polymorphself 

As you can see in the photo, the chrome here has cloudy film covering much of it. Or, is it possible this is actually under the chrome and much of the chrome coating has come off? Is this even a coating?

I haven't tried to get it off yet as I'm not sure the safest way to approach it. Thoughts?

Thanks!

machinist42

Clear coat. It'll come off with your fingernail. Some here will tell you to scrape it off with a plastic utensil, or brass wool or some such. I had that issue with the clear coating on my Odyssey's chrome. I masked off the painted section, applied gel type paint remover, and wiped off the clear coat in 15 minutes revealing lustrous shiny chrome.

polymorphself 

Awesome, thank you! Sorry for the ignorance but what's the clear coat there for and why did it turn that way?

machinist42

As the chrome is more durable than the clear coat, I'll hazard the guess that masking off the chrome before clear coating the entire bike was cost prohibitive, and since the clear coating really didn't cloud until later, there would be no real reason not to clear coat it.
UV exposure and temperature and oxygen and caustic exhaust fumes and what have you would all contribute to degradation of the clear in the clear coat.
Time itself, takes its toll too.

easyupbug 

My only Peugeot was a UO-8 from back in the 70s but I don't recall clear on the fork socks, I would have lost a bet that it was there.

Bad Lag

If it is under the chrome, it might be nickel. Electroplatings like to stick to nickel and nickel likes to stick to things.

Almost every electroplated item I know of has a flash of nickel in it, typically as the first layer.

francophile 

It's clearcoat. It will come off with fine bronze wool. Every chrome-forked Peugeot I've ever had has it, dating back to the late 60s. Make sure you treat the chrome after with something to protect it.

verktyg 

^

Clear coat was/is applied to protect the finish of the paint and protect the chrome. In the case of the paint, to provide scratch resistance and rust resistance on the chrome plated surfaces. It has a tendency to yellow as it ages depending on a lot of variables.

The clear lacquer used BITD wasn't intended to last more than the bike street life expectancy of 5-10 years.

The clear coat on the chrome on my 1967 Peugeot is starting to crack after 50+ years.



My 1972 Motobecane looked great from a distance when I got it in 2007. On closer exam you can see the "crackalure" forming in the clear coat.



It had been storage for almost 10 years, When I took it out, the clear coat on the chrome had completely deteriorated and the paint completely dull. The right fork blade shows how it looked, the left shows what a few minutes of scraping and fine steel wool did.



I've been using 2000 grit wet or dry paper with water then polish to get the old clear coat off of the painted areas. It's a lot of work. This is half way through the clear coat. You can still see the cracked clear coat. The white stuff is polish.



verktyg

polymorphself 

What would you recommend treating with?

francophile 

Ideally? Tape off from the trim line above, prep with a paint prep/residue remover and re-spray with a 2-stage clear like this (but if you're unfamiliar with this type of paint, read the precautions carefully and watch some YouTube videos!!!).

However, if you don't want to re-clear it, you can periodically re-apply a chrome treatment like this. It's pretty easy to work with and I've had respectable (but not as fool-proof as clearcoat) results.

Re-clearing just sucks because every little spec of dust still on the forks if you don't properly prep or take consideration of your environment will show up.\ and drive you bonkers if you're OCD.

PS: Also recommend you to use painters tape when taking the clear off. I normally tape at the gold pinstripe and take it very gently as I approach up towards the tape. Better to use too little pressure than too much pressure with the fine/ultrafine bronze wool. I prefer bronze wool over steel, tends to be less aggressive.

rootboy 

I did as Francophile did, on one of my Motos. Tape off at gold paint line, then gently wipe clear coat off with citrus stripper. Came right off.
No need to re coat it with clear. I just wiped down with alcohol or wash with soap and water, dry, then waxed the chrome well.

Sandstrom

Hi, hope your forks are looking well with all of the good advice you are getting here. I was curious, what bike are these forks on? I have a Motobecane Mirage from around 74/75 and the forks had been replaced at one point. They are raw, without any paint, just the plating. Perhaps they were sold that way (as replacements) and they could be painted to match the bike they were going on?

The reason I ask is because the replacements have the double eyelets on each end and look just like yours do (instead of singles like the original would have had). I was always wondering what they may have come from or been intended for installation on.

Thanks

francophile 

It's a Peugeot pictured. They were chromed up the whole fork and painted all but the socks. Chrome underneath was usually only perfectly smooth in the non-painted areas but "smooth enough" under the painted area. You could technically remove all the paint and have all-chrome forks but where the paint was may look a little orange-peel-ish. If someone did choose a Peugeot fork to replace the one on your Mirage, they may've done just that to remove the identifying decals/unmatching paint.

Several companies like Pyramid made all-chrome replacement forks with lawyer lips and all kinds of other things. They share the same style of triple-point crown used on the lesser-quality bikes of the era.

Sandstrom

No Lawyer Lips here

Thanks for the information! Very interesting. From the looks of these replacements, they were never painted, the finish is consistent down the length of the fork. The crowns do seem to have a higher degree of finish, but I imagine this is to be expected as these were much less likely to be painted.

francophile 

Have you inspected the steerer tube for any stampings or marks? A lot of the aftermarkets stamp or sticker the tubes in areas where there aren't any wear. Could solve your question.

polymorphself 

Thanks, I've bought that chrome wax, some painters tape and some bronze wool. Will get to this this weekend hopefully. What's the difference between that wax and something like Blue Magic Metal Polish?

Thanks!

francophile 

I've yet to use Blue Magic, so not sure. The product I linked is what I've been using, it seems to be an ultra-gentle abrasive to polish without cutting. One of my detailer friends recommended it, swears by it, said it contains an agent to neutralize rust, polish to shine, and protect like a wax and that was enough for me to start. I haven't been let down.

If Blue Magic is your preference, I would recommend sticking with what you know and trust. We're just trying to solve for two things here: 1) Polish away imperfections, 2) seal the metal to prevent reactions. How you achieve both is really up to you. Some may prefer a 2-stage ultra-gloss clearcoat, which is a 1-shot long-lasting solution. Others may prefer a product like Blue Magic or the Turtle product linked and re-apply at appropriate intervals.

polymorphself 

Got it, thank you!