BrianS
08-10-2001, 10:25 AM
A tip for Technician to try. It might be worthwhile!
This depends on the condition of the Chrome really. If it has a nice finish and just has a layer of dirt on it, then a window cleaning spray will clean it up. But if I had black marks, water spotting or just plain tarnish, then I'd get a chrome polish from the Accessories shop. Its about a fiver for a tube.
Here's a cheap option for you to try. Give the whole bike a good washdown first. Get a mixing bowl and throw in 4 cups of Water, a quarter of a cup of distilled vinegar and add just a few drops of car shampoo and give it all a swish around. (No Car Shampoo? use a few drops of ordinary hair shampoo - no conditioner though!) A few drops is all you need - its just to help it cling to the surface. Use a soft terry towel to wipe the chrome down with the solution. Then rinse it off with clean water and then use a clean dry cotton terry towel to buff it off. Make sure you clean into the corners as corrosion will easily start in there and work its way out on the chrome.
You can use this solution on your house windows (maybe use half-cup of vinegar in the ratio), but I tried it once on Car windows and didn't like the residual smell of vinegar. It gave me a strange craving for a bag of chips !! Auto Glass cleaners, as far as I know, have Isopropyl Alcohol instead of most of the vinegar-type acid. Its just as cheap and evaporates without leaving smears.
If the finish isn't shiney enough for you, then you can consider spending the £5 on a polish. However, the polish will always give a deeper shine to the chrome.
Let me know what you try and how it works anyway.
Take Care Out There.
Brian.
This depends on the condition of the Chrome really. If it has a nice finish and just has a layer of dirt on it, then a window cleaning spray will clean it up. But if I had black marks, water spotting or just plain tarnish, then I'd get a chrome polish from the Accessories shop. Its about a fiver for a tube.
Here's a cheap option for you to try. Give the whole bike a good washdown first. Get a mixing bowl and throw in 4 cups of Water, a quarter of a cup of distilled vinegar and add just a few drops of car shampoo and give it all a swish around. (No Car Shampoo? use a few drops of ordinary hair shampoo - no conditioner though!) A few drops is all you need - its just to help it cling to the surface. Use a soft terry towel to wipe the chrome down with the solution. Then rinse it off with clean water and then use a clean dry cotton terry towel to buff it off. Make sure you clean into the corners as corrosion will easily start in there and work its way out on the chrome.
You can use this solution on your house windows (maybe use half-cup of vinegar in the ratio), but I tried it once on Car windows and didn't like the residual smell of vinegar. It gave me a strange craving for a bag of chips !! Auto Glass cleaners, as far as I know, have Isopropyl Alcohol instead of most of the vinegar-type acid. Its just as cheap and evaporates without leaving smears.
If the finish isn't shiney enough for you, then you can consider spending the £5 on a polish. However, the polish will always give a deeper shine to the chrome.
Let me know what you try and how it works anyway.
Take Care Out There.
Brian.