Practicing Rust Conversion and Repainting the Rust on the Seat Bottom Plate Before It Gets Worse | News

A rusty steel plate on the bottom of the seat can be a disappointment even if the seat does not need to be reupholstered. In such a case, why don’t you try refreshing or repainting only the “steel plate bottom”? When freshening up a motorcycle seat, pay attention to the condition of the steel plate bottom as well as the seat surface. This will make a big difference in component life.

In particular, many models from the early 80’s and earlier have steel plate bottoms, so it is important to keep this in mind. At the same time, let’s be very careful not to let water seep into the sponge anchovy.

With rust, there is still hope! Too bad if it turns out to be rust decay.

This sense, this atmosphere, that rust is clearly starting to erode. The seat bottom, which is not rusted, but is becoming dirty as the rust lifts the paint from the steel surface under the paint. I’d like to remove as much rust as possible and repaint it, but I’m not sure if that’s possible.

It is even more important to practice this if OEM parts are difficult to obtain.

The seat upholstery is only dirty, and the manufacturer’s OEM seat is kept in good condition with no rips, no beginning of cuts or scuff marks at all. The model is Suzuki RG250E2 produced in 1981. Unfortunately, however, the seat bottom was beginning to show signs of rusting. The rust is probably eroding on the sponge anchor side as well.

Try out different easy-to-use tools.

By preparing an air polisher with velcro tape to attach a paper buffing tool and a 6 mm diameter shaft Leutor, and a 6 mm diameter shaft cup brush or wire brush, you should be able to efficiently strip paint and remove rust. Use the tools well.

Working by hand alone is time consuming, but …

If the visible rust is not removed thoroughly before painting, the rust will invade the paint again later. In this case, I tried to remove as much rust as I could. I practiced paint stripping and rust removal by using cup brushes of various materials in sequence. I attached a stainless steel cup brush to a 6 mm diameter Leutor and proceeded to avoid the outer perimeter where the seat surface is hooked. The seat base paint on this model came off easily. In other words, it is evidence that it rusts easily.

Use chemicals to convert rust to black surface.

After removing as much rust as possible while peeling off the black paint without removing the seat surface, take a small amount of “black skin converter chemical,” which converts rust into black surface, in a paper cup and apply it to the entire steel plate bottom with a brush. This is often used when repairing metal and steel. Hanasaka G Last Remover is a similar product for motorcycles.

Anti-corrosion treatment strategy by black surface conversion

As if applying soy sauce with a brush, I proceeded to apply the Black Rust Converter to the surface of the steel plate. Let’s make sure not to forget to apply even in small areas. After applying the conversion agent to all of the steel plate surfaces, I waited for a few minutes and the product I used turned a blackish purple color as I watched. Moreover, the color seemed to be getting progressively deeper. Some products have different coloration of this chemical reaction, with some types turning gray (such as Hanasaka G Last Remover).

To remove unnecessary moisture and set up for painting.

The black part of the steel plate bottom surface looked like it had been powdered. I misted the area with a pot of tap water and wiped off the powder with a rag. I removed the unwanted parts of the black surface converter before painting. When I wiped it off with a rag, the areas with a lot of rust had been converted to black. Using a handy heater, heat up the griddle bottom to remove moisture.

Efficient masking with Corona masker 8

Once the moisture is completely dried by the handy heater, it is time to start masking. Use Corona masker and masking tape to protect the seat surface. Let’s proceed with masking the back side of the surface fixing flange as well.

Use a brush to apply the surfacer coating to areas that cannot be sprayed with a gun.

The steel plates around the shark’s teeth that hold the seat surface in place cannot be reached by the spray gun, so it is best to use a brush or paint brush to apply surfacer coating beforehand. In this case, it is easier to use the undiluted sludge form of the surfacer. Let’s also mask the inside of the barring holes on the steel plate bottom. For spraying the entire surface with surfacer, dilute it with special thinner and spray it with a gun. The surfacer coating can also be used to make the smooth surface the rust removal bumps on the steel parts.

Black paint can be applied in the same way as with surfacer coating.

Once the surfacer is dry, start the finishing touches.
Urethane paint is used for the black, but I still start with brushing the difficult to spray portions first. Again, it is easy to apply by mixing the urethane black solution with hardener and brushing in the sludge without diluting it with thinner. Finish it off with a spray gun.

Mix a flat base to create a semi-glossy black finish.

Instead of a glossy black finish, it is finished with a semi-glossy black urethane paint finish by mixing a flat base. Even though the bottom of the seat is not usually visible, it still feels good to have it done beautifully. By the way, depending on how you mix the flat base, you can adjust the glossiness to your preference. If you do a great job of preparing the surface before painting, you should be able to keep the beauty for a while.

Many of the models introduced after the late 80’s use a “fixed seat” with bolts. On the other hand, earlier models and old motorcycles in general have many “retractable seats” that open horizontally. In many cases, rags or rubber straps are pushed under the seat because the seat opens easily. Also, since it can be easily opened, the condition of the back side of the seat can be seen and many people may be bothered by it.

The condition of the underside of the seat is also an important part in evaluating the condition of the motorcycle. It is a fact that many motorcycles look and feel shiny, but are dirty under the seat, and depending on the model, many are incredibly dirty with leaked oil and dirt. It is important to remember that the condition of these parts is also checked by motorcycle buyers and private sellers, so it is a very important part of the motorcycle polishing process.

Here, I tried to refresh the seat for an old motorcycle where the paint on the seat bottom was becoming lifted by rust. Surprisingly, this seat (of course, an OEM manufacturer’s part of the time) had a paint defect? Did the baking and drying process get forgotten? When I scrubbed the bottom of the sheet with a wire brush, the coating came off easily, and when I wiped it off with a rag soaked in acetone, I was able to expose the surface of the steel plate quite easily. I don’t think this is a special case, but I think rust must have invaded in a strange way.

The treatment method is to use a conversion chemical agent that turns rust into black surface (oxide film). The rust that cannot be removed is treated with black surface conversion, and then primed with surfacer. In addition, finish painting was done with two-component urethane semi-gloss black. The procedure is as shown in the photo explanation, but if the rust invasion is left unattended, it will be a problem in a few years (it is not uncommon for the seat to become unusable due to cracks in the bottom steel plate), so if you start to worry about the rust on the seat bottom of your motorcycle, please follow the best treatment method according to the situation to keep the beauty of the seat.

In Cooperation with: Model Create Maxi