Chroming by painting ?

Hello. Well, it was impossible until now just only to find a guy or company from Spain or Europe interested to re-nickeling my frame "on the right way". I,ve sent several parts but problems continued. Electropolish or electronickeling were impossible to manage due to companies rules about "quantity of items". And other people seem not to be simply interested: no replies to messages. No interest. Other people involved into traditional chroming have been asking for ".... Mmmm, mmm, polishing ..., nickeling ..., Mmmm, perhaps 1.500 Euros ...". Without guarantee of results.

Then, (please see I,m much more bored than you -reader- about this question but I need to give basical info ... sorry for long introduction) I,ve found a different process. There is an Spanish web page which includes videos, you can look at:

www.racingcolors.com/r_007.htm

There is a guy who bought this system on October. He thinks it will be operational during December and I will go there to check results working on a rear swing-arm (it will be the third time this swing-arm will be "renickeled").

There are some crucial advantages using this system: it,s not necessary polishing so carefully the frame (it has some rust and lot of difficult corners to polish) for example.

My question is: I would like to know if somebody has experience with this kind of products (unknow in my country until now). I know exhaust, levers and other parts need to be excluded because temperature or hard use. But it should be a solution to my frame. And easy to repair if scratching. Any commentary will be welcome.

And really, a chromed Rickman KZ900 including fiber parts ... it must be stunning.

Sorry for badly English.

Be bad, have fun & enjoy life.

Post edited by: barrabas, at: 2005/11/25 23:20

That's called electroless plating, like Fantachrome. There's not substitute for electroplated nickel for your frame.

Also, do NOT use chrome as it will weaken your frame.

Thanks for your answer. My frame is not an original one, it,s a nickeled Rickman one made in Reynolds CrMo steel tubes. I know there is a problem re-nickeling or re-chroming under usual way because traditional English welding. It,s necessary to use a special process because -if not- you will get only a few nice and alone steel tubes as final result. Handling parts under special process there are not problems about welding but ... I,ve sent a rear swimming arm twice to renickeling and still appears those bloody rusting spots just a few time later. Impossible to send the frame with these results. So, I,ve seen that strange chroming by painting and it was very interesting for me.

Rickman frames are sexxxy!
Electroless plating is good for plastic parts.
You need to get the rusty spots on your frame cleaned up so you can get it replated.