Midyear Natural Finishes

[John O.]

To go along with the "natural" finish delimma from the previous trans. linkage post: Can someone recommend a method to obtain the "natural" finish for certain parts as prescribed by the JM. If you bead-blast the parts, would this not destroy the natural finsh of the part? Is there a way to clean these parts and then get back the natural finish?

Thanks again,
John Osterholm

[William C.]

Re: Midyear Natural Finishes

Unfortunately, there are many variations of "natural" finishes depending on the process used to produce a part, and you are correct, use of aggressive abrasives such as glass beading processes will remove the original finish, in some cases permanently. For shifter parts, as well as many others, a good degreasing/cleaning of the parts along with the application of a light coat of oil to prevent rust is about as good as it gets. For cast or forged parts such as suspension rods and the like the problem is more complex as the finish is usually a result of oxidation during processing and is not accurately reproducable after being disturbed.

[Ken Robb]

Re: Midyear Natural Finishes

I done some "black" natural looking parts on my mid-year in the past where I cleaned them real good with wire brush, etc., used a phosphoric acid rust preventor called "OSPHO", then sprayed the part with a dull clear coat from VHT brand paint. This worked real well for several years with no rusting.