polishing techniques

retroad87

Dirt Disciple
I have just starting restoring a 1970's race bike. I want to polish up the brakes, levers stem etc.

What does anyone use for this?

Do I need special polish and tools or is there an old trick with household items I can use such as tinfoil on chrome etc?

Thanks
 
Water & tinfoil on chrome certainly works. Autosol / Mothers Mag for your other components, and am sure there are other equally decent products out there. Just avoid anything that's too abrasive. Soft cloths also help.
 
In the 70's quite a bit of alloy work was anodised........that won't polish unless you remove the surface. What are you trying to polish?

Shaun

PS a little vinegar helps with the aluminium foil on chrome technique :)
 
Autosol or Autoglym on aluminium, if its not anodised. Oven Pride oven cleaner for stripping off anodising so the alloy can be polished.

A soak in oxalic acid for rusty chrome.

Chemicals are for making life easier :LOL:
 
Robbie,

Did you write a post about oxalic acid? What are the results like for corroded chrome - it is a headset specifically i want clean up.

Thanks,

Richard
 
What happens is that pinprick holes in the chrome plate allow in oxidants (oxygen) and the iron turns into brown iron oxide and explodes over the surface of the chrome......"rust", the hope is that the chrome is virtually intact but is covered in "rust"

Attacking the iron oxide (rust) with various chemicals (oxalate, aluminium foil) turns it back into iron which is a silver colour revealing the original chrome with the pinprick holes now a silver iron colour... The aluminium is oxidised and turns into sludge.

A level chemistry stuff

If the chrome plating is flaking you have no hope.

Shaun
 
Um to keep it in good condition - use petroleum jelly etc to protect it from the damp
My headset is in poor condition and i am pondering options, it seems the bin might be the next option.

Richard
 

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