... as usual Mr Sachs is spot on, so heed his advise please. but may i add one addendum.
chroming bicycle parts is dearly expensive, dearly. my first resto was/is a 1948 (my birth year) Urago track bike many years ago. i hesitate to call anything with pencil thin seat stays a track iron, but anyway ...
... anyway the plater that CyclArt used then was incredible. just spot on perfect for all the moving parts. but i think the total was almost more than half for the entire effort.
do it over again, well of course we would.
but an entire frame in this day and age, don't be stupido ....
robert clair
alexandria, va 22308
usa
<classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 9:01 PM Subject: re: [CR]Chrome plating company in NYC area?
> There is at least one shop in suburban MD that would polish and plate a
> frameset. They have done decent work on parts for a couple of us. But, I
> would recommend against it for several reasons:
>
> The most important is that it will never look like "factory" chrome. There
> are parts that just can't be polished right after the frameset is built,
> particularly the tubes near the bottom bracket. Looking at the BB is an
> easy way to pretty reliably spot after-manufacture chroming.
>
> Related to this is the different standard of metal finish required for
> plating, as opposed to painting. The very best painters allow themselves a
> bit of "cheating" with a little extra primer or a little of this-and-that
> for the most minor scratches and defects. All that has to be done in metal
> for chroming. Every defect is magnified maybe 10x on a chromed surface.
>
> Yup, this means that good plating means removing metal to get below the
> pits and scratches - unless you build them up beforehand. Don't ever give
> a pitted frame to an ordinary chrome shop, which might make it a very
> light guage indeed. It is almost inevitable that chroming loses some
> detail (lug shoreline crispness, lettering and stamping on parts, etc).
>
> Of course, there are reputable people like Waterford who simply refuse to
> do rechroming; removal and replating can be deleterious to the frame's
> health.
>
> Finally, plating is a pretty dangerous business. The finer the grit, the
> more likely to grab the part. Are you willing to pay fairly for the risks
> involved, not just to the workers, but to the environment?
>
> Obviously, I've had a bit of rechroming done, on things like a "senior"
> Magistroni crankset, and a Paramount hub barrel. I'm not on a tirade
> against all chrome. But, I do think about what I'm trying to accomplish,
> and how the most likely results are going to compare with my dreams. With
> parts like cranks and handlebars, the risks are smaller than with frames
> and forks.
>
> But, your mileage may vary.
>
> harvey sachs
> mcLean va usa.
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> I'm interested in chrome plating a few frames I have and would like a
> reccommended facility in the NYC area, if you'd all be so kind.
>
> Thanks,
> Danny Gonzalez
> Lenox Hill
> NY, NY
> USA