Letter 42000

How to tell real chrome from stainless steel  

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HI GUYS I AM A TEENAGER WHO CURRENTLY ENJOYS ADDING DIFFERENT PARTS TO MY NEW TRUCK. I DONT REALLY KNOW HOW TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REAL CHROME MATERIAL AND STAINLESS STEEL. I HAD CHROME PANELS ADDED TO MY TRUCK BUT ALL MY FRIENDS SAY IT IS STAINLESS STEEL AND THAT I GOT RIPPED OFF. COULD U PLEASE TELL ME A DEFINITIVE WAY TO TELL IF THE PANELS ARE CHROME OR JUST SHINY STAINLESS STEEL MADE TO LOOK LIKE CHROME.

BEN
STUDENT - MEMPHIS, TN, UNITED STATES

In one sense there is no such thing as "real chrome", Ben, because nothing is ever made out of solid chrome metal. Rather, steel items are plated with chrome. Please see our Chrome Plating Tutorial. There are four possibilities here. First, you have steel panel with nickel-chrome plating; second, you have stainless steel panels with nickel-chrome plating; third, you have plain stainless steel; fourth, you have stainless steel with a chrome flash (in this case the chrome is to deter corroision, not to impart a reflective look).

Park your new truck right next to a Harley. If it compares favorably, you have real nickel-chrome plating. If it doesn't, you don't.

Ted Mooney, P.E.  finishing.com Brick, New Jersey

Stainless is a better product than chrome plated steel in your application. Your friends are not very educated in automobile restoration. Nickle chrome over steel is generally about .0015" thick (1/2 the diameter of a human hair.)

Stainless will not rust and is easily cleaned. Steel that is chrome plated can rust, pit and the plating can start to peel. Once it starts to peel you may as well throw it away because stripping the plating is not EPA friendly and there are not many shops that will do it anymore.

If you did purchase stainless you got the better product.

T.J. Luniewski
- MPLS, MN, USA

Thanks for the input, T.J., although I don't really agree with you. While it is possible to get low quality chrome plating, good quality chrome plating lasts decades in the most adverse situations without any rusting or pitting, and certainly no peeling, as we see on OEM auto trim. Conversely, when OEMs put stainless trim on an automobile, they plate it with a flash of chrome to deter rust and pitting.

And the finest stainless steel polishing will not favorably compare to "show" chrome or Harley chrome in appearance.

Ted Mooney finishing.com Brick, New Jersey

Ted, you said: "good quality chrome plating lasts decades in the most adverse situations without any rusting or pitting, and certainly no peeling, as we see on OEM auto trim."

Not so fast. My '96 Caddy has four trim pieces, each about 1/2" X 4' which started blistering and peeling in less than a year from new. I contacted GM's Cadillac divisioin, and their response was, in effect, "Tough luck. We have no interest in replacing those parts."

Jeffrey Holmes, CEF - Spartanburg, SC, USA

Don't get me started on GM not standing behind their products, Jeffrey. My personal experience is that no matter how many thousands of dollars you spend to repeatedly replace the same misdesigned component, they will do nothing, and the purpose of their "investigation team" is only to stall for years in hopes you'll junk or sell the lemon :-)

Even those of us who steadfastly refused to buy Japanese for decades are eventually forced to concede that you can't build great cars with the GM mindset :-)

Still in many cases, if not most, today's chrome plated parts do indeed last decades.

Ted Mooney finishing.com Brick, New Jersey

In Ben's application I still believe SST would be better and hold up much better. I am assuming the panels Ben mentions are covers for the bottom of the doors, rockers and quarters etc. These are areas that see above normal abuse with normal driving let alone if he takes it off road. Chips/scratches in chrome plating will allow the base metal to rust, chips in SST will never rust. My point is that with the same maintenence, stainless steel will hold up better to the elements than chrome plated products in Ben's application. It may not have the same deep shine chrome has but can be buffed to a very nice finish.

Anyways.... Ben, The quickest way to tell is to place a magnet on the panel(before installation) If it doesn't stick it is SST (unless it is 400 series or 17-4 but that's a whole nother lesson)

T.J. Luniewski
- MPLS, MN

Well, that's 2 to 1 in favor of stainless, Ben.

Ted Mooney finishing.com Brick, New Jersey

Nothing looks as bright and beautiful as a good chrome plated finish.
However stainless steel side panels and rocker mouldings will tolerate attack from road debris much better than chrome.
Chrome needs to be cleaned and waxed just like a fine paint job. Don't get chrome if you don't plan on pampering it.
The auto manufacturers balance cost and quality. Unfortunately cost wins over quality sometimes. After ten years it would be hard to find a piece of chrome plated pot metal that has not shown signs of deterioration.

Frank DeGuire Triangle Plating Co. St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Yet none of you gave any photos to look at? How about you prove your knowledge

D, Macleod
- Boston, Ma

Please send us a nice picture of a mirror, D. -- not the frame, just the reflective area -- and then we'll post a picture of a chrome plated surface. You won't know, however, whether we actually posted a picture of chrome plating or we just used your picture of the mirror, because they will look exactly the same -- you don't see the chrome, only whatever is reflected in it  :-)

It is notoriously difficult to photograph a bright reflective surface. What is usually done is you photograph a reflection of a screen or a test pattern to look for any distortion or dull areas. But it can't be that hard for you to find a Harley and see high quality chrome plating firsthand.

Please try to be careful with future postings because, without the benefit of voice inflections, your entry sounds snotty and demanding -- and you may not like what the Harley rider does if you take that tone with him :-)

Ted Mooney, P.E.  finishing.com Brick, New Jersey

Was planning on making a back rest for a VTX1800 out of stainless. As heat will be used in fabrication was interested in your suggestion as to removing heat stains in stainless. Is a better option having it flash chromed instead of endless polishing?

Alan Heim     welder/fabicator Greensboro, No. Carolina

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