Old 09-27-20, 10:31 AM
  #3  
conspiratemus1
Used to be Conspiratemus
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Hamilton ON Canada
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Expect to pay a lot for good quality, especially if the frame has dings in it, which the painter will want to fill so their persistence doesn’t reflect unfairly on his/her work. If they are good, you will have to wait your turn in line. Some will say that the value of a historical relic will fall if it no longer has original paint, no matter how battered, but most bikes aren’t in that category. Instead, a bike that has a finish you are proud of, and really like colour of will be cared for better and ridden more, making it substantially more valuable to you. (Speaking from experience.)

Do it. You won’t regret it. Two years from now you will have forgotten what it cost... and are more likely to regret not springing for extras like panels or fades or smoke if that’s what you really like but decided to forgo. Also the painter will have access to better original decals than available to just anybody—worth paying for even if they have to make them. You will save a lot if you can disassemble the bike entirely, although the painter will be happy to knock out the headset cups for you. Likely it’s not worth your while to remove the old paint — the painter will do a better job than you can, faster, unless you are a pro at it.

My only plea is not to rechrome anything. I don’t pretend to know anything about hydrogen embrittlement etc. but from an environmental and occupational toxicology point of view it would be better if chrome-plating disappeared, just as radium dial painting and white-phosphorus match-making did. (Yes I know there are important military requirements for radium and “Willy Peter” but that’s another story.)
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