Technical & Reference Section > Tech and Restoration

Polishing chrome.

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BENDYCAT ELEVENTEEN:
Old frames have old decals on them but if you take the decals off you most likely have minty fresh chrome under that looks great! Trouble is next to the old chrome it outshines it and can make the frame look a mess.

Old chrome has lots of pits in it and this is where the rust comes out- surface rust - it can be taken off with the right stuff in the right way but will leave pitting behind!

Chrome reflects the light and when it looks dull it is actually just scratched and pitted - hair lines of usage reflect the light in different angles and make it look dull.

So how do you make it look shiny and bright?

BY NOT USING BLOODY COKE AND TIN FOIL! But the right stuff and it might take some time

By removing the surface rust you will be left with pin holes - these cannot be removed
By polishing the chrome gently you can bring up the surface to more of a mirror finish - this is done by smoothing out the hairlines and getting the light to reflect up and not out at different angles

But be careful as you can wear away the chrome- brake cables can do this along the top tube when constantly turning the bars and rubbing at the chrome

If you can polish up the chrome and make it look shiny it will blend more into the parts that have the decals on - but you have to remember that if you do polish up the frame and think that it will notice the two different grades of chrome you are just going to put a decal right back over it so it may not show anyway as you can make out the old placing of the decals

My super goose 82 was the same - old chrome that had lost its lustre and had surface rust (plus rust eating the gusset and u nder the rear plates) so after 5 hours solid polishing and very sore fingers this is what I managed to make the goose look like

Pic to follow........

BENDYCAT ELEVENTEEN:









 ;)

GavinDavis:
Thats a top job there bendy! What did you use to polish her up?

Rossi46:

--- Quote from: BENDYCAT ELEVENTEEN on December 30, 2012, 12:19 AM ---

So how do you make it look shiny and bright?

BY NOT USING BLOODY COKE AND TIN FOIL! But the right stuff and it might take some time


--- End quote ---

I take it your not a 'Coke and tin foil' lover  :2gunsfiring_v1:

In seriousness, your post was an amazing insight into why the chrome goes the way it does and what can be done to rectify it as best as possible. Your goose is certainly cooking. What kind of polish do you use ? I have some 'Peek' on order that will be arriving anytime (hopefully tomorrow). Is it any good ? There are a few people on here that swear by the stuff but then again there are others that swear by 'Coke and tinfoil'  :bondage: How is a guy supposed to know what to do for the best.

CustardLips:
Coke and tin-foil is to get the rust off. Peek is to polish it up afterwards.  :daumenhoch:

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