Originally Posted by
unterhausen
the whole frame is chromed, it's just that they only polish it where it's going to show. I don't think that holding your breath is particularly effective
Not all frames are fully chromed. There are chromers out there who polish a particular section, then only dip just a bit past that area. The rest of the frame remains bare steel. Here's a nice example. The rear triangle and HT lugs were polished, and only those areas chromed.
From the the looks of things, my frame was only chromed in the rear triangle. The chrome doesn't pass the brake bridge, so it's far enough from the top of the seat stays.
Anyway, after a lot of sanding(angle grinder + multifunction tool + hand), the initial gusset shape is done. A coat of primer will show what else needs to be filled in or further sanded.
