Alexi

hey yall picking up a chrome pista from neal (who totaly is my new hero). so i saw the one topic where somebody striped the clearcoat over the decals to remove them. I'm thinking of striping off all the clear coat removing the decals and clear coating the whole thing all over again. It's my understanding that paint striper will not affect chrome, is this correct?

marcusbandito

You're right! I'm finishing mine off this weekend and the stripper had no effect of the chrome whatsoever. I did blow the first clear coat I did on the bike and had to strip it again and re-clear coat the frame, but its drying now!

Good luck!

marcusbandito

[QUOTE=mikorp]you don't have to clear coat it again. none of the 80's chrome bikes had it.


See, thats what I thought but, after a string of posts a few weeks back I was convinced I needed to. A couple people questioned the integrity of Bianchi's chrome job on this bike and I guess they put the scare on me cause I went out and got a clear coat.

I guess it gives me some sort of peace of mind, but it did look much better before I put the clear on, now it has a slight texture in some spots. As for the jasco stuff, I could not find it around me but found an equivilant at the home depot that worked great also.

^oZ

I'm quite sure real chrome doesn't have to be clear coated, oxigen + chrome makes it's own coat. Can't really explane it in English but I'm certain someone on this forum can explane it to you.

marcusbandito

This is what convinced me:


polytoxic said in: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...t=types+chrome

"There are two types of chrome used for this type of application. Both are true chrome but the process is differant. The most durable is triple plated chrome. The process (simplified of course) is: polish, bronze, nickel, then chomium. The other process only uses nickel then chromium, this not having such a "beefy" base tends to make it flake rather easily. Also there is of course the variant of prep work and how maleable the metal you are chroming is, if the prep is not done correctly it doesn't matter which chroming process was used. And depending on what type of tubing (how maleable or elestic it is and its heat expanstion and contraction properties during the process) used on the frame will also contribute to chrome flaking and irregularities."

"The pista looks like cheap chrome mostly because the chrome is clear coated over to protect the decals."

polytoxic

That I did

Im considering stripping my pista as well, although my old bmx tubes wrapped around the whole frame has grown on me.

or......

Ill just take my original idea of stripping the pista then getting a clear candy apple powder coat over the chrome to make it look like anodizing and leave the chainstays chrome. But, then I would be paranoid leaving it locked in nyc so I would then have to revert to the old bmx tubes again. Vicious cycle.

jinx_removing

Aww shucks.

I'm just glad somebody is going to ride it. I'm psyched to see what the final product is going to look like after the stripping.

mikorp

[QUOTE=marcusbandito]do what ya like. if you ride in salted streets in the winter, and summer in florida, then i can see clear coating. if not, why bother, then you have a chrome bike that scratches like paint. I also covered a pista with industrial reflective sticker. looked like a white frame in the day, and looked like gods bike to car headlights! Get your own @ https://www.reflectivelyyours.com/

Ceya

Cool idea! I just put reflective stickers on front,rear and sides.


S/F<
CEYA!

ryan_c

VERY COOL idea! Looks like 2 different bikes.

go4broke44

wow, i was gonna paint my bike a bright lime green, but i think i might do the reflection thing, that looks really really awesome at night!

ultra-g

That is NICE... looks like Tron's bike! I'm gonna get that to put on my Allez!

KirkeIsWaiting

hey what's the EXIF on that glow-in-the-night shot?

Alexi

so how do you guys think a black track fork would look on the chrome?

mrballistic

i'm having a carbon fork painted white on the outsides, left carbon on the insides for my pista. i'll send out pix as soon as that process is complete.

i think that black is a bit out of place on the pista, unless you carry it onto the bar tape, seat, and possibly seatpost.

i'm shooting for a mostly white/chrome bike. i have sante brakes and levers (white), white aerohead rims, and a white carbon seat and seatpost. it's a bit extreme.

t

absntr

Like this? (unaesthetic's ride)

mrballistic

yep... kinda like that, but with an '05. i really like the fact that he painted his spacers. mmm.... ideas.

t

absntr

I believe those are just black spacers interspersed with the silver ones.

Alexi

well i'm going with a black seat & post, black stem, black wheels should i carry it thru to the fork? I may just pick up one of those chrome lugged forks that are like 60 bucks and paint the luggs black.

mrballistic

now that i want to see. sounds sweet.

t

polytoxic

What fork is that, and where are you getting it for that price. Im looking for a lugged threaded fork for mine.

BostonFixed

Bike Works NYC. $57.

"Generic road straight-blade forks $57.00, 1" threaded, chrome-plated chomoly tubing, semi-sloping crown, recessed brake mount for short reach 49mm caliper with 700c wheel, two steerer sizes avaiable: 200mm and 250mm, with 75mm thread and 60mm key slot, no eyelets, tips with wheel retention flange, Taiwan."

https://www.bikecult.com/works/parts/FKgenSB.html

polytoxic

Thanks.