Pitted/rusted chrome

[Cat3roadracer]

I was at a neighbor's house tonight tinkering with a stuck front der. and noticed that the chromed parts on his vintage Columbus steel frame are badly pitted and rusted. Short of a re-chrome restoration, is there any at home method to clean the chrome? Mr. Clean sponges perhaps?

Thanks, Dave

[ultraman6970]

At the web there are several, i would use naval jelly to start with, the main problem is that probably the pitting is deep, if that's the case there is not much to do than maybe paint over it because re chrome is super expensive unless what you friend has in there is a frame made by columbus himself and ridden by eddy when he was 15 years old.

When chroming is heavily rusted u have pitting and thats pretty bad and wont be never like it was new or even get closer to that.

[Ralph]

It depends on how deep the rust goes.

I work partime some in a classic auto restoration shop....and deal with this issue regularly on old chromed parts.

I would first start off with 4 oooo (ought) steel wool and dish soap. That's where we start with old auto bumpers, etc. That's what I use on polished aluminum bike parts also to bring back to life....before aluminum or metal polish.

[R2D2]

If it is an Italian frame with Colombus then it may be a problem under the chrome. I've seen many Italian chrome jobs where the metal was not properly nuetralized prior to chroming. Then you get little pin holes of rust that originate from the base metal under the chrome. To get a brand new look re-chroming is the only real option. Depends how much you like the frame and if you can handle the aged patina.

[Dave]

I hate to be critical, but rusted chrome is not the fault of the chrome plating process, or a failure to "neutralize" the metal prior to plating. Properly done, the metal is first polished so it looks almost like chrome, cleaned in a hot caustic reverse current cleaner, rinsed, dipped in acid, rinsed again, then copper plated, followed by another rinse, nickel plated, rinsed again, then chromed, then rinsed for a final time.

Parts are always given an acid bath, then rinsed prior to plating. There is no neutralizing prior to plating.

The copper plating is not always done. I've chromed many a motorcycle part with lots of nickel, followed by chrome. It's the nickel plating that has the greatest thickness and takes the longest. The chrome is thin and requires a very short time in the tank.

[zmudshark]

Once the chrome has been compromised, you can not bring it back. Abrasives are NEVER to be used on chrome. It sounds like all you can do at this point is stop the rust that is there. Naval Jelly is one option, oxalic acid is another. Both need to be neutralized after treating.

This topic has been covered ad nauseum on many forums, but in a nutshell, chrome is thin, chemical is best.

[R2D2]

Hi Dave:
I may have been told bad information. I've had a number of frames that had pin holes of rust from under the chrome and thru clear coat. How would this happen? I kept the bicycle immaculetely clean yet rust developed.

[palincss]

I hate to be critical, but rusted chrome is not the fault of the chrome plating process, or a failure to "neutralize" the metal prior to plating.


What then is at fault?

[ultraman6970]

I love italian bikes but many times their finishing is pretty bad under the paint, the same with chroming, if the owner did not give a darn about the bike is sure that the chrome will crack at some point.

There are some home chroming processes too that could help the OP but the thing is to have time and the place to do it.

[dhoff]

I hate to be critical, but rusted chrome is not the fault of the chrome plating process, or a failure to "neutralize" the metal prior to plating. Properly done...

yes, properly done, but it is often not properly done and that is the fault of the chromer. I have done restorations of bikes, motorcycles and cars going back to the late 1970's Bad Chrome is not uncommon. A Proper chrome plating job requires three separate processes, Copper Plating, then Nickel, then Chrome. Each of these must be completely polished. Often steps are skipped and/or the prep of each stage is inadequate. That is not to say that this is the issue in your case.

When I have encountered mild rust, i have used many things. Save Naval Jelly for removing rust that cannot be removed by using first WD40 and a rag, then WD40 and 0000 Steel wool if the rag doesn't do it. Chrome is harder than steel. It will nto scratch the surface. If WD40 doesnt get it all off, you can use Naval Jelly to remove the last of the rust and stop its progression. It will not, however make the piece pretty again, just stop the rust. You can then paint or re-chrome.