paint, chrome
 

how can you have the paint removed to expose the chrome inside? Prefer chrome

Chrome inside of paint?

There are a number of ways to remove paint to expose what's underneath. To be sure you've given good advice, what kind of bike are we talking about? Are you sure it's full chrome underneath the paint? (Even if it is, be aware that chrome under paint may not be of the best quality.)

many older bikes had chromed frames that were painted over. I was told that I should not strip the paint to have a chrome frame because the chrome under the painted areas have not been finished (not buffed and there could be scratches in the chrome. But if you want to take the paint off, it is best to not scratch the chrome so I'm not sure but if you use some chemical paint stripper it should not hurt the chrome.

IME chrome under paint is a rarity for a number of reasons, the biggest of which is cost. Chroming a frame is expensive, so makers wouldn't bother if they were just going to paint over it. Also, paint adhesion over chrome can be problematic, and requires special primers. So not only is there the cost of the plating, it also raises the cost of subsequent painting, and makes that pricier paint job inferior to a cheaper job over bare steel.

Yeah. Chrome plating is decorative, costs and paint adheres to it very poorly so is quite unlikely to be on something intended to be painted. The best corrosion protective plating for steel is zinc, which is also cheap.

I think the OP is referencing to bare metal sheen, rather than chrome plating, per se.

You need to use stripper if its indeed chrome, or if it's just metal then you can buy a cheap sand blaster on Amazon.com. It would leave a neat finish I would think after it beats up the metal. If it doesn't you can use various grades of 3M pads and a dremel to resurface the metal (like brushed metal) or you can try buffing it with diamond powder. You would then want to spray it with a poly to stop it from slowly rusting.

Thanks so much!!! I will definitely give it a try. The bike is 1990s Eddy Merckx, http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=520516
Some paint chips at the end of the fork. It might look better with a chrome fork, I am thinking.

Ask in the Classic and Vintage forum. There will be some horrified that you're sacrificing original paint, but many with suggestions on how to do it. You'll probably also get suggestions on what to use as touch-up paint. :thumb: