Nickle or chrome?

[Kmo-ran]

I am about to send parts out for my 1929 French bike for plating. I read somewhere that chroming was done back then, but not widely.

I know not many folks over here know much about this bike (Terrot), but would nickle or chrome be the plating most likely used back then?

Which coating is most durable?

Oh yeah, most importantly, I got a card from Paul's choming in PA, I believe, does anyone know anything about them or have recommendations for an east coast plater/chromer?

Thanks,
Kevin

[sirhrmechanic]

I can speak to the automotive industry with some authority... and it probably translates to bikes pretty closely.

1929 was a transitional time. In Europe, nickel was still the preference for most vehicles. In the U.S., chrome started to take off a little earlier and was starting to gain fairly wide acceptance.

In the UK, chrome was pretty much taking over by '34 - '36. Prior to that, Nickel or German Silver (nickel silver) were the mainstays. French coachbuilders (and this probably translated to bikes) were a little more avante garde and used chrome somewhat earlier.

Chrome is more durable. But nickel does have, in my opinion, a nicer appearance, being less 'blue' and vivid than chrome. Nickel will tarnish over time, taking on a yellowish hue. Chrome lasts a long time w. no issues.

You should be able to tell from your existing parts if they were chrome or nickel. There is a distinct difference in the hue of the part.

Note that the earliest machines were 'close plated' which involved soldering very thin sheets of German Silver (or sometimes silver) to iron, steel, brass or copper parts. This is a lost art. If anyone out there knows close plating (or wants to learn) get in touch. It's an art that has all but disappeared. It was also obsolete (except in rare instances such as hand-built cars) by the early 1920's when electroplating took over completely.

Hope this helps and feel free to PM me w. additional questions.

As for platers... for the absolutely finest finish (but at an extrordinary high price) D&D Brightworks in Ohio is unreal. Their quality is like nothing I have ever seen. They can also reproduce Watts Nickel (dull nickel) perfectly. But price is very high for their work. Avoid NuChrome in Fall River, Mass. Garbage. I send my plating to Canada. No EPA makes prices a lot more competitive. But customs can be a pain. Le Roi de Chromage (Montreal) is great.

Hope this helps and feel free to PM me with any specific questions.

Cheers,

Sirhr

[Chris Haynes]

Actually chrome is a clear plating. The shinny stuff you see is nickel. The chrome protects the nickel. Therefore chrome is more durable than nickel.

[sirhrmechanic]

Chris is somewhat right. Technically, the oxide that chrome produces when it is exposed to the atmosphere is clear. That's what protects the metal underneath and accounts for chrome's luster and durability. But there is a thin layer of chromium metal between the nickel and the oxide, so you are looking through the clear oxide into the chrome itself.

The nickel is there for bonding and because it is harder than the copper and takes a better polish. Chrome sticks to nickel, nickel sticks to copper and copper sticks to darn near anything. Plus the copper can be put on thick and used to fill irregularities, scratches, etc.

If you ever get parts where the chrome just peels off in chunks (don't get it under your fingernails... it hurts like &**@!) you are getting cheap chrome plating that is applied directly on base metal. A lot of the "We chrome any part for $5" processes are like that.

FYI, there are industrial processes that can do good plating w.out all the handwork, but your general electroplating has to be done in layers for adhesion and polishing. For some very specialty work, we use the same chromer that HD York uses near Harrisburg airport. They are truly industrial and are probably one of the most advanced out there. Neat operation!

I'll see if I can find a good link to the process. .

[Kmo-ran]

Thanks for the awesome info. I learn every day on this site.

[dixchief]

Chrome will peel from bare steel because the expansion rates are very different. The copper, nickel are good fillers but their main purpose is to separate the steel and chrome. They give and allow the steel to expand/contract. The chrome is so thin and hard it won't expand with the steel.

[Glenn]

had a lot of stuff done by Pauls Plating and their work is excellent IMHO.

[exeric]

Glenn, did you have handlebars done, and ballpark, how expensive was it ? I want to get the bars for my '51 re-chromed and I'm curious to what that costs these days.

[Steve Slocombe]

Dear All, Harley announced in their 1931 new model Enthusiast that all the brightwork on their bikes was now chrome. The inference of course is that it was not all chrome before then. When judging I'd expect nickel on 1929 bikes, chrome on 1931 bikes, and would allow either finish or even mixed chrome/nickel on 1930 Harleys until we find better information. I'm told all early nickel was Watts nickel, or dull nickel, and parts such as handlebar spirals were then polished. These days they put chemical brighteners in the nickel so everything comes up bright, and pre-1930 bikes can look overdone. My guess is a lot of the early nickel was used like they later used cadmium, for rust protection rather than decoration, and the nickel parts were just 'flashed' in the plating baths for a very short period.

[Glenn]

i'll see if I could find what I paid when I get to the office

you could call them ask for dawn she will give you an idea of the cost

[exeric]

Thanks Glenn

[Glenn]

don't have the receipt (tossed before wife could see)

Message to HD48FL has exceeded their stored private messages quota and cannot accept further messages until they clear some space.
could not send message you quota was full

I did around 2500 dollars worth of chrome with pauls and was extremely happy with their results would recommend them to anyone. They even reengraved the headlight bucket and it looks like it came off the dealers shelf back in 1950 you cant get better than that

[HD48FL]

don't have the receipt (tossed before wife could see)

Message to HD48FL has exceeded their stored private messages quota and cannot accept further messages until they clear some space.
could not send message you quota was full

I did around 2500 dollars worth of chrome with pauls and was extremely happy with their results would recommend them to anyone. They even reengraved the headlight bucket and it looks like it came off the dealers shelf back in 1950 you cant get better than that

Thanks Glenn, just cleared out some old pm's.

What was Pauls turnaround time? Do they do any other finishing, such as cad or parkerizing?