In days gone by lots of frames were chrome plated to protect against rust then painted. there is also the theroy that it made them stiffer. the chrome under the paint is not the same as the shiny smooth "Show Chrome" you would normally see on forks and rear triangles. the frames are not as polished so the chrome has a rough texture so the paint sticks. I have seen people take the paint off bikes like this thinking they would have a nice shinny chrome bike. the shine last a few days then you have to buff it up a bit again.
personally I would not do it
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk