Hi to the group. Some of you folks in the group already know that I have a real weakness for Cinellis. I recently acquired a mid-60's Supercorsa that had been rather poorly repainted and braze-ons added at some point. The repaint covered over all of the chrome, so I expected the worst. But when I stripped the paint in preparation for an eventual restoration, I found that the chrome was not too bad- several small pits and substantial patina, but no real severe peeling or bare spots. That is to say, except for the seat lug. The seat lug had several very thin spots in the chrome, especially on the underside as is usual, but also on top. The thin spots either have minimal nickel or bare steel exposed.
I am considering getting at least the seat lug rechromed. I've had a fork replated in the past by a very reputable plater, and while the job overall was very nice, I wasn't perfectly happy with the slight brass loss and resulting loss of definition around the dropouts. I am now pretty leery though of the possibility of losing a significant amount of brass during the removal of the old chrome. The outline of the pin used to pin the joints prior to final brazing is clearly visible in the side of the seat lug, and slightly less visible on the sides of the head lugs. I suspect that if the chrome were to be removed, this outline would become much more defined, as well as the other foreseeable consequences.
So this is the question: has anyone out there been really satisfied with rechromed parts? I would really hate to lose any amount of the original fine workmanship, but I feel the call of a 'better than new' appearing frame as well. Thanks.
Kane Gin
Freezing and dark in Winnipeg, Manitoba