Rockshox Mag 21 SL Ti refurb and service

[d8mok]

I’ve been lucky to find a ‘nice’ pair of Mag 21 SL Ti.

They are obviously low miles but have suffered visually as they all have.

Firstly , the oldest Rockshox I’ve serviced is a Judy. So these are new to me. Any service guides you can recommend, or how to strip them?

Secondly- what shade of silver is the brace , and any advice where to get the gold tinted lacquer?

Correct me if I’m wrong , but the process is to strip thr existing lacquer , then polish them to a high shine , and finally lacquer using the gold tinted lacquer?

Oh and what thread size is the brake studs ?

 

[slackboy]

@Elfman did a similar refurb a while back and may have some advice.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Archive and a forum search will get you service info, it's been repeated many times.
Studs are same as the bolts.
Check for crack around the bolt holes, often to the outside but sometime in other directions and then just a general look, really bad ones go arond the circlip and upwards above the oil seals.

Nice, I've got a few sets I'll eventually get around to sprucing up, and standard mags to.

It's much easier to colour match to your frame or some other non-retail colour.

 

[d8mok]

Frame is turquoise so the gold will go perfectly.

It’s whether I go polished/ gold lacquer or simply have them painted in a good candy or similar.

Just watched a YouTube video on service which seems easy enough.

 

[Elfman]

@Elfman did a similar refurb a while back and may have some advice.

Boy...yeah...the never ending refurb. Lots to say.

Firstly, the Mg alloy used on these forks is highly reactive, in that it will start oxidizing the second you have them stripped, and indeed they're oxidizing now, which is what is causing the discoloration under the old tinted clear coat. Polishing them is what Rock Shox did with these originally, but I have not been able to find the recipe of the tinted clear coat. Gold candy would probably work, but you'll be hard pressed to stave off the oxidation you're seeing now.

So what I did was have them powder coated with Prismatic Powders Super Chrome II. Then I'm going to do a gold candy myself, using California Gold from SEM. That way you'll never have the "cancer" appear under the gold candy.

You can check out more details of my quest to do the same here, as part ofy Bontrager build:

Bontrager Race Lite rebuild, interesting history...

Been meaning to do a build thread (several, actually, but this will be the first) on this fantastic forum, so here goes... I grew up in the Santa Cruz Mountains of CA, home of many great frame builders, including the legend, Keith, himself. Of course, as a kid, I could never afford a...

www.retrobike.co.uk

Happy to help and see how you succeed. I'm slow going, as I don't have a lot of time these days to tinker and the weather over here is starting to turn wet, and I don't have an indoor spray booth.

 

[d8mok]

Cheers for response.

I’m heading to a place today that specialises in different kinds of finishes - powder coat , paint , anodising , kashima etc. I’ve explained the process and they may be able to help so I’m going for a chat.

 

[Elfman]

Cheers for response.

I’m heading to a place today that specialises in different kinds of finishes - powder coat , paint , anodising , kashima etc. I’ve explained the process and they may be able to help so I’m going for a chat.

Ooh, let me know what you find out!

 

[d8mok]

Ooh, let me know what you find out!

A few suggestions and ideas have been thrown about. I’ve stripped the forks down and il drop them off when I pick up a frame they are doing for me.

Ti nitride coating the lower legs may be a way we feel.

 

[wadsy]

A few suggestions and ideas have been thrown about. I’ve stripped the forks down and il drop them off when I pick up a frame they are doing for me.

Ti nitride coating the lower legs may be a way we feel.

Good luck... be interesting to see how you get on

You may have seen this thread, but if not, hopefully it may have some useful info...

Restored RS Mag 21 SL Titanium Forks

Cheers
wad

 

[d8mok]

This has had some ups and downs. (No pun intended)

It turns out it’s a really hard finish to replicate to a good standard / and that doesn’t react.

They aren’t correct in colour but I quite like them.

Decals on route from Gil.

Anyone have any brake studs spare for them?