Gee whiz, thanks for the tip, so thats what that industrial polishing lathe that I have owned for 25 years is for!
Chrome wheels
- Thread starter LoPresti Lawnscape
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Gee whiz, thanks for the tip, so thats what that industrial polishing lathe that I have owned for 25 years is for!
Environmental regs in the metal finishing business have absolutely no bearing on the quality of a shops work.
RoyJackson
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No they don't, but "hack" in this context was discussing knowledge of hydrogen embrittlement, not the cosmetic quality of their work. I've looked at the chromework on other (non-HD) motorcycles (for professional comparison). As I wrote, not an HD fan (not a motorcycle fan), but HD does demand high quality chrome work.
Believe me, most folks wouldn't notice the cosmetic defects that would reject HD chrome.
Do you work in the plating industry?
4shorts
Elite Member
I can't even imagine what the cost would be to chrome wheels on a tractor but I have had many things replated because of my restorations. To give you a small sample look at the small rear rack on my "65 Honda Dream. That rack cost $450. to get plated. You want plating done right, your going to pay BIG dollars.
Danno1
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4shorts
Elite Member
RoyJackson
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It's called copper striking...but it's a very thin plate, just enough to smooth out the polishing marks on the steel.
For our handlebars, it wouldn't have added that much extra cost (but cost is a relative thing) considering the cost of stripping the plating on a rejected handlebar. Also, once copper struck, they cannot be stripped.
However, we're discussing a tractor wheel here and I surely wouldn't want to hold that to Harley cosmetic standards (the "defects" they rejected wouldn't be seen by most owners).
nwltruck
Silver Member
RoyJackson said:
There are new powder cotes that when polished look just like crome. If you go this way the prep work and finish work is less involved. It is cheaper in the long run and will not effect wheel integrity
CCWKen
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Egads! :confused2:
Even at $450 Canadian makes that rack a royal shafting. They must have had to rebuild the thing or something. Did you phone ahead? They sure saw you coming. :licking:
Even at $450 Canadian makes that rack a royal shafting. They must have had to rebuild the thing or something. Did you phone ahead? They sure saw you coming. :licking:
4shorts
Elite Member
Actually I had three quotes and that one was the least expensive. The rack was an original for the Dream but it was pitted bad. One company wouldn't even take it on. It was triple plated and when I got it back it was flawless and to say I was pleased was an understatement. It was the best work I've seen done and very happy I used that company. I've had them do other plating for me since with the same results. You want quality, you should expect to pay.