[DiamondLil]

Since the Queen has her fair share now is there any advice you might offer on the best way to preserve and care for the beautiful luster?


(Camera is still out for repair.)

 

[EZE RIDER]

Carnuba wax. Paste not liquid. Paste is harder to apply but lasts much longer. I've always called wax my invisible garage.

 

[hddeluxe]

Many, many years ago. In the seventies once a wise man (he had been working with chrome since the fourties as a chromer) told me;

"The best wax EVER for for chrome is bees wax! Thats the only wax that has the ability to really go INTO the hard and tight chrome. All ohter waxes are just applied on top."

Take a bees wax kake and melt it into a conic shaped cup. Stir in ten per cent white spirit and and let it harden. Remove the "lump" from the cup and start working.

Take a hair dryer or heat gun on low setting and heat up the chrome till it is hand warm. Apply the wax, and start polishing until it is shining! The bees wax have entered the chrome and will last for the whole season if you do not use strong chemicals washing the chrome.
So I've been doing this since then and I always have shiny chrome and I have never had chrome that has rusted or separated.

The same wise man also said to me. "NEVER use anything that you do not want to wash your face in to wash your bike!"

Hope you understands my english...

 

[Hanz Solo-seat]

"The best wax EVER for for chrome is bees wax! Thats the only wax that has the ability to really go INTO the hard and tight chrome. All ohter waxes are just applied on top."

Take a bees wax kake and melt it into a conic shaped cup. Stir in ten per cent white spirit and and let it harden. Remove the "lump" from the cup and start working.

Ironically, I was just thinking about this today. Only the chrome of the 70's and older was a much better zinc, copper and nickle blend, and not today's safe, eco-friendly chrome. I'm wondering if the same bee's wax treatment would stand true....

I just speny most of my daughter's college tuition on chrome, and I too would like it to last longer than my last lawn mower, (2.5 years and a broken crank ended our relationship)

I'd be interested in hearing other's ideas on this as well....today's chrome is terrible compared to the chrome of 25 years ago.

 

[Nathang]

Different strokes for different folls.

If you keep the chrome up very well, so it never really needs anything specific, it's a lot easier and choosing the cleaner / polish isn't such a big deal.

In other words, which pookie to rub on chrome that needs resurrecting needs more thought than what can keep it maintenance free.

I really like the arylic polish I had mentioned in the recommended products section, Klasse. It's the ideal everyday light maintenance regimen, but also lasts much longer than any wax I've ever seen.

...put 2 drops on a soft damp cloth, try to get it evenly distributed, even better if you put the cloth in a ziplock bag and don't use it till the next day, and just wipe the bike off lightly.

This pocket sized packet becomes the ideal portable bike beautification habit, I keep it in my riding jacket and wipe the bike off at least a little almost every time I park it. Works great on the chrome, paint, aluminum, and it does an especially good job on hazy windshields and helmet visors. And eyeglasses.

I saw one of these car detailing geek websites foaming at the mouth about the results of putting this acrylic polish/sealant on first, and then a good wax, about it giving unprecedented depth..

 

[Daniii]

I find that "the Bom" works pretty good. Name was recently changed - I'll look up the new name when I get home....

 

[DiamondLil]

I'm getting the idea that polish is important for the care and preservation of new chrome.

 

[Daniii]

I find that "the Bom" works pretty good. Name was recently changed - I'll look up the new name when I get home....

Captain Richard's best. www.bikecleaner.com

 

[DiamondLil]

Thanks Daniii.

 

[hddeluxe]

Over here in Sweden with our long and cold and damp winters (and the massive spreading of salt on the roads) we have huge problems with car and bike maintennance. Rust is a major factor when it comes to the degredation of our vehicles.
But we have a saying "A clean car won't rust".
And that goes for bikes also. For me who tries to strech the riding season and rides even during the "salt period" it is VERY important the I have a good basic protection that makes it easy to just hose of the salt and no need to polish everytime I been out ridin'.
Hence the Bees Wax. It's true that the chrome is different nowadays. So are the waxes. But chrome are still the hardest and tightest material on the bike and I can see that I do not have any problems that fellow riders have over here with "bad chroming". So I'll be the one that wount "curse the darknes, but lit a light" and does someting about it. i.e. put some work on it during off season and in our short season rides my eight to ten thousands of miles instead of polishing...

But what I meant to say regarding chrome was really to mention the fact that high pressure washers could be a factor here. Especially on chromed aluminiun! The alu is much softer than chrome and especially on thin covers the hard spray can make the alu to flex and the chrome to separate from it. This will in time be the origin of "flaking". So some of the "bad chrome" can be "user errors" or misdirected care!!!

Use the high pressure washers with care!

 

[DiamondLil]

Great advice! Thank you.

 

[savin1968]

Hi everybody...How could a minor scratch on chromed surface be repaired?

 

[DiamondLil]

No matter what you use you risk the chance of inducing even more scratches and the attempts may be futile. I remember the first time riding with the local HOG group and asking the same thing. Consensus was minor scratches on chrome are beauty of the ride marks and big scratches are reason to buy that upgraded whatever it is.

 

[savin1968]

Hey, thank you very much! It makes sense.....What a load off!

 

[DiamondLil]

You are welcome. I glad you feel better!

 

[smharris605]

Captain Richard's best. www.bikecleaner.com

hey Daniii, are all of their cleaners worth it?? they seem kind of expensive to just "try them out"... i know you said the metal polish is good, but how about their paint products??? thanks man

 

[n0useforaname]

Don't know if it's worth anything, but I use Pig Snot and it works fine. There is a local guy who goes to Napa and buys window cleaner in a spray bottle....think it has ammonia or vinegar in it...not sure which...and he says he won't clean his chrome with anything else.