Caliper refinishing
Discussion
My old CBF is suffering with binding rear brakes. Taking it apart it looks to be general corrosion and a potentially some on the dust seal seat. Whilst I've cleaned it it'll only come back at some point.
I think it's the dust seal seat that's causing the issue. Piston bore is 100% OK.
It already has titanium/stainless fixings and replacement seals.
I can get a replacement caliper for £16 but it's an unknown quantity.
Has anyone had a caliper cerakoted? What's the durability like? Can they sort out surface corrosion first? Can brake cleaner aerosol still be used to clean them as needed?
I think it's the dust seal seat that's causing the issue. Piston bore is 100% OK.
It already has titanium/stainless fixings and replacement seals.
I can get a replacement caliper for £16 but it's an unknown quantity.
Has anyone had a caliper cerakoted? What's the durability like? Can they sort out surface corrosion first? Can brake cleaner aerosol still be used to clean them as needed?
Perhaps consider these guys n girls.
https://powerhouse.uk/motorbike-brake-caliper-serv...
For the price , service and the finish, they are great value for money….as for cerokote, I wouldnt pay a premium for that on brake calipers.
https://powerhouse.uk/motorbike-brake-caliper-serv...
For the price , service and the finish, they are great value for money….as for cerokote, I wouldnt pay a premium for that on brake calipers.
I use powerhouse for all my seals and rebuild kits.
Haven't used their rebuild service as I do all mine myself, but their products are good enough.
I've also been looking into this cerakote thing, but seems a bit of a faff for a DIY person, I'll stick to good old hammerite for now.
I don't tend to do anything special with them.. just silver or black, then a bit of wax or other coasting after they have dried completely.
Haven't used their rebuild service as I do all mine myself, but their products are good enough.
I've also been looking into this cerakote thing, but seems a bit of a faff for a DIY person, I'll stick to good old hammerite for now.
I don't tend to do anything special with them.. just silver or black, then a bit of wax or other coasting after they have dried completely.
can you remove pistons and seals yourself?
binding is almost always due to corrosion of the caliper behind the seals in the grooves which expands the aluminum and means the seals grip the pistons and thenthey wont retract properly. If you pop the pistons out and the seals, some fine scotchbrite in the groove can be used the clean out all the corrosion, then lots of rubber grease in the groove to help keep water out and rebuild.
It can take a good while of abrading to break down the aluminium oxidiasation layer as it can be prety hard, just dont use a sharp metallic pick to clean the groove, you can scratch the surface which causes a leak path. scotchbrite with fingers / on the end of a lolly stick to get into the corners of the grooves works well and a load of rubber grease keeps the water out and slows down the oxidising, and alows the seals to flex to work properly.
I guess a coating in the bores might work, most calipers are anodised anyway, just the salty road water gets in there and causes it to 'anodise uncontrollably;.
binding is almost always due to corrosion of the caliper behind the seals in the grooves which expands the aluminum and means the seals grip the pistons and thenthey wont retract properly. If you pop the pistons out and the seals, some fine scotchbrite in the groove can be used the clean out all the corrosion, then lots of rubber grease in the groove to help keep water out and rebuild.
It can take a good while of abrading to break down the aluminium oxidiasation layer as it can be prety hard, just dont use a sharp metallic pick to clean the groove, you can scratch the surface which causes a leak path. scotchbrite with fingers / on the end of a lolly stick to get into the corners of the grooves works well and a load of rubber grease keeps the water out and slows down the oxidising, and alows the seals to flex to work properly.
I guess a coating in the bores might work, most calipers are anodised anyway, just the salty road water gets in there and causes it to 'anodise uncontrollably;.
Yeah, the rebuilding part isn't a concern and I can and have rebuilt them and others with new seals, pistons etc. It's the actual state/finish of the metalwork that is the issue now. 80k+ of road salt etc has taken it's toll so I can't help thinking just replacing the seals again won't last long. Plus the caliper itself looks bloody awful.
It's PURELY the finish I'm after someone else to do but need to understand which is best.
It's PURELY the finish I'm after someone else to do but need to understand which is best.
I have had Calipers Cerakoted.
Before:
After:
I think the biggest issue will be how thin Cerakote is if the Calipers are badly corroded.
I had the fuel tank cap done on the same bike and this had started to corrode, once blasted it removed the layer of ingrained dirt but you are still left with the pitting and damage to the metal. It looked clean once done but still had all the pits in the surface.
Before:
After:
I think the biggest issue will be how thin Cerakote is if the Calipers are badly corroded.
I had the fuel tank cap done on the same bike and this had started to corrode, once blasted it removed the layer of ingrained dirt but you are still left with the pitting and damage to the metal. It looked clean once done but still had all the pits in the surface.
Biker9090 said:
Yeah, the rebuilding part isn't a concern and I can and have rebuilt them and others with new seals, pistons etc. It's the actual state/finish of the metalwork that is the issue now. 80k+ of road salt etc has taken it's toll so I can't help thinking just replacing the seals again won't last long. Plus the caliper itself looks bloody awful.
It's PURELY the finish I'm after someone else to do but need to understand which is best.
It's PURELY the finish I'm after someone else to do but need to understand which is best.
fair enough, my idea of a refurb is a clean and a blast over with a rattle can
podman said:
Perhaps consider these guys n girls.
https://powerhouse.uk/motorbike-brake-caliper-serv...
For the price , service and the finish, they are great value for money….as for cerokote, I wouldnt pay a premium for that on brake calipers.
Fantastic - I've been thinking about who to use for my bike restoration projects.https://powerhouse.uk/motorbike-brake-caliper-serv...
For the price , service and the finish, they are great value for money….as for cerokote, I wouldnt pay a premium for that on brake calipers.
Thanks for posting the info.
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