Old School Luggage

[cheesebot]

Originally Posted by ooweel

Typical Buco mounts had poor chrome on the seen side and the bottom sides were just lightly chromed. To do it period correct you will have to have them re-chromed. If you gonna just paint them? Powder coat them? They will have to be media blasted. Powder coating them in the new pewter color probably be the ticket?

Oh sorry for the confusion, I was just going to clean the mounting brackets best I can (I like vintage patina - you should see my '58 Lambretta). I was asking about stripping and repainting the fiberglass bags themselves which have been sprayed black. Currently, I'm slowly, tediously sanding them and trying to get them smooth again. Chemical stripper seemed to have no real effect.

[ooweel]

cheesebot

Gotcha! I have stripped a few bags in my day too. I have found stripping is dependent on type of paint. Media blasting them as with strippers can also damage them. Manually just takes for ever! Know your pain. Back to stripping. Not sure if the bags I did had a hardning agent or not? But I found that if I worked in small areas with the stripper it was somewhat effective. You just have to nuetralize the stripping agent before the damage begins to the fiberglass. Hopefully others might chime in with a quick strip of paint from fiberglass.

[danedg]

I've got a pair of them TMasters on the /2....
I rattlecanned 'em up to black...they looked OK...until I forgot the Golden Rule to LOCK the latch on the lids.....one flew off and was smithereened by several cages behind me....

I actually had fun fiberglassing it back together....
....sanding....bondo....sanding...more bondo....sanding....
Yer local auto parts store sells "filler" primer....it's a lot thicker and richer than regular primer....all rattlecan of course.....
The newly rebuilt lid came out lookin' a lot better than the rest of the stuff...
I do like the way the hard luggage follows the designs of the /2 designs....
The point is....if your ridin' that thing...you're gonna ding up them babies sooner or later....so why spend $1000 to have them professionally perfect?
You're gonna bugger 'em up....if you're using 'em....
Sandpaper...and lot's of it..is the best stripper for fiberglass......
Elbow Grease makes Eveything taste better!

[rufusswan]

I don't know if there is a 'stripper' for paint on fiberglass. If the paint is truly bonded to the glass, then why not just sand the surface smooth, then rough up as appropriate and repaint?

[ooweel]

Buco Twinmasters were sold non painted and actually have a swirled pattern in them. So purists (not me) look for that pattern in the glass.
I prefer the smooth look.

Originally Posted by rufusswan

I don't know if there is a 'stripper' for paint on fiberglass. If the paint is truly bonded to the glass, then why not just sand the surface smooth, then rough up as appropriate and repaint?

[danedg]

They were white, swirly and unpainted when I got 'em.....no pics
..probly fucked 'em up!........but they look better on this bike.... black....
I heard they were mounted on several different marques.....including US...

[ooweel]

danedg,

These bags look fugly in stock condition thats why when painted and or with stripes they look bunch better! You did the right thing!

[danedg]

They were fugly.... ...chalky to the touch....I would'na put 'em on anything...I keep trying to take pitchers of everything...but I couldn't bring myself to do it with those puppies.....
I might try my hand at some pin striping....
If anyone is interested...I've got an extra set of those rusty, usta be chrome mounts....

[danedg]

They kinda look like Robbie The Robots' long lost cousins....
I really want to get some LED's back there...and tie 'em in to the turn signals!!!!

But Anyway....Cheezbot....what I learned about dealin' with painted fiberglass was..
.don't be bashful!!!
Get in there with 80 grit on a sander and RIP that old shit off of there!!!!
Take 100 and get it feathered as far as you can stand it......
Spray some regular primer on it...and you'll only have half the work left that you thought.....
Let it all dry 24 before attacking the next layer...sand the snot outta that.....
Add a little...sand a little....
the filler primer makes everything look much better....use 3 or 4 finish coats of paint...
...don't cry when you dig 'em puttin' back on.....

[subagon]

Here's some bags on my new to me '71 R60/5. I still haven't figured out who made them yet

[Speed King]

Wow- some outstanding bikes pictured here. Here's my Wixoms.

[bpeckm]

Originally Posted by rufusswan

I don't know if there is a 'stripper' for paint on fiberglass. If the paint is truly bonded to the glass, then why not just sand the surface smooth, then rough up as appropriate and repaint?

Being in the boat business, and being's that most boats are fiberglass... YES, there is a special stripper that is used to remove paint from fiberglass. Try looking for an Interlux product called Interstrip 299.



But I also agree that you should just sand the existing paint, as it will make for a good substrate for any additonal paint and pinstriping. Bare fiberglass is not a thing of beauty!! Even good gelcoat will fade/chalk, etc, and can be made much more attractive with paint, particularly if it matches the rest of the bike and pinstriping.

just my opinion.

[maquette]

Here's a set of '78 Bates.

[Mr. B.]

Here is another:

[slowpoke28787]

Vintage Denfeld "police" bags. These are original 1966 vintage but they are being reproduced and sold through several BMW parts sources.