Chrome Downpipes

03-06-2004, 07:29 PM

Hi All

I thinking of getting my exhaust downpipes on my m900ie chrome plated,
So before I remove them I would like to hear all of your comments good or bad.

Cheers all

Charlie

03-06-2004, 07:44 PM

obviously would look fine n dandy but keeping on top of the cleaning?! moving to texas may help!

Paranoid Dave · 03-06-2004, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A Yerbury

obviously would look fine n dandy but keeping on top of the cleaning?! moving to texas may help!

or just don't ride it, it'll spoil the look.

03-06-2004, 07:52 PM

you could get them polished at a reasonable price for the same effect there is another post on here with a good example can't find it right now .
or good old elbow grease and do it yourself for free

03-06-2004, 07:58 PM

thinking of plating how about nickel -if that can be done? or a chrome look powdercoat may be more practical. m900dom had his downs polished and..well, looked like chrome I spose! a belly pan may help as they cover the underside which u dont see but leave the front exposed that u do?

slob · 03-06-2004, 08:20 PM

What about teflon...for that nice wipe clean finish? although I've never seen anyone offering the service.

03-06-2004, 09:51 PM

Right then.

Chrome will go blue very rapidly for the first 6" from the head and you'll end up asking if vinegars OK to clean off blueing on chrome. This is why many chrome pipes are twin skinned. Black chrome?? not sure about this stuff.

Nickels a nice yellow but polished stainless is more pleasant. This will also go blue as nickel is used in the chroming process anyhow.

Stainless is great and if you get the pipes polished then it takes progrssively less work to keep them nice. They do go straw brown and get **** burnt on them too but so will other finishes, at least you can go back to bare metal without damage.

Powder coat is stoved at 200c and extended operation at over 180c is no good for the stuff, your downpipes will get hotter than this. I have some thermocouples and a data logger and I'll attach them to my downpipes in the next day or two. I reckon it would last till the end of the road before falling off.

Wet sprayed heat resistant paint - manages to look ****e in about 5 minutes flat. On stainless you will also have a problem with the acidic etch prime constituent in the paint even keying to the metal and it may just peel off.

What about cow ****. Once that bakes on its impossible to shift due to the magic ingredients of grass, buttercups, stomach juices and e-coli. Maybe Didge has opinion on this.

03-06-2004, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slob

What about teflon...for that nice wipe clean finish? although I've never seen anyone offering the service.

Theres a place in Hinckley and several in Northampton. I'm playing around with Teflon on some heaters but its heat resistance is only moderate (about 250c) the food in the pan dispersing the heat and preventing it vanishing. It does fume a bit from new if you get it very hot, containing PTFE(this is poisonous to budgies)

Theres also vitreous enamel which is stoved at 800c. Normally its coated onto special steel (vitrosteel) and thats hard to get in small quantities. Its what they put on grille pans etc. Theres only a few cooker manufacturers use it in their own machines and about 3 subcontract coaters left in the UK. Its pricey and being glass based is hard but brittle.

03-06-2004, 11:11 PM

wow!!!! there u have it, toss up between a good polishing or a resilient layer of buttercups and bull****! I think I'll leave mine au naturel, how did Bryon do his?
Alex.

spacemonkey · 04-06-2004, 07:09 PM

What about Blueing or Parkerising? I don't know much about heat and metallurgy, but we do this to guns and they sure pack some heat. Well??

04-06-2004, 08:04 PM

we do this to guns? what? u have your own A team as well as day job?!

04-06-2004, 08:14 PM

Blueing is a heat treatment process where yu heat something in an oven to about 600c and it oxidises naturally. Parkerisisation is a chemical blacking process based on Manganese or zinc, its most suited to carbon steels and is good for about 200c continuous with occasional forays a bit hotter. Its OK for guns but done properly is expensive. You are actually putting an inferior finish onto stainless, why when you can get it polished.???

Theres a firm called rigidised metals over London way that do coloured stainless and its really impressive stuff. But a lot of the finishes are glorified lacquers that give the impression of colour and under heat it doesnt last.

The issue of heat resisting finishes is the bain of my life in heating appliances. I wish someone would bring out a water based heat resisting paint, but they cant do it....yet...

04-06-2004, 08:17 PM

Anodising???

spacemonkey · 04-06-2004, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duncan

The issue of heat resisting finishes is the bain of my life in heating appliances. I wish someone would bring out a water based heat resisting paint, but they cant do it....yet...

Oh, I'm sure there's a Boffin somewhere in a shed in England somewhere working on this...

04-06-2004, 09:10 PM

yup, and he will miss neptune by 2 furlongs. god bless brits in sheds. seriously dunc u sound like you know a scary amount about this is there another metal or substance that would do a better job than stainless? and what would the inevitable costs be?
Alex-good at art but **** at chemistry.

03-06-2004, 07:29 PM	#1
chas Guest Posts: n/a	Chrome Downpipes Hi All I thinking of getting my exhaust downpipes on my m900ie chrome plated, So before I remove them I would like to hear all of your comments good or bad. Cheers all Charlie

04-06-2004, 07:09 PM	#10
spacemonkey I see dead people. Join Date: May 2003 Location: Carving a slice thru the braindead masses..(pun intended) Bike: M900 Posts: 1,464	What about Blueing or Parkerising? I don't know much about heat and metallurgy, but we do this to guns and they sure pack some heat. Well?? __________________ http://www.jasperfforde.com/swindon/7wonders.html

03-06-2004, 07:44 PM	#2
A Yerbury Guest Posts: n/a	obviously would look fine n dandy but keeping on top of the cleaning?! moving to texas may help!

03-06-2004, 07:52 PM	#4
Nigel C Guest Posts: n/a	you could get them polished at a reasonable price for the same effect there is another post on here with a good example can't find it right now . or good old elbow grease and do it yourself for free

03-06-2004, 07:58 PM	#5
A Yerbury Guest Posts: n/a	thinking of plating how about nickel -if that can be done? or a chrome look powdercoat may be more practical. m900dom had his downs polished and..well, looked like chrome I spose! a belly pan may help as they cover the underside which u dont see but leave the front exposed that u do?

03-06-2004, 08:20 PM	#6
slob . Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: East London Bike: Multiple Monsters Posts: 9,711	What about teflon...for that nice wipe clean finish? although I've never seen anyone offering the service.

03-06-2004, 09:51 PM	#7
Duncan Guest Posts: n/a	Right then. Chrome will go blue very rapidly for the first 6" from the head and you'll end up asking if vinegars OK to clean off blueing on chrome. This is why many chrome pipes are twin skinned. Black chrome?? not sure about this stuff. Nickels a nice yellow but polished stainless is more pleasant. This will also go blue as nickel is used in the chroming process anyhow. Stainless is great and if you get the pipes polished then it takes progrssively less work to keep them nice. They do go straw brown and get ** burnt on them too but so will other finishes, at least you can go back to bare metal without damage. Powder coat is stoved at 200c and extended operation at over 180c is no good for the stuff, your downpipes will get hotter than this. I have some thermocouples and a data logger and I'll attach them to my downpipes in the next day or two. I reckon it would last till the end of the road before falling off. Wet sprayed heat resistant paint - manages to look e in about 5 minutes flat. On stainless you will also have a problem with the acidic etch prime constituent in the paint even keying to the metal and it may just peel off. What about cow **. Once that bakes on its impossible to shift due to the magic ingredients of grass, buttercups, stomach juices and e-coli. Maybe Didge has opinion on this.

03-06-2004, 11:11 PM	#9
A Yerbury Guest Posts: n/a	wow!!!! there u have it, toss up between a good polishing or a resilient layer of buttercups and bull****! I think I'll leave mine au naturel, how did Bryon do his? Alex.

04-06-2004, 08:04 PM	#11
A Yerbury Guest Posts: n/a	we do this to guns? what? u have your own A team as well as day job?!

04-06-2004, 08:14 PM	#12
Duncan Guest Posts: n/a	Blueing is a heat treatment process where yu heat something in an oven to about 600c and it oxidises naturally. Parkerisisation is a chemical blacking process based on Manganese or zinc, its most suited to carbon steels and is good for about 200c continuous with occasional forays a bit hotter. Its OK for guns but done properly is expensive. You are actually putting an inferior finish onto stainless, why when you can get it polished.??? Theres a firm called rigidised metals over London way that do coloured stainless and its really impressive stuff. But a lot of the finishes are glorified lacquers that give the impression of colour and under heat it doesnt last. The issue of heat resisting finishes is the bain of my life in heating appliances. I wish someone would bring out a water based heat resisting paint, but they cant do it....yet...

04-06-2004, 08:17 PM	#13
Nigel C Guest Posts: n/a	Anodising???

04-06-2004, 09:10 PM	#15
A Yerbury Guest Posts: n/a	yup, and he will miss neptune by 2 furlongs. god bless brits in sheds. seriously dunc u sound like you know a scary amount about this is there another metal or substance that would do a better job than stainless? and what would the inevitable costs be? Alex-good at art but **** at chemistry.