Thanks for the responses - sounds like a lot of work for sure and definitly something I'd only do if I had a lot of spare time, so likely won't happen but I'll keep these methods in mind.
Originally Posted by
Kopsis
If your time has any value at all, you'll be better off just buying silver chainrings.
I'd buy silver ones in a heartbeat - but like I said I was unable to find any. I admit I probably should have asked the forums help finding a silver one first though, someone might know something that I hadn't found yet. 130 BCD ~50t (or slightly less) narrow-wide chainring (10 speed compatible, for 10x1 road experiment) is what I am after.