How were decals made back in the day?

[Velocipede]

Originally Posted by Gsinill

From personal experience I'd say it depends.
My Casati is completely chromed but they only prepared the steel prior to plating in the areas that are exposed. I.e. the rest of the chrome would not look good.
I doubt that those kind of imperfections on my frame could be polished out.

Correct. I'm assuming in my answer the chrome is good. No way of knowing till it's stripped. But you'd be surprised how well chrome can be polished up. Even really pitted chrome can be brought back to life. But yes, it does depend on the condition of the chrome under the paint. Trying for brevity in my response before.