Re-chrome fork stanchions?

[dinozoiks]

Oh lord, took my Manitou 1’s apart today and the stanchions are properly pitted.

I’m on the look out for some spare ones but if that doesn’t happen, has anyone had any luck rechroming fork stanchions?

I’ve looked into motorbike fork renovation and it consists of measuring the existing diameter, grinding the chrome off then replating to the original diameter.

Prices look a little silly though (£150-£180 for motorbike forks) but wondering if anyone has any experience or recommendations for mtb forks?

 

[Tootyred]

Ive done lots through my old job in motorbike restoration world.

Theres a difference between fork chrome and the chome you see on bumpers etc....sorry if the op knows this, but others may not be aware.

Chromium plating on items like bumpers is a basically non technically soft chrome.

Plating on fork stations is hard chrome. The process for forks is also very different.

On a normal chome item, the tolerance does not matter, so the stripping, blasting, polishing....whatever, then the coats of copper, nickel and final chome build up makes no difference as the finished size is pretty much irrelevant.

On a fork stantions, its not the same. The tolerance has to be spot on for the seals to work. The original size is taken off an unaffected section of the fork. The forks are then cylinder ground and checked for straightness. How far they grind depends on the corrosion and damage. The hard chrome is built up the same way, but the " thicker" top coat is then ground back on a cyclinrical grinder again to the original specified dimension. Its also why they tend not to be super shiny. Its also a lot of work! So if you think chroming is expensive......

I would say £150 a pair is about average.

See link.

https://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/faqs/faq-what-is-hard-chrome-plating
Ive used GB hardchrome in the past in essex or philpots in luton.

However, ive never put a set of bike forks their way tbh.

I dont know if you could get away with standard chome, but i should think the tolerance, wear and corrosion would all be issues. Its probably what goes onto cheap forks, hence the short life and pitting!

 

[dinozoiks]

Appreciate that. I did kinda know it was a different chrome but not much more than that. So thanks for the overview.

I’m not a million miles away from Luton so may tap up Philpots and see what they advise. Good shout.

 

[elite504]

OR... do you need to.
The horror show that you have, from what I can see, is near the lower bush. This part of the stanchion they even machined away on later forks to save weight. Whilst the region of that bottom bush looks bad, so long as the bush locakes, and the bore of the slider isn't shot, then you're half way there.
The top bush area by the seal, this doesn't usually get the corrosion as a wiper runs over it all the time (but it does wear if any grit gets in the mix. Examine the land where the seal slides, and you *may* be ok...

 

[dinozoiks]

But, but… I’ll know.

Actually, you may have a strong point there. I’ll go and have a stare at it and see if there is any pitting around the top seals / bushings.

I guess I just need to commit to “it’s just a looker” or “it’s totally for riding” as my guiding star. One is much cheaper.