How does something get Chromed?

From my experience pedalgrabbing, chromed cranks take lots longer to
scratch, but once they do they allow rust faster. Powdercoating is much
quicker to scratch and come off.

I assume it's either a chemical method or a vacuum deposit system.
Vacuum deposits basically work by placin the part in a vacuum, and then
heating an element coated in the metal you will coat the object with.
The coats are usually only a few atoms thick, though, such as on
telescope mirror coatings. Chemical methods are usually much more like
anodizing Aluminum.

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Chrome is the strongest, but Powder coating is good for colors. there
are three stages for crhoming somthing I think the product gets diped in
copper, Zink, Then Chrome. I think. I know Its somthing like that. I do
know Chroming costs much more than Powder coating.

-Zack

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'Here is a site with all the junk about chroming and powdercoating!'
(http://www.chromeservices.com/process.htm)

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it all has to do with electrochemistry. You have positive ions and
negative ions (I forget which ones chrome is. Positive I think).

Anyway, you hook the two in water, the electrons shoot from the negative
to the positive, the positive ions go into solution, the other think is
negatively charged and the chrome ions attach.

It's been a year since I was in chemistry. That explanation is missing
something, but I'm not sure what.

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Brian

Ask around in shops that refurbish cars or boats. They will know who
does chroming. My brother had some parts for a boat chromed and he told
me that the prep work is really important for a good chrome finish.

So what project is going to get a new finish?

Bill

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billham said:

*
So what project is going to get a new finish?

Bill *

It just kinda came up in conversation...I have no chrome projects in
mind....yet

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