Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Motorcycle wheel chrome peeling, never heard of this reason, is it legit?

I have a custom motorcycle with a 360 mm wheel on the rear, it's huge. I had the aluminum front and rear rim sent in, and not even a couple of weeks after getting the bike back I was in the process of polishing and discovered the chrome coming off. I went back to the bike shop that sent these from Wisconsin to California as the shop in California was supposed to be one of the best. The owner told me that it was common with my style rim for the chrome to peel as the rim is comprised of actually 3 pieces. 2 rims that had been cut and welded together to make one rim and that it is common for the rim to flake where the weld was made. I find this to be unnaceptable, because I've seen thousand of welds chromed with no problems. Is this a legit problem with my style rim or am I correct in thinking that it shouldn't matter how the rim was made. These rims were made this way before companies starting actually making solid rims this size. Please help. If it is true, I would have been better off not wasting the money just to have the rim flake and look like total crap in a year. I would assume once the flaking starts, it will continue?

Leon Leon
hobbyist - Nekoosa, Wisconsin, USA
June 17, 2008

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First of two simultaneous responses -- June 18, 2008

I would take it back to the shop and tell them that you should have been told that the chrome was going to peel! They did not even hint that there was a possibility of it peeling, so they should give you your money back and then you find a shop that will guarantee their chrome job.
Granted that a weld is harder to plate than a machined surface, but it can be done and has been done for well over 50 years.
You are being fed a line of BS so they can avoid any liability.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida

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Second of two simultaneous responses --

Getting welds properly prepared for plating can be a problem, however there are plenty of shops which know how. Apparently the shop you used does not.

Jeffrey Holmes, CEF
Spartanburg, South Carolina
June 18, 2008

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June 22, 2008

I did find out a few things. This rim is an Ego Trip brand rim. When the rim was built it was made of 3 pieces and the welds are on the inside of the rim. If I was told that the chrome wouldn't hold, I would have never chromed it. I did inspect the rim and took it back to the custom shop for pictures. I see where the seam of the weld is and as far as I can tell, the rim should have been welded on the outside to seal the gap and sanded down and finished smooth. I would have paid for them to do that if I would have known. The funny thing is, is that the peeling is over and inch away from the seam of where the pieces meet. Even the bike shop agreed that it was not acceptable and not in his mind part of the peeling problem near the seam of this brand rim. According to him, this chromer in California is the only one who does chrome for this brand of rim.

I am going to get it redone or just get rid of the rim and have another made of a solid piece of steel.

As far as I'm concerned any issue with the chrome should have been addressed prior to chroming and me paying for it.

Leon Liebl
- Nekoosa, Wisconsin, USA

Read letter 48729 for several comments on car rims.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
June 23, 2008