How best to tidy up scuffed cranks?

[Edav97]

Hi all,

I got these Middleburn cranks recently and I’d like to tidy them up a bit. How’s best to do this to maintain the original finish?

and a side note, which middleburns are these and what sort of age?

 

[Tootyred]

Best way to refurb M900 cranks without polishing

We all know that finding Minty or NOS M900 cranks is hard going now. I’ve a pair of cranks which whilst the logos remain , the finish isn’t great. Mainly lacquer damage and pitting. I see so many people polish them and stick a decal on which to my eye looks worse than they currently look...

www.retrobike.co.uk

Take a look at this....

Getting back to factory is not all that easy as they use industrial processes.

You can polish up to 3000 grade then a bit of mothers...that will give you a non mirror finish....but you have already gone through the original finish...hence the bright bits..so saving it is going to be a non starter really.

 

[Tsundere]

Polishing with wet and dry works well.

It removes all of the original finish which is the only way to go when they are showing that kind of wear.
Once the original finish is compromised I prefer to aim for a mirror finish, as this will offer the best protection against future corrosion.
A coarser grit will leave a more satin finish.

 

[Edav97]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I’m not too bothered about getting them perfect. I’m wondering if taking some fine wire wool or scotchbrite to them would knock down the scuffs then a rub down with T-cut will give them a decent finish.

I don’t really want them polished, I prefer the brushed look anyway…

 

[d8mok]

I did a set of middleburns by polishing them using the usual process and then using scotch pads. Then I added the logo back using a black paint fine tipped pen

 

[Edav97]

I did a set of middleburns by polishing them using the usual process and then using scotch pads. Then I added the logo back using a black paint fine tipped pen

Nice, sounds like a good plan!

 

[minor_LEGEND]

I would get them vapour blasted. Maybe have them re-ano'd.

 

[Titiritero]

Rubbing sanding paste (the one used to wash greasy hands) with water has worked well for me with seat posts. It removes most of the small stuff, and makes the bigger stuff less visible, while not affecting the overall finish.