Ti frame strip and polish or patina?

[ishaw]

I've got a rock lobster team ti, the one with the 'trapezoid' down tube that was for some crazy reason lacquered from new/factory. The lacquer has seen better days and let's the look of the frame down. Decals are under the lacquer.

I'm in two minds whether to strip and polish or leave as is before building up as a kind of go to hack bike for riding to work and riding home via local trails. May even go down a gravel style bike route if I can find some affordable drop levers and brakes or bb7s.

What would you do?

 

[prezza]

Pic would be nice but I’d always be tempted to polish up the frame if the lacquer has started to yellow and craze.

Check out my orange aluminium elite and the earlier pics compared to the finished restoration. I wouldn’t have done it any different now looking back. It’s pretty labour intensive but the end result will be worth it.
You could always get it re lacquered again but I chose not to at present as I won’t be using it in anything other than sunny days....(if they ever return!)...

Link to my thread below to see the results you can get with a bit of paint stripper, autosol and elbow grease...

You can also but 3 inch polishing mops off eBay that you fit in a normal drill and work a treat for finer high polish....

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=409956

 

[velofrog]

Re:

I would never polish a ti frame, they look better brushed imho, and it is so easy to maintain with some 3M pads!

Once it's polished it always need polishing and the lovely matte bead-blasted finish some have traps dirt and is nigh-on impossible to refinish at home.

 

[prezza]

I bow to this maybe better info on ti as I only have experience of polishing alloy and steel frames...

Surely there is some way you can restore Ti and re lacquer though?

 

[ishaw]

Re:

The lacquer is annoying as its not needed but to remove it would lose the decals. Might just live with it. Looking a little ratty will probably help as it may spend some time locked up at work.

If I did remove it, matt finish would be my choice, have all the pads as have a couple of ti frames in the stable and much easier to keep that finish than polished.

 

[prezza]

Pics??