Black Chrome

yuke175 · Apr 15, 2010

I have heard alot of problems about black chrome wheels peeling due to cleaning with anything but soap and water. How do you guys with the black chrome wheels go about cleaning and polishing yours... i dont want to buy wheels i cant make nice and shiney

thanks alot, aparently the clear coat on the wheels peels due to acids in some cleaners

Javi · Apr 15, 2010

its not what you use to clean them, it's the materials used on the wheels.

yuke175 · Apr 15, 2010

? thats what i mean, the chemicals in certain cleaners... so im just wondering what people on here use

Sinned83 · Apr 17, 2010

I dont have experience with these wheels just use the soap and water and a wheel brush

SRT Handz · Apr 26, 2010

The reason chrome peels is because they were not manufactured properly during the chroming process. Cleaning really has nothing to do with it.

lrall · Apr 26, 2010

SRT Handz said:
The reason chrome peels is because they were not manufactured properly during the chroming process. Cleaning really has nothing to do with it.

^^Truth, my moms wheels are turning to sh!t because of poor chroming

SRT Handz · Apr 26, 2010

I will say this about cleaning chrome.....

Chrome is a VERY soft and VERY thin coating that scratches very easily. Chrome dulls because of fine scratches from cleaning. Make sure to clean the chrome with Microfiber and be gentle to keep the shine :thumbsup:

danielson631 · May 3, 2010

i use a microfiber glove thing that has one side smooth and the other side is like dreads. when i clean them i either use regular car wash soap or simple green.

my rims have one spot that is chipping, and its getting worse and worse. after i put them on, they had a rough winter so this could be why they are chipping already. next summer it will be time for new wheels, these will be so faded theyll be hard to look at

Paul · May 3, 2010

SRT Handz said:
Chrome is a VERY soft

Huh? What metallurgy books have you been reading?

Hard chrome is rated similarly to tool steel in hardness.

and VERY thin coating that scratches very easily.

A good hard chrome is a few thousandths thick, which is on par with most metal coatings. Chrome doesn't scratch nearly as easy as many metals.

Paul.

SRT Handz · May 3, 2010

Paul do you have any detailing Experience with Chrome?

Is so, please post some of your work.

From my learnings of Detailing Chrome through other professionals and reading many books and articles on detailing.... and also personal experience as a trained professional, I have learned that chrome coating is VERY thin. Even thinner that some paints on cars. Since chrome is just a coating, its just applied very thin to the metal its covering.

And this is also why Chrome scratches VERY easy with terrycloth towels. Since the terrycloth is so abrasive, it leaves scratches on the chrome plating..... and as every Professional Detailer knows, the softer the coating, the easier it scratches.

Paul · May 4, 2010

Handz, do you have any understanding of metallurgy? I'm going to guess no.

Yes, chrome is thin. So is all metal plating. That's why it's called metal PLATING.

I'm sure terrycloth is way higher on the Rockwell hardness scale than chromium.

Stick to detailing, and stop trying to teach people the finer points of metal properties and plating.

Paul.

SRT Handz · May 4, 2010

Paul said:
Handz, do you have any understanding of metallurgy? I'm going to guess no.

This is the detailing forum....

Paul said:
Yes, chrome is thin. So is all metal plating. That's why it's called metal PLATING.

Thank you for restating the topic captain obvious

Paul said:
I'm sure terrycloth is way higher on the Rockwell hardness scale than chromium.

Go dry your car with a terry cloth bath towel.... they are So soft, and work Great!!! Wont Scratch Ever!!!

Paul said:
Stick to detailing, and stop trying to teach people the finer points of metal properties and plating.

Paul.

Yes, this is the Detailing forum... Please go back to making stuff out of Zip Ties.

Paul · May 4, 2010

I'll stick to my zip ties (and engine building, and suspension building, and powdercoating) if you stick to waxing your fake race seat!

Paul.

SRT Handz · May 4, 2010

Paul said:
I'll stick to my zip ties (and engine building, and suspension building, and powdercoating) if you stick to waxing your fake race seat!

Paul.

Thanks for Trolling the Shine Shop, Post a write up when you actually do some detailing

cnryYell0gt · May 4, 2010

Chrome scratches easily. Use microfiber with soap and water and then a good silver polish will do wonders. My chrome looks deep even after sitting all winter in a dusty garage without getting cleaned in 6 months. Also why does paul say Paul. After every post? It's not an email/letter.

94kingcbra · May 5, 2010

I usually spray down the wheels with purple thunder heavy duty degreaser for brake dust, oil, and grease, then wash them with the carwash mit and soapy water for the brake dust. I've had good luck using a fine steel wool, on chrome that has water spots and various types of build up if the washing doesn't get it first. After that the mothers cone on a drill with a good polishing wax finishes it up.

N8Legarda · May 5, 2010

i think what Handz means is that since it is so thin that it is delicate, or soft to us not familiar with metals. Paul says it is hard, which makes sense because if it is extremely thin and hard then it would be more brittle. 100 ways to find out the same thing..chrome peels and chips lol

96 VERT · May 5, 2010

Paul said:
I'll stick to my zip ties (and engine building, and suspension building, and powdercoating) if you stick to waxing your fake race seat!

Paul.

i thought his seats were sparco, am i mistaken his car for another?

and i also thought this was a thread about cleaning wheels, not dick measuring, so why dont you be a mod and get this thread back on topic.

and as for cleaning black chrome wheels,

http://www.ehow.com/how_5806952_clean-black-chrome.html

OnyxCobra · May 7, 2010

Oh man this got fun. I have to admit this is the first time I've ever heard of chrome scratching easily, I could see it if it was really dirty and you were grinding the dirt and brake dust into the chrome with the towel, but I don't think there's any way in hell a terrycloth towel would scratch clean chrome, if chrome was that fragile I can't see it holding up well on wheels and bumpers.