanding. I picked smaller gas tanks for these videos to save time.
good job men
How much pot do I need for this project do you think.
@DR Dan No exaggeration, before looking at a reply, my thought was 'quality over quantity, my friend'. Another 'may' run contrary to instruction for the need for patience, for a few out there - a little old-school Montrose ua-cam.com/video/jYB15Y70e9o/v-deo.html
much better quality, though it's all clipped ua-cam.com/video/2AHI4DL2BZc/v-deo.html