Pitted Fork Legs

not sure, but it might be cheaper to buy new ones... are we talking about 38mm? Ceriani or Marzocchi? is it just for classic restoration or do you want also to improve the travel?

BTW: chromeing will be thicker in the center of the tube than on the ends (nature of the process...). This typically means that if you chrome them to a 38mm exact center (which is roughly where the seal sits when mounted), above and below it is less than 38mm, which might cause over time that the fork leaks quicker again. Also, the resistance changes slightly over the movement of the legs. So - If you want not only to make them new and shiny but also working better, make sure the chromer knows what he does (put LOTS of more chrome on it) and you find someone to grind the chrome down and polish it again so it is 38mm all over the place...  ;)

To be clear: this is not necessary if you just go for a spin once in a while, it just is the cherry on the icing ;-)
 
I have heard stories that new copies of fork stanchions are thinner-walled and inferior quality.

The hard chroming process involves grinding down the old finish, chroming to a higher thickness and then precision grinding back to the required diameter.
In the many stanchions and shock damper rods I have had hard chromed (also by AM Philpot) the finish is deep and even, with no leaks.
 
Grant said:
I have heard stories that new copies of fork stanchions are thinner-walled and inferior quality.

The hard chroming process involves grinding down the old finish, chroming to a higher thickness and then precision grinding back to the required diameter.
In the many stanchions and shock damper rods I have had hard chromed (also by AM Philpot) the finish is deep and even, with no leaks.
Click to expand...

Now you are saying it, there was even something about a double-tubed stanchion on certain models Marnix wrote about...  ::)

If the chromer can make the necessary precision grinding, that would be ideal. If for a racer, one could even consider getting the stanchions afterwards DLC- or TNC- treated to make them last longer and slide with even less restrictions. Would not do that on a classic bike though, as it is so obviously wrong to the classic look.
 
Precision grinding is part of the process of hard chroming Lothar.
I can only speak from experience of AM Philpot but I would think any hard chromer would offer an even diameter of chromed shafts and tubes.
It bears no relation to cosmetic chroming.
 
Grant said:
I have heard stories that new copies of fork stanchions are thinner-walled and inferior quality.
Click to expand...

Thinner wall tube would render the damper useless... in that case, tube doesn't need to be of inferior steel quality to make it junk.  ID is a critical dimension, just as much as OD.

Fwiw, 38mm Ceriani tubes are thinner-walled than Marzocchi, lighter, but quite flimsy in comparison.

piet
 
I can also recommend AM Philpots. Rechromed my RGS fork tubes for less than new ones. It took some time but they said it was due to their quality inspection had rejected the hard chroming and had to redo it  ::).Nevertheless, the result was top class.

Arne
 
sfcpiet said:
Thinner wall tube would render the damper useless...
Click to expand...

As would thicker wall. The hard chrome outfit should be aware that the ID of the forks must be preserved. You don't want chrome deposited on the inside otherwise the thickness of chrome will decrease the ID of the leg and the damper piston won't fit. I presume they plug the ends before dropping them into the chrome tank, but I'm not sure. Maybe they fill the inside with wax. It won't hurt to ask how they do it. They won't mind you taking an interest in their work.

Some hard chroming companies will say that the forks will be better than new because the thick chrome layer is more hard-wearing than the original forks. But such an outcome cannot be guaranteed. If your forks are deeply pitted they may be too far gone for hard chroming. There's a good explanation of what can go wrong with hard chroming on the Triumph forum, here: https://www.triumphrat.net/air-cooled-twins-technical-talk/650897-fork-rechrome-issues.html
 
Years ago I fitted a 35mm Maz disc brake fork to a 64 Bonnie and I needed a couple of sets of tapered roller steering head bearing with a bigger OD,none could be found so I got the outer of the bearing cup hard chromed about 4mm thick and ground to fit. They applied the hard chrome only on the outer section of the bearing so there must be a way to mask them.Worked very well
 
People seem to be looking for problems here.
I have had both makes of fork stanchion re-chromed with no issues with fork performance afterwards.
Chrome was an even thickness along the length ( even OD) and the internal surfaces were as before.
 
I don't see why there is any issue,refurbing suspension components both fork legs and shock rods happens all the time when rust is found.The only thing that has a bearing is rehard chroming can take some time with waiting lists and it can be costly, I bought replacements when my Pantah forks were done for that reason.I had some Ohlin piggyback twin shock shafts done when finding replacements wasnt going to happen.
 
Grant said:
People seem to be looking for problems here.
Click to expand...

Indeed, philpotts have been the go to people for this as long as I've been riding bikes (& likely a few decades before that) - if they didn't know exactly what they were doing, they'd have been out of the game long ago
 
sfc1000uk said:
Indeed, philpotts have been the go to people for this as long as I've been riding bikes (& likely a few decades before that) - if they didn't know exactly what they were doing, they'd have been out of the game long ago
Click to expand...
Well said - totally agree to that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top