Cloudy chrome forks

[FiveAlpha]

I've picked up a nice little mid-90s Jensen, but the chromed forks have 'cloudy' patches on them, that don't polish up. I've searched the internet, but all that comes up are results for using foil to remove rust spots (which these don't have).

Does anyone know what to do, to get them all shiny again?

Thanks

 

[jim haseltine]

One (or both) of two reasons. Either the temperature/voltage ratio wasn't quite correct when the forks were plated or the chrome has been polished through in places to reveal the nickel plate.
The only real answer is to have them stripped back and rechromed - other than that all you can do is either live with the dull patches or polish the forks a lot. The problem with polishing them is that pretty soon you'll be down to the copper plate in places.

 

[FiveAlpha]

Thanks for the reply - interesting that temp/voltage can do that. I think it is the latter though, there seems to be a line running down one leg - shiny in the front, dull behind. I am spraying the frame today, so might mask off the fork crown, spray the legs and leave the crown chromed (a la 90s Pinarellos).

Cheers

 

[Old Ned]

A 90's Jensen? I thought they'd disapeared long before this - or am I (as usual!) barking up the wrong tree?

Says here they finished around 1970

http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/bu ... lders.html

 

[FiveAlpha]

A 90's Jensen? I thought they'd disapeared long before this - or am I (as usual!) barking up the wrong tree?

Says here they finished around 1970

http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/bu ... lders.html

Ah, no! I am in Denmark, where Jensen Cykler of Aarhus have been around since 1978. They made nice steel bikes until the late 90s, when they did what most builders did, and imported far-Eastern aluminium and carbon, and put their stickers on them.

You can see the pantographing on the offending fork in this pic.

 

[Rapparee87]

I've picked up a nice little mid-90s Jensen, but the chromed forks have 'cloudy' patches on them, that don't polish up. I've searched the internet, but all that comes up are results for using foil to remove rust spots (which these don't have).

Does anyone know what to do, to get them all shiny again?

Thanks

T-Cut metal polish has worked best for me, on a 33 year old chain stay. Comes in a toothpaste type tube. Just don't mix them up!