Taking Care of Chrome
No. 163 March 22, 1937
Yes! Chromium Does Need Attention
There seems to be a mistaken notion that chromium plate is a finish that is impervious to weather conditions and that it never requires any care or attention. This is not correct and in this connection it might "by interesting to note what British opinion is on this subject. Incidentally, they should be able to speak with authority since many English machines have chrome plated, tanks, mudguards and numerous smaller fittings.
We quote from "The Motor Cycle", leading British Trade Journal, issue of February 18, 1937:
"Recent grouses about the somewhat rapid deterioration of chromium plating when neglected, by its owners make it evident that the motor cycling community labours under delusions with regard to chromium. It is not proof against neglect and will, in fact, quite speedily present a truly appalling appearance if grossly neglected. Its chief merit is that it can be kept in good condition with far less labour than nickel. If a nickelled article is left in damp air for a few days, It will promptly begin to turn orange and pit, whereas after such brief mal-treatment a chromiumed article will merely lost its sheen. Once the nickel has oranged and pitted, it may be impossible to restore it fully; but dulled chromium can usually be brought up by merely wiping and rubbing."
"Next, if the two surfaces be compared after longer neglect, say three months in damp air, there is precious little to choose between them. The chromium is likely to be quite as ruined, as the nickel, and nothing much can be done about it. Users should note that ordinary metal polishes should never be applied to chromium, as they normally contain abrasive matter, which is fatal to chromium; if chromium has been seriously neglected, a special polish sold for the purpose should be applied."
"So readers who occasionally leave a machine untended for weeks in damp air should eschew chromium tanks, and prefer enamel. The latest complaint to reach me concerns a machine which is only nine months old, and has done 5,500 miles, so that it obviously has not been stored for very long; yet its chromium tank is past praying for."
"During storage for a lengthy period, any plated tank or other part should, of course, be heavily smeared with pure vaseline or painted over with cellulose varnish."
