Archive for April, 2010

Ep 16: DIY soda blasting – build your own rig!

Published
by
Waz
on April 7, 2010
in Episodes
. 19 Comments

We love a “hack” here at Garage Night, as demonstrated by our project to put KTM forks on Richard’s BMW F650.

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So when Trent found out about a way of using baking soda gun to clean up bike parts we were dead keen to give it a go. All you need is an air compressor with a duster gun, some plastic line, insulation or gaffer tape and a supply of bicarbonate of soda. And you can see the results in this episode of Garage Night TV.

Soda blasting is a great alternative to sand or shot blasting, because the blasting medium doesn’t damage the underlying metal. It uses the explosive force of the tiny soda particles as they shatter on impact to knock the dirt, grease, paint etc off the surface. Continue reading ‘Ep 16: DIY soda blasting – build your own rig!’

Breaking the bead that won’t

Published
by
Waz
on April 5, 2010
in Beer fridge
. 2 Comments
Breaking the bead: Pirelli tyre with wheel cut off

If the bead won't break and you don't need the tyre, there's always the Stanley knife option ...

Changing a motorcycle tyre usually would not involve a Stanley knife, but this was something of an extreme case. I got hold of a spare back wheel for my Cagiva – all it needed was a wipe clean and some sprocket bolts. And some fresh rubber.

I have changed the tyres on my bike several times in the past year and was actually looking forward to putting my skills to the test once again. The more you practice, the quicker you’ll be on the side of the road in less than ideal conditions.

Well. First, Richard and I used his tried the conventional method using the centrestand of his F650. Then we tried the sidestand. Neither worked, and now the sidestand is bent (Richard charitably noted that there was already something wrong with it and he needed a new one anyway).

So I stuck the wheel in the vice and deployed the home workshop method demostrated by Trent and me in this episode. The bead broke nicely on one side, but on the other it stayed stuck. Continue reading ‘Breaking the bead that won’t’