Topic: nickel plated frame

[mazingerzeca]

Hello.
Yesterday, I was reading an article about Rickman CR Honda 750 which says: "With brazed joints and nickel plated for long life and good looks, this frame offered a greater degree of rigidity...".
Recently, I had a very bad experience with powdercoating, which I thought was the most durable finish for a frame. For my next project, a cb750, would it be better, as the article says, to have it nickel plated, or zinc plated, or even chromed? are these finish more durable than powdercoating?

[kghost]

Boy that really depends....

Nickel and Zinc Corrode....

Zinc specifically is generally used as a sacrificial metal. (anode)


Chrome makes a nice hard finish but has its drawbacks too.....

[Really?]

Boy that really depends....

Nickel and Zinc Corrode....

Zinc specifically is generally used as a sacrificial metal. (anode)


Chrome makes a nice hard finish but has its drawbacks too.....

Constantly polishing?

[Geeto67]

the old brazed and nickel plated frames were done for strength of the brazed joint, not really for the durability of the finish (although it may have been an added bonus). Remember nickel plating is only one color, you don't get a choice like you do with powder.

Honestly coatings are all in the prep, if your frame was poorly preped then of course the powder would fail, same with chrome, nickel, what have you. Really, paint is a fine coating as long as it is prepped correctly, plus if it is single stage it can be touched up seamlessly.

[kghost]

the old brazed and nickel plated frames were done for strength of the brazed joint, not really for the durability of the finish (although it may have been an added bonus). Remember nickel plating is only one color, you don't get a choice like you do with powder.

Honestly coatings are all in the prep, if your frame was poorly preped then of course the powder would fail, same with chrome, nickel, what have you. Really, paint is a fine coating as long as it is prepped correctly, plus if it is single stage it can be touched up seamlessly.

+1 on prep.

Every finish has its tradeoffs.

[seaweb11]

Chrome can be fun

[mystic_1]

Pardon me while I drool a bit.




mystic_1

[754]

powder..200$

Plated 1200$ or more



A buddy of mine had a nickle-plated 72 750.. it was great mostly, but on a trip to La, it did tarnish quicly and needed some polishing.

Bet it still looks good.. there are a few advantages to niickle over chrome.. but chrome is probably less upkeep..

[wildcatmahone]

Chrome can be fun

Holy #$%* hurts my eyes! Time to polish those carbs!n

[crazypj]

When the Rickman brothers were developing frames they hard nickel plated them as frame flex causes nickel to crack (so it was easy to spot flex points) When everything was 'fixed' they nickel plated them so you could see if anything flexed
 Chrome is a real bad idea because it doesn't 'take' on the insides of any box section or open tube and more worrying, the cyanide salts used in plating cause molecular structure of steel to change and become more brittle. Its the main reason chrome is only used on non structural parts
 PJ

[Terry in Australia]

Yep, that's very true PJ, I saw a lovely chromed Z1 frame that cracked both downtubes all the way thru! The other problem is all the cleaning and plating chemicals and acids that work their way inside the tubes, and then rust their way out. Pretty, but no cigar. Either paint it, or powder coat it, I reckon. Cheers, Terry.