Chrome/Nickel Plating

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steveyacht

steveyacht

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After seeing KSU's chromed front fender stays, I have been considering doing either chrome or nickle plating to mine. No functional reason, but it does look nicer. Just looking for opinions a) if I should bother at all. b) If so, which? Nickel or Chrome? The nickle is a softer finish that may or may not match up better against the stainless fender.
 
I say take another look at mine. If you think it's too shiny, go for nickel. :D

Thanks for the compliment..I think it turned out pretty nice!
 
Nickel will tarnish, chrome will not. What about an unpolished chrome?

Dave
69S
 
Frankly I think you should paint them pink & white like a candy cane! After all X-Mas is coming soon!
 
Plating can weaken High Strength Steel, by hydrogen embrittlement. I don't think your stays, though strong, are made of High Strength Steel.

Chrome plating is usually mostly nickel with a veneer of chrome over that, so most, but not all nickel and chrome plating processes are essentially the same.

"Triple Chrome Plating" really means nothing because it can mean copper-nickel-chrome and it can mean semi-bright nickel-bright nickel-chrome or anything else the plater wants it to mean. Anyway, it's zincate, then copper, then semi-bright nickel, then bright nickel, then chrome that the results in the highest quality, but beware, its not cheap.

But as you probably won't be doing this in your bathtub, ring a few plating shops locally and talk to them. Ask what they do and how either process can affect your stays.

FWIW, Rickman frames are/were Nickel Plated. The new Gas Gas steel perimeter frames are nickel plated, Trackmaster frames were/are nickel plated... and the list goes on. Might be because of cost, but none of them were chrome.

It's your money. Do what makes you happy.

Just my $.02 worth. Your mileage may vary.
 
Maybe matte chrome fits the bill. Not too reflective, doesn't tarnish, fairly decorative, really doesn't need a polished substrate so not too fussy there either.
Lately I have been just painting them using the newest full spectrum absorbing stuff in the rattle cans. It makes the fender look like it's just hovering in mid air.
I got some overspray on my sandals and now I can't seem to find them so be careful with it. Doesn't photograph very well at all.
All the best.
 
Stainless steel ones are available. I have one on my front mudguard (fender). The one I have came as a sort of brushed finish but it's easily polished. No problem with matching mudguard or tarnish. Can't remember where mine came from but would have been Norvil or RGM. I imagine US suppliers would have them.

Ian
 
Frankly I think you should paint them pink & white like a candy cane! After all X-Mas is coming soon!
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Yeah Man gtsun, Peels will be electric lavender till the thermo paint fades to reveal quotes/motto's on the electric sky blue base color. Chrome tends to Hydrogen em brittle thin steel tubes and rims.
 
Nickel is very pretty having a warm golden tone to it compared to the cold bluseish tint of chrome. Here in the USA, chrome came out on almost every make of car in 1929. The reason was that the chrome plate was considered to be more durable and easier to maintain than the nickel that had been used since the middle of the brass era.

This causes restorers of nickel era cars (1915-1928 approx) a lot of problems in the modern world. It is notoriously hard to find a plater who does truly good chrome and almost none know anything about nickel. The nickel used under chrome has brighteners and it is intended to be chrome plated immediately. Left on its own, this kind of nickel dulls very quickly, often within weeks.

Even platers that claim they know the score can let you down. For my own 1926 Hudson project I selected a plater with extensive aerospace experience who did car restoration jobs as a sideline. They talked the talk and I did not check to see how their nickel jobs lasted. That plating was done 10 years ago and now looks as dull as dishwater. One piece of NOS nickel plated trim installed at the same time still shines like new so the dull plating is definitely a problem with the plater, not storage/maintenance.

If you want nickel, find someone who has a track record of doing good automotive work on nickel era cars & bikes. They do exist! Possibly a plater who does musical instruments or firearms might be good too.

Vintage Paul
 
chapmanmd said:
Plating can weaken High Strength Steel, by hydrogen embrittlement. I don't think your stays, though strong, are made of High Strength Steel.

Chrome plating is usually mostly nickel with a veneer of chrome over that, so most, but not all nickel and chrome plating processes are essentially the same.

"Triple Chrome Plating" really means nothing because it can mean copper-nickel-chrome and it can mean semi-bright nickel-bright nickel-chrome or anything else the plater wants it to mean. Anyway, it's zincate, then copper, then semi-bright nickel, then bright nickel, then chrome that the results in the highest quality, but beware, its not cheap.

