How to Maintain and Remove Rust on the Seat’s Iron Plate

The movement of out-of-print motorcycles and the popularity of old motorcycles has helped, and nowadays you can buy reissued production seat completes (faithful replicas). However, that's only the case for popular models, and when it comes to unpopular models, they'll continue to use them after repairing the damage. If it's still at a level where it's ready to be repaired, it would be a good idea to make sure it's in good condition for the future. Just so you don't think, "If only I'd done it".

If the "seat skin hook" starts to rot, be extra careful!

Many of the motorcycles sold from the '60s to early '80s used steel plate stamped parts for the seat bottom. It's not uncommon for rust to develop in that seat steel plate, or in the case of an open-air abandoned motorcycle, rust rot starts on the seat sponge side (inside) at worst. Here's a "serious try" at removing rust from the seat bottom.

There are various types of rust remover tools, but since wire brushes and hand brushes are not as easy to work with, we use a vertical wire brush that can be set in the rotary. Sanding buffs were used for the flat finish.

The so-called 3M Scotchbrite and non-woven sheets are also very easy to use. The seat surface should be released from the hooks at each polishing point to remove the rust from the base steel plate so as not to break the surface. It is recommended to polish and spread out in units of 10x10cm squares instead of removing a large area of rust at once.

Preparing the groundwork with high-performance chemicals that stop rust and form a film

A high-performance chemical that forms a grayish-white rust-proof film after rust is removed and prevents new rust from occurring. This is the Hanasaka G Last Remover from Eikoh Giken. The main feature of this product is that it reacts to rust on iron and stainless steel, but not to paint or various types of plating. This time I used this product even more after removing the rust, aiming for a rust-proof effect.

You can "rely on chemicals" without rust removal.

Another feature of this product is that it is possible to apply high-performance chemicals to the rusted steel plate, and after checking the formation of a surface film after the rust treatment, it can be further painted. This time, however, I decided to polish the steel plate smoothly and eliminate as many bumps as possible before finishing it in semi-gloss black.

First of all, the surface skin of the sheet was masked, and then the surface was painted by brushing first from the part which is hard to be painted. After that, the flat surface was suffused with the gun spray, and after drying, the semi-gloss black was painted.

Depending on how it's stored, it's good for a few more decades.

The beauty of the sheet bottom steel plate is incomparable to what it was before the work. I'm not sure how much rust has progressed on the inside of the sponge side = steel plate, but the condition of the bottom of the seat that you see when you open it up is much better!

Take it seriously and ask yourself, "Are you willing to do it? Don't you? The difference between the two would make a "difference" in the finish of this kind of work. If you leave the noticeable rust as it is, it will undoubtedly be in a much worse condition in a few years.

However, lifting the heavy hips and progressing the work as soon as possible can definitely have a big impact on the condition of the motorcycle in the years to come. If the bottom steel plate becomes a single piece, the rust can be sandblasted to root out the rust. However, in some situations, the surface can be partially dismantled, as in this case, for rust removal and repaint repair. The rust removal practice should be combined with a "high-performance chemical" after the rust is physically removed. If you want to stop the progress of rust, use high-performance chemicals from the beginning to get the surface treatment effect as well as the rust removal. Hanasaka G Last Remover is also unique in that it can be painted after treatment, so it's one way to keep rust at bay first, depending on the time available.

By using air tools and wire brushes, and also polishing with sandpaper and non-woven sheets, the sheet bottom steel plate was finished beautifully this time. Typically, once the work has progressed to this situation, the rest of the process is "paint and finish". However, this is where high-performance chemicals were used together to prevent the rust from recurring. By brushing the chemical onto the steel plate surface and working according to the instructions for use, the steel plate surface can be covered with an antioxidant film. A paint finish would then be applied to further reduce rusting.

You want your paint to be as high quality as possible. Instead of applying it with a standard black lacquer spray, the product you want to use in this situation is the Air Urethane Two-Part Can Spray from Isamu Aerosol. Set up as per the instructions, break through the bulkhead inside the aerosol, and mix the pigments and hardener before stirring. The spraying process is then carried out in the same way as for ordinary can sprayers. Even if you mix in a hardener, the air urethane you sprayed will not harden immediately inside the can spray if it's the day of work, so the air urethane you sprayed on will dry and the surface will be sharpened before spraying more (and applying more), and the result will be better than you can imagine.

High-performance double-layered "Urethane Paint Can Spray

ISAMU Aerosol's "Acrylic Urethane Resin Paint".

Inside the body is a two-component specification where the pigments and hardener are mixed after breaking through a bulkhead. After stirring, the spraying process can be carried out in the same way as for ordinary can sprayers. Mixing the hardener does not cure quickly inside the can, so the painting process can proceed carefully.

Cooperation in photography/Model Create Maxi