polishing techniques

TGR":1n8kuzdx said:

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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Hi Richard,

Shaun has got it bang on above. Sometimes you can have some appalling looking chrome, covered in rust but its actually pin holes in the chrome.

Here's one I cleaned earlier

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=244778&hilit=+oxalic+acid

Sometimes if a small bit of chrome has flaked off, by cleaning and polishing the steel underneath it can look much better. 0000 grade steel wool dipped in oil will also help a lot.

Aluminum foil...!?

Like the stuff you use to wrap food with..??

What do you do with it..?

http://lifehacker.com/5383384/polish-ch ... l-and-cola

There's quite a bit on googe / you tube........

Shaun

Midlife":2zx09hw8 said:

http://lifehacker.com/5383384/polish-chrome-with-aluminum-foil-and-cola

There's quite a bit on googe / you tube........

Shaun

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Wow I have no idea, thanks that is great to know..

Midlife":3mresysc said:

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

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Its odd isnt it the way chrome rusts.
Ive just been given an orange F7 nickle plated and when i saw it i thought NO CHANCE But i found that although there seemed to be rust everywhere it cleaned off surprisingly well with clean plating under most of it.
You wouldnt think its the same fork :? Polished up well with only small tell tale discolouring where the 'rust' sat.


Im autosol mental me Mind you i have loads of parts to renovate from the bike recyclers im at.

ie.
One Shimano 105 golden arrow rear mech(short cage) in pretty poor condition.
First a smooth file to take care of the worst of the road scrapes ,then wet and dry(wet) to remove the heavy scratching left from the file. Then heavy steel wool to remove that lighter scratching(steel wool with autosol as a lube) finer steel wool@ 0000 high end German steelwool again with autosol then a soft cloth with autosol then kitchen paper to help pick up any residue and to help impart the mirror finish its now at.
Before work it was worth a tenner to the company fitted on a bike. Now its worth £35+. Im intending to collect the rest of the 105 groupset so we can sell it complete.

Very interesting - pics would be nice too (hint, hint)

Richard

just spent 2 hours on a stubby mudgaurd!! from 120 through to 12000 grade wet svc dry finished off with a bit of auto chrome... above one is what it was like before!

Lovely work,

are you sure of the W+D grades?

One point, was there any rust on the chrome?

Richard

these are aluminium, pretty impressed with the outcome, not looking forward to the next one though!

yep, sure of the grades. I also questioned it but its called micromesh, a premium type of wet and dry, aquired from my mate who is a helicopter engineer. the 12000 just buffed it nicely, probably went backwards using the autochrome, gave a lovely shine though!

does anyone know where I can obtain the lugs that sit in the top of the suicide levers, essentially the ferrule that plugs in. can be seen in the left of the photo above just where the outer housing comes into the lever, white in this case.
cheers