Regarding the dialogue on rechroming, while I can't claim any expertise I
have had good success with baking newly rechromed components or frames for 2
hours at 300 degrees in an oven as it seems to work well with eradicating
any residual moisture and I have been told also lessens the possibility of
hydrogen embrittlement. I also spray a good quality lubricant/rust penetrant
into any apertures or air holes. Framesaver may be an even better choice but
I have never worked with it. It does seem that the quality of chrome one
finds these days is not as good as I remember in the old days. The old
Paramounts for instance seemed to have a much deeper and more resilient
finish. I suspect that there were ingredients in the process that are no
longer allowed. As to the policy by some folks of not being willing to
rechrome a frame I would think much of this has to do with the difficulty in
being able to polish it effectually. The area around the bottom bracket is
particularly challenging and it is difficult to produce a uniform finish if
the entire frame is not well polished which results in increased risk for
corrosion as well as a less than ideal aesthetic presentation.
On a separate note, can anyone tell me when Gnutti first began making
their splined cranksets? I have been told at least as far back as 1950 based
on one of their advertisements. Also, were Gloria brakes produced by the
Italian framebuilding company of that name or were they a separate entity?
Many thanks,
Edward Robert Brooks
Managing Director
Edward Roberts International
Auctioneers of the Fine and Rare
1262 West Winwood Drive
Lake Forest, Illinois 60045
Phone- 847.295.8696
Facsimile- 847.295.8697
Email- ebrooks@eriwine.com
Website- http://www.eriwine.com