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cromo frames

Old 10-13-08, 09:56 PM
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cromo frames

sorry if this is a stupid question but i need help.


im repainting a bike of mine. and i want part of the fork to be shiny.
can u get cromo to shine really nice?
cuz as of right now with the paint stripped it looks pretty dull.

do i just gotta wetsand and what not?
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Old 10-13-08, 09:58 PM
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No. CroMo is a steel alloy, and so it will really no different than any other plain steel. Perhaps you are hoping it is chrome plated? If it is, that has nothing to do with the alloy of the base steel.

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Old 10-13-08, 09:59 PM
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alright thanks,

so if i wanted that shiny chrome look..

id either get it chrome plated or painted correct?
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Old 10-13-08, 11:38 PM
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yes and most of the work in chrome-plating is polishing the base metal (your steel forkcrown) so if you really get it totally smooth and shiny you'll make it an easy job for a plater.
Or, paint it with one of the super expensive chrome paints on the market; then mask and spray the rest of the fork...some of those paints look very much like chrome, if you do the prep work (smooth and shine) I bet it would fool the experts at 10 feet away.
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Old 10-14-08, 12:26 AM
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If you decide to chrome plate a fork or frame, it is definitely worth all the time you put into wet sanding the piece to get it as super-smooth as possible. Folks fail to realize that chrome plating just is a very thin layer and will show any and all irregularities in the steel.

Typically, a finely plated piece will be done in stages. First a layer of copper is plated on, and then polished... then nickle is plated, and again polished... and finally the top layer of bright chrome. When it comes out looking Great it is often because the sub-layers have been done well and careful examination has been made between the steps and during those stages time has been taken to fill any flaws.

Chrome is definitely NOT like powder coating - which will hide any flaws about as well as dipping the piece into a bucket of thick paint. Powder is definitely the medium to use if you want to very inexpensively conceal any roughness. For this same reason, powder also comes under attack... it will tend to obscure the sharp edges of fancy lugs which some people really want to stand out in very sharp contrast against the tubing.

Whatever finish you use - chrome, enamel or powdercoat - the time you invest in finishing the raw material to your satisfaction will greatly help the plater or painter. And this can both save you money and ensure that the final finish is done well.
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