But as you probably won't be doing this in your bathtub, ring a few plating shops locally and talk to them. Ask what they do and how either process can affect your stays.

FWIW, Rickman frames are/were Nickel Plated. The new Gas Gas steel perimeter frames are nickel plated, Trackmaster frames were/are nickel plated... and the list goes on. Might be because of cost, but none of them were chrome.

It's your money. Do what makes you happy.

Just my $.02 worth. Your mileage may vary.
Click to expand...

I had a Rickman Mk4 motocross (441 BSA). I can say the nickel plated frame was a real pain to keep up. Keeps oxidizing.
 
Hello just a bit about plating the old hydro embrittlement scare over the past 25 yrs I have chromed a lot of stuff none has ever failed due to chroming most internal combustion engine crank & cams are chrome plated how about motor cycle shock springs under normal use when was the last time you heard of a failure? Atlas front axles were chromed must not of failed over time or I would'nt be rechroming them.The nickle most shops use is nickle sulfmate ( sulfer bearing anodes) thats why the yellow gold look comes from it plates fully brite out of the bath. The bath used during the nickle era was a semi brite coming out of the tank looked like silver spray paint it was then buffed to a high polish (very pretty looks like chrome in color but softer) Indian used this finish on a lot of their bike till they closed in 1953 To get A idea what this finish looked like old barber shop chairs were done like this (the fancy ornate ones) The Question of to nickle or chrome go with the chrome much more durable keep it waxed (no chrome cleaner) a good job will last many years.
 
Hello just a bit about plating the old hydro embrittlement scare over the past 25 yrs I have chromed a lot of stuff none has ever failed due to chroming most internal combustion engine crank & cams are chrome plated how about motor cycle shock springs under normal use when was the last time you heard of a failure? Atlas front axles were chromed must not of failed over time or I would'nt be rechroming them.The nickle most shops use is nickle sulfmate ( sulfer bearing anodes) thats why the yellow gold look comes from it plates fully brite out of the bath. The bath used during the nickle era was a semi brite coming out of the tank looked like silver spray paint it was then buffed to a high polish (very pretty looks like chrome in color but softer) Indian used this finish on a lot of their bike till they closed in 1953 To get A idea what this finish looked like old barber shop chairs were done like this (the fancy ornate ones) The Question of to nickle or chrome go with the chrome much more durable keep it waxed (no chrome cleaner) a good job will last many years.
Click to expand...

Please note that I wrote "High Strength Steel". I'm not trying to start a flame war here, but I just wanted to add that bit of information. Last time I checked, and I stand humbly corrected if I am not correct, neither Norton fender stays, nor Atlas axles for that matter were made of modern High Strength steel, being of a low carbon and/or alloyed manufacturing process anyway. My most sincere apologies if I threw something into the mix that did not need to be there.

This is just my opinion of course, but I'm not thinking we need to get into the discussion of things like plating thicknesses on journals, organic contamination, power loops in the process and voltage, anode to cathode ratios, contaminants left from a grinding step, electroless nickel diamond composites, horizontal vs vertical plating, etc when discussing fender stays. If you want to talk about the plating of crank journals, that's a different topic all together. Then we're into a discussion of induction heat treatment, journal hardness, and such. Besides, I believe that the hardness of the surface being plated affects the quality anyway... Hell, I don't know... I'm probably just making this stuff up anyway. You win. I give up.

I personally, in this case, completely agree with you on chrome for fender stays.
 
Perhaps we should add also that getting crank journals hard chrome plated has nothing to do with decorative chrome plating, totally different process. Not aware it could be applied to cams.

Agree, plate away on fender stays if thats what someone wants- not exactly a high stress item by any means.
 
Yo Mark It is not my intention to offend please don't take it that way. Rather to add to general knowledge. The basis of all plating begins with the substrate & how its prepared prior to plating a good rule of thumb the way it goes in is the way it comes out only a different color. Most plating fails because of the preplate Aka its not clean or improper rinsing ( remember rechromed bumpers?) Again my apology to anyone I may have offended Regards Ziggy
 
Hi Mark sorry for jumping the gun failed to consider you comment high strengh steel you are 100% correct my apology Ziggy
 
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