Chrome Plating Vs Powder Coating

[Gordon]

Well we made some rearsets using mild steel. Got it chrome plated from the regular plater. 5 days passed, and its been pouring heavily here. Lots of rust has appeared on them. Is it better to powdercoat?! Or there isn't any difference?!

Have you guys heard of an anti-rust liquid that is applied on chrome parts?! Its goldenish in color and protects chrome. I've used a bearing for the rearsets and that too is rusting. What should I do for that?!

 

[freedomgli]

If your chrome is rusting after only 5 days exposure than whoever did your chrome did a crap job. Chrome should last years before showing wear. I wouldn't say pc is better than chrome. It all depends on what you want. They both have pros/cons.

 

[retro.joe]

Echoing freedomgli;

Yes, that chrome should not be rusting after a few days if the plate has a good base and is thick. I've seen unrestored British bikes in Britain that have decent looking chrome after 50 years, despite being in very humid conditions. There are a lot of anti-corrosion coatings and water displacing oils (WD-40, CRC 6-56) that can help protect your parts while they're in storage.

Caged Bearings are often unfinished so they can rust easily. I understand why people are using them (cost/availability/standard dimension) in homebrew rearsets but bronze oilite bearings are fine for this purpose and won't readily corrode. Most factory sets don't even use a proper bearing to begin with.

 

[Gordon]

Well the bike was getting wet all those five days. And maybe the mild steel wasn't of great quality. I've chrome-plated many silencers, handlebars, a cowl, etc from the same guy and the quality is top notch.

I have WD-40, but how can it be used to 'coat'? I'll try applying the golden anti-rust solution. Its quite effective. If I dip the bearing into the anti-rust solution, will it destroy the bearing?!

 

[retro.joe]

If the bike is getting rained upon, there's not a lot the chrome is going to do. Hard industrial chrome will stand up better but even it succumbs.

WD-40 has decent "clinging" properties. It's designed to stick to surfaces and displace water. You can just spray it on the part. The solvents that are still in the oil of WD-40 will evaporate over time (this is one reason why it is NOT a lubricant) leaving the oil solids behind which continue to prevent rust. It's far from perfect for the job, something designed for it (like the gold rust inhibitor) is much better. But I've used it as a temporary solution quite often and never had an issue. I also use it as the first oil coat when I'm re-bluing firearms. It's not hard wearing though, pouring rain will beat it off if it's not a porous surface (chrome isn't).

I don't know the chemical composition of the gold rust inhibitor or what solvents is has. If the bearing has a rubber seal then something WD-40 could theoretically deteriorate that a bit (though this is a long process that ozone has already started). It can also thin out the grease packing, lifting it from the bearing surfaces where it's needed. I believe the golden stuff is pretty thick to begin with and won't creep past the seals.

 

[JRK5892]

send them my way... ill powder them

 

[jmeperu]

there is chrome powder for powder coating, if you buff out the orange peel texture then clear powder over it you cant tell the differance. i was suprised by how good it looks. most chrome plating is pretty bad right now for some reason, i dont know why. but if your parts rusted that fast id clean them polish them and then clear coat or put a durable wax finish on them to keep them shiny.