[CR] Fork restoration!

(Example: Events:Cirque du Cyclisme:2007)

From: "Steven Brereton" <stevenpb@tesco.net>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:06:34 +0100
Subject: [CR] Fork restoration!


I have a 1978 Viscount Aerospace Sport which is in really good condition.

The only problem I have with it is that the Weasel thin chrome on the forks is flaking off: a common problem on this model.

The forks are half chromed. The fork paint is absolutely unblemished and original. Removing the paint off the fork to make way for rechroming and repainting is not an option. Of my 6 "Aerospace" Viscounts this Sport has the best paint by a mile: it looks virtually as new. I really do not want to repaint it!

I was wondering whether it was possible to dip the fork in an acid bath up to where the chrome ends and then get them rechromed. Has anyone ever tried this? Is it possible to do this without trashing the paint? Alternatively, is there such a thing as a chrome 'touch up' kit for home use?

Any thoughts, ideas, etc. would be much appreciated.

Also, has anyone ever seen a Viscount bicycle sales brochure for 1975, 1977, 1979, 1980 and 1983? I have 1974, 1976, 1978, 1981 and 1982. As far as I can tell, 1983 was the final year (sadly!!!!). A former Viscount sales rep told me that a brochure was produced for every year but after many years searching the above remain incredibly elusive. The sales rep by the way told me that in the UK death fork failures were very, very rare. The few that came in were almost exclusively due to owner abuse. Also, there was no recall in the UK. I know there has been some (actually rather a lot!) debate on the death fork over the years but I do wonder how dangerous, fragile, etc. it really was. Yamaha's figures showed that approximately 0.1% of the death forks sold in the USA failed. To me that hardly sounds like the stuff of a legend based on a deadly part.

Thanks

Steven Brereton
Lancashire
England