Rechroming a fork crown
 

The one thing on my Zilioli that hasn't survived the years is the chrome on the fork crown. Has anybody ever had that done, and would it mean removing the fork? My guess is yes. And how much should I expect to spend? This would be purely cosmetic of course so I'm not looking to spend much.

There are plating shops in LIC and the Bronx. If you don't want to spend much money, then fuggehdaboudit. And of course you have to remove the fork, silly! To rechrome, you first have to remove all the contiguous old plating (most usually 3-layer, copper, nickel, chromium) then refinish mechanically (chrome finish is only as good as the substrate), and replate. It takes time, and it's hazardous and environmentally harmful, meaning (among other things) that disposal is expensive.

a shop here in Milwaukee, WI quoted me $200 to chrome plate an entire frame/fork and $75 for a full fork.

You're talking big bucks. Yes you would have to remove the fork. Then you would have to bring it or more likely send it somewhere where they do bicycle chroming. They would strip the old chrome off, polish the base metal and then rechrome it. Then if you only want the crown exposed you'd have to have it repainted. Figure maybe $200-300 from a place like cyclart.com. It would be cheaper to buy a new fork unless you have a unique style of fork that isn't easily replaced. Sorry, I don't know anything about Ziliolis.

What??? $200 for a full frame? What's the name of that place? Are they any good?

Sounds about right. I had my fork rechromed for $60, but after that I wouldn't trust them with a frame, the fork was out of allignment when I got it back.

Hmmm...maybe that's why Cycleart charges $800 for a frame and $185 for a fork.

Badger Plating, I think they are technically in St. Francis. I've used them for Powder Coating, and have known several people who have had plating done on bike frames and forks there with great results. Back when I was more into cars I had some car parts plated there also and was very happy.

That just seems too good to believe. You couldn't get a frame/fork painted for $200. In fact a basic powder coat job for a frame and fork here in Colorado Springs at Spectrum Powder Works will run you about $275. How can they chrome plate a complete frame/fork for $200? Hell I'm ready to drop off my frame at FedEx ground now.

Basic one color powder coat is $125 there. this is their site:
http://www.badgermetalfinishing.com/

If i think about what it costs to re-chrome car bumpers, $200 for a F&F is doable.

Chroming is easy..... Polish, dip, remove, polish.

Ok, so how does Cycleart get away with charging almost a grand?? That's highway robbery!

Maybe they have a plater that doesn't round off the lug edges, polish through the tubes or leave the frame full of acid...

Big difference between a car bumper and a fine bicycle frame.

You've been reading their web site I see ;)

And you may well be right. The problem I always have with stuff like this is that it's not a matter of paying a little more for a good job - it's 5 times more. It's a matter of, I could afford $200 or maybe $300 for chrome. There's no way I could afford $1000. Unless I didn't plan to have wheels or a crank or derailleurs or any of that stuff. And that would make it hard to ride. But I guess it would look pretty hanging on the wall :)

I don't need better than new, concours show quality chrome and all that. Just original factory would be fine. And that shouldn't cost $1000. :mad:

I can't believe some people actually pay that much. I payed 60 for my fork and it's perfect. The place I took it dealt with mostly rims but they were very careful with mine. I guess you're expected to grab your ankles once you walk into Cycleart.

No, haven't; just aware of some of the pitfalls. Though they do a good job, I'm not a fan of CyclArt, and they are expensive.

But chroming has never been cheap.

It is just the crown that I want done, and I can't have it repainted as I've never seen a paint job like the one I have. It's sort of a matte metalic green/yellow. That's somewhat of an oxymoron matte/metalic. But that's what it always looked like to me. It is also a 28 year old original paint job. Here's a pic of the frame, but you can't really see the effect. I don't have any pics of the fork crown, which has a Zi logo.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3447/...f4057da26c.jpg

More pics here: Zilioli pics

I learned my lesson, people are fussy about chrome. It's like paint, we all want it somewhat durable if we are riding it but if we are going for a restoration we want it thin to mimic the original and really show off the lug work. The fork I had was a unicrown so that wasn't a concern, but I could barely tell it had campagnolo drop-outs afterwards. The stressed to the chromers that it was from a vintage italian bike and that it should be handled with care, but I don't think they did (Trades men don't like to be told what to do). I think they probably applied too much pressure when polishing and bent the blades... live and learn, it wasn't bad and for the price improved the overall look of the frame, but I would never have left my fork in their hands if it was a super collectable machine.

you can't get just the crown chromed. You'll have to settle for the whole thing and get it painted to match, if that is possible, or go with the full chrome deal. That paint looks pretty good...I don't think I'd mess it up if I could avoid it. You know about the wood bleach/oxalic acid threads here, right? Won't trash the paint.

Unless your chrome is peeling, I would try oxalic acid on it first, to see if you can get rid of the rust that way, and then baby it -- keep it clean, and waxed or oiled all the time.

+1.


While I am at it, any "Good Plater", will bake-out the hydrogen (embrittlement) after plating.


Regards,
J T

The plating has already mostly peeled off. Too late for that. I think I'll just leave it as is, maybe try to remove the rust underneath by hand and seal it.

Pictures of the offending fork crown, or it didn't happen. Your color scheme, at least, lends itself to a black fork. All you have to beware is clashing blacks!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3329/...00d56e0255.jpg

A picture of the crown. It really is rusted through with little chrome left.

Why not just clean the rust and paint the crown a complementary color? Other paint looks good.