Grand stripped

[pesky_human]

I decided to remove most of the paint from my emerald green Grand. I went with 100 / 220 / 400 grit sandpaper and did a little buffing with some Mother's. I did this in may apartment, so I am not going for a mirror finish. I left the top green because I didn't really feel like taking the button out. I think eventually I will media blast it, but I am digging the way that it looks right now. Looks like I really need one of those shiny new aluminum button covers...

In other news, I am loving the Chalice now that I have it drilled out to 1/16. It makes a WORLD of difference, just like it does on the RM2. My RM2s have way better airhole placement vis-a-vis the coil, but with the larger air flow of the bigger hole, it's not so much of an issue, and I actually like the z-coil thing. I find them easy to build and I get tighter coils with shorter "legs" than with the RM2 because the holes aren't twisted way off to the sides like on both of my RM2s - really the only bad thing about the RM2 in my opinion. At any rate, totally leak-free with great flavor and vapor.

Click for big shiny glory!

 

[mackman]

Looks super nice with the green body and the chalice. I just refinished a grand door. To strip it I used paint stripper and let it sit 1/2 an hour and just wiped the paint off. That way I was able to easily remove the paint inside the squonk hole and along the grooves where the door slides into the body

 

[pesky_human]

Looks super nice with the green body and the chalice. I just refinished a grand door. To strip it I used paint stripper and let it sit 1/2 an hour and just wiped the paint off. That way I was able to easily remove the paint inside the squonk hole and along the grooves where the door slides into the body

That's probably the best way to go. That way you aren't having to sand out scratches progressively. I had to go with brute force because I am in my apartment. That paint stripper wouldn't fly here. I would end up on the news. Bonus is that you remove ALL the paint without affecting the fit of the door. If I take it to the next level, I am going to my homie's knife shop and put it on a 2x72 Scotchbrite belt and then on to a Baldor with some jeweler's rouge. Then it will be all mirror and nice.

 

[mackman]

Excellent idea, pics please.

 

[narcolepticltd]

Mirror is nice for about 2 minutes... then after handling it you have what looks like a greasy mess. I ended up stopping at the scotchbrite pad. Quite happy with the brushed finish that provided =)

 

[pesky_human]

Mirror is nice for about 2 minutes... then after handling it you have what looks like a greasy mess. I ended up stopping at the scotchbrite pad. Quite happy with the brushed finish that provided =)

Yeah I was afraid of that. I am really digging the brushed look that I have on it right now, and this Reo is a straight up daily beater that falls over, bangs around the cup holder, gets dropped, etc., so I am starting to think that mirror may not be the answer...

 

[turbocad6]

yeah man, I had mine mirrored for like a day. aluminum is just too soft and marks up really easily, went back to brushed. it still gets marked up but marks don't look bad as they do on a mirror polished finish. polished is good for like stainless steel because it's much harder and scuff resistant... there you worry more about just fingerprints