Wes,
There are two ways to strip chrome from a frame; the right way and the wrong way. If the plater isn't familiar with bikes or is just a plain idiot, bad things can happen. The trick is to go with people with experience, lots of it. I saw a Pogliaghi that was improperly stripped of its original all chrome finish that basically fell apart in the strip tank. In the hands of the right person that bike could probably be fixed. But these idiots then tried to fix their mistake by WELDING the stays and stay caps back on amongst a few other things and removed the possibility on the spot.
If you want my honest unbiased opinion, a veteran framebuilder who knows how to paint and hand polishes everything by hand gives you the best odds of success with complicated chrome jobs; most especially with valuable frames or delicate problems. There are a zillion little things an astute and experienced eye will recognize and fix that even the best plater knows nothing about. Every frame is a different case. Don't ask me why I think this, but I do.
Brian Baylis La Mesa, CA No need to fret over plater horror stories. There is a solution.
In a message dated 1/8/2004 1:22:20 PM Eastern Standard Time, gillies@cs.ubc.ca writes:
> 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.
>
A real problem with this method is that the brazing materiel is electrolytically removed along with the plating. The integrity of the frame can be seriously compromised, to say nothing of aesthetics,say, where dropouts attach. Beware!
Best regards,
Wes Gadd
Unionville,CT