chrome embrittlement

Auuuughhh.My chrome nuts are exploding-my chrome nuts are exploding.Somebody get an oven so I can bake em.Aughhhhh.Geez Marie.bj

hardr0ck68 wrote:

yeah, yeah; but they have specs... I have been reading as well

depth of chrome, layers of chrome shape or piece being chromed and more factors are used by engineers to decide what temperature and for how long.

Using toothless Joe's 30 minutes at 400* recipe on everything from triple trees to frames to spokes is just asking for trouble. also has old toothless Joe ever done any kind of testing to find out how strong the parts that were leaving his shop were? How is he sure he has effectively combated the effects of the chroming process?



Point being re-chroming spokes even if you bake them is just as unsafe (with no testing) as running 200psi through a tube rated for 400 psi (yes air compresses, but pressure is pressure). Neither one should be considered the correct method, but both will get the job done if the offending party is AWARE of the risks (I wont ride re-chromed spokes but if a grown ass man wants to shake and bake them have at it!)

yes pressure is pressure but when you have a compressed gas that means there is a lot more volume of air being released suddenly and violently which is where the problem arisesB)

I agree, in my mind both situations constitute some level of danger (pipe might explode sending pvc shards everywhere or your spokes might let lose during a panic brake situation). Neither is the correct solution to the problems at hand, but both work.

My statement was simply pointing out your hypocrisy is fussing over one set of unsafe conditions but advocating for another.



Bumpers, handle bars are not under any kind of tension...

hey re-chrome fenders all you like I don't think there will be any issue... but when it comes to structure and support it is not the way things are done.

That said, I don't really care what people do. I am not Mr. OSHA I break all kinds of safety rules. In the end people will do whatever they are comfortable with.

I'll start off by saying I'm completely ignorant here. I never knew there was any issue of metalurgical weakening when chrome plating. Is there really any "safety issues" though with chrome plated bike parts? Wouldn't that mean every Harley on the road is a ticking time bomb? Aren't the fork sliders/shock pistons on every bike made chrome plated? It would seem to me that a bikes suspension is one of the most stressed parts of a bike. But beyond bikes, every piece of heavy equipment made uses high pressure hydraulic rams with chrome pistons. Now there may be some factory mitigation of this hydrogen casued embrittlement, I don't know. But alot of industries use chrome plating for parts requiring much higher stresses than our bikes ever see outside of a crash. Even crash bars are chrome plated, and they still seem to work without falling apart when called upon to do their job.

just to let everyone know.
I live in Rochester where plummen posted his first source for info.
I called them today since i never heard of this before.

if anyone of you would like to call them and hear it from the horse's mouth their phone number is

1-585-328-4590

he took the time to educate me on this subject.
now they only do nickel and zinc plating not chrome but he assures me the process is the same for chrome. the embrittlement is what i'm talking about.
we all know a good chrome does a three step process.
copper, nickel then chrome.

he says any stressed part should have this done.
covers and shit not to worry about.
i was concerned since i had a set of triple tree's done.

well everyone, guess what?
old plummen was right!
youth and speed, age and experience.

now I’m not just saying this to defend a bud. i heard it directly from a man who has been doing this for many years.
that is why i posted his business phone number here. so if any of you want to hear it for yourself.

to tell the truth it sounded like bullshit to me also.

now I’m not trusting my life to a part that might or might not fail. i think i'm sticking with powder coating and polishing.
well that and i have a powder coat set up and polishing is free.
fricking chrome is expensive.

so i guess bottom line is he was right.
say what you want but i guess i'll listen to someone who has been around the block a couple of times.

this is just my .02
feel free to do whatever you want. after all it's your bike, not mine.

hardr0ck68 wrote:

I agree, in my mind both situations constitute some level of danger (pipe might explode sending pvc shards everywhere or your spokes might let lose during a panic brake situation). Neither is the correct solution to the problems at hand, but both work.

My statement was simply pointing out your hypocrisy is fussing over one set of unsafe conditions but advocating for another.



Bumpers, handle bars are not under any kind of tension...

hey re-chrome fenders all you like I don't think there will be any issue... but when it comes to structure and support it is not the way things are done.

That said, I don't really care what people do. I am not Mr. OSHA I break all kinds of safety rules. In the end people will do whatever they are comfortable with.

the bolts holding the bars on are,as are the rest of those shiny bolts on your bike have you ever seen a chrome plated bumper shatter on impact? me neither,they bend.

What would the difference of Hard Chroming be? From what I understand the hydraulic rams on heavy equipment are hard chromed and I don't see these rams shattering. This is new and kinda interesting to my little brain