A while back one of the four fender tabs on my TG front fender broke.
Yesterday we went about fixing it.
Relatively clean break-
We've done repairs on painted items a few times over the years, we'll be welding that tab back on while the majority of the fender is submerged in water, and wrapped with wet towels.
First we need to prep the areas that will be welded-
Next up is positioning it in a tub of water so that the water level comes up to right below the point where the welding will take place-
Getting wet towels wrapped around all parts of the fender that are not submerged-
We do not want any slag or HEAT hitting any area that is not the tab....it will damage/cause the paint to bubble.
The tab is mostly hidden, and painted black from the factory, so that will be easy enough to put back to looking stock. But if any part of the paint on the actual fender is damage...well, that would not be good.
The threads on the nut on the tab need to retain their integrity, so we use some anti-seize on a threaded "handle" that goes into the tab threads. Not only to keep the threads intact, but to give a way to hold the tab while welding it into place.
Tacking it in place...
...making sure it is straight before proceeding.
It was slow going, so as not to build up any heat transfer to the painted fender.
Yes, that is steam coming from the water, right below where it is being welded.
WhooHoo! No paint bubbled anywhere...even on the tab closest to the fender.
We cleaned it up, primer, and then some gloss black.
Letting it cure over the weekend. Will put some clear on it next week...then it goes back on the forks!
Kevin