Kurt,
I can't speak for all American framebuilders regarding chrome plating frames, but I can tell you how I feel. I agree, front and rear dropout faces chrome is practical and an ideal sloution to the wheel insertions. I generally include that as part of my standard. The rest of the chrome on a frame is decorative for the most part. In most cases I would imagine that framebuilders who do really refined work are reluctant to turn over a nicely finished lug to a person who mainly grinds bumpers for a living. I have recently taken up doing my own polishing for chrome plating and even though it's a money looser it allows me to maintain the crisp edges and even thickness and smooth profiles of artistically filed lugs and whatnot. This requires lots of hand work. I've found that it's harder to polish the tubes than the lugs. I'm getting better at polishing and before too long I will have it down. No plater is going to go through this much trouble to plate a bike frame; and neither will most framebuilders. It's tedious and dirty work but the results are amazing. I'll see if I can find someone who has some photos of my full chrome plated Masi special replica I built. If you like shiny objects get ready for a MAJOR overload of chrome. Steel track bars and all!
Bottom line is that chrome is risky sometimes (in the polishing stage usually), expensive here in CA, and doesn't always fit into a framebuilders' "style". Lately I've been becomming a bit more chrome oriented, but I don't expect to go overboard. As an artist, chrome does open up new avenues of texture and color to add to the palate. A full chrome frame is an artistic statement from my perspective; and I have to admit I like shiny objects now too!
Brian Baylis La Mesa, CA
The first person who comes up with a chrome plated donut is going to have us Homer Simpson types by the short hairs!