MIN 

I have this lever on my fixed but it doesn't match my bike. (Oh the horror!)

How do I take the paint off and get it to a polished finish? Can I soak it in paint thinner and then rub? What the process? Grasseeass.

polara426sh

Sandpaper. Lots of sandpaper.

BoSoxYacht

Doesn't oven cleaner work? Just something I've heard.

polara426sh

Oven cleaner will remove annodization, that looks like it's powder coated.

polara426sh

Just checked Tektro's website, looks like it is anodized, oven cleaner should remove the finish. Be careful when you're using it, it's mostly lye and will eat your skin if you don't use gloves. It's also advisable to not get it in your eyes.

MIN 

The only reason that I asked about paint thinner is that I have a can of it at home... do you think that would work on the finish?

Regarding the sandpaper - what grit # would be appropriate for a polished look? Steel brush?

epschoenly

No, I do not think that paint remover would work, but yah the right kind of oven cleaner will in a hurry, and then you'll just have to work down with finer and finer paper till it shines.

MIN 

Another question - do you think the oven cleaner would eat the plastic barrel adjuster?

polara426sh

It shouldn't.

polara426sh

No.
How shiny do you want it? If you want a mirror-like finish I would go all the way up to 2000 and then get to work with the Flitz. For a brake lever I would probably leave it a matte or a brushed finish so I wouldn't be compelled to polish off the fingerprints every time I stopped.

blickblocks

How does black not match anything on your bike?

(just asking, I'm totally for customization, modding and repainting stuff)

MIN 

It's quite obscene how far I will go to pimp my bike. 2000 grit it is. Thanks for all the help guys.

BoSoxYacht

all silver components maybe

MIN 

I just got the bike last week and I put the lever on in a hurry. I should have shopped around but it's all my LBS had.

The bike is chrome and I'm am going to go with a white/chrome/Italian theme. Obviously, more upgrades to come...

nateintokyo

....ah! so it matches your chainring!

roadfix

It shouldn't but I would remove it anyway for ease of finishing and polishing.

deathhare

the lever pictured above is NOT anodized.

polara426sh

I didn't think that it looked anodized, but the Tektro site says that the lever comes in silver or anodized colors. It looks like a powder coat to me as i stated earlier, but at least the black matches his chainring.

deathhare

its most likely paint because thats a cheap lever. Either way, it wont be hard to get off.

blickblocks

I mean, do what you want, but is it really worth trying to strip and repaint a $15 lever when you can just buy another one? You don't even know if it's actually going to turn out chrome. I have the chrome set of these on my road bike. They don't seem easy to take apart without destroying, and half of the lever is black plastic anyways.

I'll buy it off you if the money really matters. I've got bar-end brakes for my bullhorns but I think I want an inline for riding on the tops.

MIN 

Gawhh! The problem is that I can't find any all silver levers. And they were $30 levers thank you very much.

Check this lever out that 'jol' polished.



https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...s/IMGP1441.jpg

blickblocks

His or her lever has a metal clamp. And lacks a barrel adjuster. And has a removable hinge pin. Instead of a rivet.

$30 for a pair, $15 each if unless your LBS sucks. You bought and still have the other lever?

blickblocks

Keep your eyes open, I think these are older model Tektro RX2's:



(btw, is it just an optical illusion or are those bars unbelievably wide??)

MIN 

Yes. And you're right... that is very wide.

Is there another brand that I can turn to? Something more exotic? I kinda of like Pauls but it's not a clamp design over the handlebars.

blickblocks

RX 2.0 (24mm clamp)

RX 2.1 (31.8mm clamp

That's the best I can find so far.

edit- Exotic? idk. What about the Goldfinger?