[CR]The high cost of re-plating a frame ...

(Example: Racing:Roger de Vlaeminck)

From: Donald Gillies <gillies@cs.ubc.ca>
Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2004 10:21:44 -0800 (PST)
To: Cyclartist@cox.net, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]The high cost of re-plating a frame ...

I think the best way to understand the high cost of chrome (re)plating is to understand that if it costs $X dollars to plate a brand-new frame, which does not have any rust pits, scrapes, or bubbles, then the cost to renew the chrome will be AT LEAST 2$X.

1. first, absolutely all of the paint must be stripped to avoid contaminating the chemical vats used for plating.

2. Then, each of the original plating steps must be reversed, using the same tanks and the same electro chemical processes, in reverse, as the original forward steps. This requires the same amount of effort by the plater (e.g. wrapping the device with copper wire & suspending it, to ensure a good electrical connection, and then many minutes (10-30?) of deplating for each original plating step.)

I should mention that this method of stripped is preferred to just sanding or polishing away the chrome, because

(a) Damage to the frame is minimized (b) The uniformity of a deplated part is superior (c) The new chrome process may not "stick" if byproducts from the old process(es) are left behind, as with polishing. Many chroming processes are proprietary and require compatible nickel processes, etc.

3. All the rust pits scrapes, etc., must be removed, using (a) Sanding / polishing (minor ones) (b) Copper plating / polishing (intermediate pitting) (c) Copper plating / lead filling / Copper plating (major pitting)

4. then you get to spend $X to replate the frame as if it were a new frame once again.

As you can see, the cost for Step (4) is $X, and the cost for Step (2) is $X. Step (3) can be very labor-intensive, requiring in some cases hours of hand labor.

Also, new plating processes typically use trivalent chrome (cheaper to dispose of and less dangerous). Hexavalent chrome, using for the first 85 years of plating, was banned in Europe on July 1, 2003, and is no longer used for decorative plating in the USA.

Newer trivalent plating has a slightly "warmer" color (meaning more pinkish, i believe), where as older hexavalent chromes are more blue-ish.

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA