Chrome Cleaner

[Brunel100]

Hello fellow Suffolk owners.
I know you must be there but lately the discussion forum seems completely moribund!
So just to test the waters and see how many people can respond I thought I would share an excellent tip I was given regarding cleaning chrome.
Twenty years ago I restored an Austin 10 which was my first car, bought for £35 when I was aged 16 in 1966.
I was determined to get the best job I could afford and was recommended to use London Chroming Company as they were called at the time. I will never forget seeing the chromed parts as they were revealed from newspaper wrapping. It was the work of master craftsmen and it still looks as good today as it did twenty years ago.
For various reasons that company is now called CAPITAL CHROMING LTD. and they reside in The Old Kent Road, London. Back in those days they gave away a tin of very popular chrome cleaner which I have always tried to use until recently when I had the hinges for my Suffolk chromed by them and asked if they still supplied the same cleaner. The answer was that they no longer supplied it because there was a much better alternative and that is, Mr Muscle Window and Glass Cleaner. (I hasten to add that I have no connection with the company) of course this is cheap as chips and you can also use it on the house! No streaks, no hard rubbing, no waiting to dry.
So now all you avid chrome cleaners can polish chrome and windows at the same time. I’ve been using it about a year now and can’t imagine using anything else.
So come on Suffolk owners, even if you don’t like the suggestion let’s have some feedback and see if we can get some new conversations going.

By the way today I installed a pair of 8 inch x 21/4 inch road springs rated at 130 lbs on my SS100 and I’m delighted at the improvement in the ride. But that’s for another day.

[Tintin]

"Mr Muscle Window and Glass Cleaner. (I hasten to add that I have no connection with the company) of course this is cheap as chips and you can also use it on the house! No streaks, no hard rubbing, no waiting to dry."

Sounds like one of those "Don't be ridiculous it can't possibly....." adverts!

I use AUTOSOL.

Do you happen to know what the active ingredients are and how they achieve the claimed results?! I always thought that light abrasion of the chrome surface was necessary to achieve the high polish finish.

Robbie

PS Sorry - I'm not a Suffolk owner, but I do have chrome to polish!!

[PPV]

Hi, sorry I am not a Suffolk owner but I do have chrome to clean and use two products, Autosol and Peeks, both to good effect. They help seal the surface I feel but I also polish after otherwise chrome will deteriorate as it is very thin and if not triple plated corrode. Also too thick a top coat leads to micro-fissures which the eye cannot see and will allow moisture to enter with the obvious results of the chrome lifting in good time.
Regards,

[Brunel100]

Hi Guys

I previously used Autosol as that was the product supplied by Capital Chroming foc. I still use Autosol paste on my stainless exhaust manifold, but once used it on the chrome radiator cowl and rubbed through the chrome requiring a rechroming job through Suffolk Sportscars under warranty.

I don’t know the ingredients of Mr Muscle Window and Glass Cleaner but just as I used Autosol at the recommendation of Capital Chrome I now use Mr Muscle.

Hope you try it; very good on Perspex too as there are no abrasives.

[Tintin]

"....but once used it on the chrome radiator cowl and rubbed through the chrome requiring a rechroming job through Suffolk Sportscars under warranty."

Any plating will wear through after polishing over time - thin plating will wear through more quickly. We have several old silver plated items about the house that have suffered this way due to over zealous polishing; the old and dirty items on the other hand are near perfect. Your Suffolk radiator may have had a thin plate finish.

We have both Mr Muscle and Autosol in the house. Autosol claims to clean, polish, protect and remove rust and to give lasting weather protection. Mr Muscle on the other hand contains vinegar, an acid which may be corrosive to metal unless used with care.

Robbie

[Brunel100]

Robbie

Some people have on occasion been known to put vinegar on food and eat it.

I don’t think vinegar would in any way harm chrome plating.

Please refer to my original text where I stated this is the preferred product of a leading chrome plating provider.

I’m just passing on that information.

Regards

Ray

[PPV]

I hate to disagree about the comment that vinegar will not harm the chrome. As I referred to, chrome is a very hard metal but it does tend to have micro cracks in it etc. Vinegar can be used to clean (as can cola) but you must rinse it off as they are both acids and will attack any weakspots. Then as I said you should seal the surface otherwise water will attack the sub layers and the first you will know about it is that the chrome flakes off.
There are many metallurgical studies on this and I would suggest if the plater says you can just use acid to clean chrome and not wash off thoroughly, dry thoroughly and protect afterwards then he may be able to plate things but does not have metallurgical knowledge.
Regards,

[NATONEIL]

I have tried lots of products but agree some of them are too abrasive and after a deep polish you can thin or remove the chrome plate. I like to autoglym chrome polish which leaves my chrome silky smooth. However I do not use it often once or twice a year at most.