My rear 19” hoop has some let’s say patina on the chrome. What’s the best way to smooth out that patina without damaging remaining chrome. I’ve been spraying with simple green it’s black sticky furry. Had to soak bead over night to get it off , removed tube and rim locks. Soaking the other bead now. Bitd we would used a new sos pad soaked in coke. Maybe something newer , better , they use now not what worked 50 years ago.

White vinegar and aluminum foil removes light rust on chrome quickly without scratching the good chrome.  Just wet a small piece of foil with the vinegar and rub lightly.  The foil will become thin and weak after a little bit, and you just throw it away and use another small piece.

Wash off the vinegar when you are done.

Well, HOT DOG !

Salvaging a rusty chrome wheel with household stuff. Steel wool by itself it’s painfully slow and dulls the chrome. Foil and white vinegar I was amazed how well it worked but hard to work with between spokes and tried coke in and foil didn’t work as well as vinegar. So a $3 box of Brillo pads and $1 bottle of coke , got a cup for coke so I can dip Brillo pad in coke as I’m going coke reacting to rust with soapy steel wool it goes real fast , smooth , shiny , chrome is coming back to life 100% better. Tried vinegar and brillo good but coke is better. The brillo pads make it Easy to do between and around spokes. I’ll use that polish I ordered on rim to seal it when I’m done. I did find a used vintage Borrani 19” wheel to match the front , rim is in UK. I got to help him with his pricing a bit to help cover shipping.
My vote is for coke and Brillo pads to renew your rusted chrome wheels and it’s cost effective , the reason why we did it 50 yrs ago , it works!

If you’re cleaning large areas of chrome the foil & vinegar would work good , like car bumpers. If using Brillo/sos pads get the pad wet with water or soapy water otherwise when the coke mixes with the soap on the pad , it becomes a real sticky gooey mess. I salvaged the rim one more time , it ain’t perfect but looks ok. Won’t be long till I have a rolling chassis.

Ruttly wrote on 03/22/23 at 19:29:01:


A few years ago I bought one of these little blow driers - I love it and use it a lot.  When I wash a motorcycle it works great for blowing water out of the brakes, wheels, cylinder head, all the crap up around the forks and headlight, radiator....etc.  When the blow drying is done a drying towel for the fuel tank and body panels.

The blower also works for drying parts you have cleaned with water or acetone prior to painting.  It works better than air from my compressor as there is more air....and the electric motor heats up the air a little bit.  It is also very handy for blowing wood chips off your table saw and other wood working tools.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/performance-tool-600w-garage-shop-b...

I can tell already  , it’s gonna have the race bike feel , light but with a very solid feel. Stock rear hub with a steel rim , it’s heavy but once it’s spinning it should eat thru any loose stuff on the track , almost like having a flywheel for a rear wheel. My heart beats faster when my hands are on the grips , yup I got the fever , bad !