Getting Down & Dirty: Bike Rim Chroming - The DIY Way

Booya!

Perhaps you can already tell what is today's blog post about from my Title.


Yup, I had my bike rim chromed in Feb (with the help of none other than DBT). I was too lazy to blog about it back then. Before the rims are chromed, it was reflective rim stickers.

DBT suggested that I should chrome my bike rim (the DIY way) since the reflective stickers are sort of peeling off and it distort the shape of the rim. I pasted the stickers on myself and hence, it was pasted on in a perfect circle shape.


We went over to Mustafa to get necessary stuffs.
It was really easy to chrome your own rims but be prepared to spend a lot of time on it.


So, it is really a good way to pass your time if you are dying of boredom. Plus! I think you need not spend more than $50 on getting the stuffs. Save tons of money from sending it to bike shop to do the work. However, it is back-aching work.


*DO NOT TRY THIS IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THE PATIENCE*


I believe you would not want to ride your bike out if your rims are in half-fucked condition

Here are some stuffs that you need before you proceed on chroming your rim :


1) Paint Remover ($6.50 from Mustafa Lvl 4)


2) Thinner (Very important! Splash this over the area where you had the Paint Remover in contact with your skin. The Paint Remover stings your skin very badly!)


3) Paintbrush ( Tip: get those with neat brush ends)


4) Sandpaper - 800 and 1000


5) A container (For easy dipping your brush in Paint Remover duh!)


6) Masking Tape (Optional, unless you have a pair of steady hands)


7) Autosol or any Chrome Polish


Optional: Snack and drinks

Everything prepared!


Let's get down and dirty then.


Step 1: Sticking The Masking Tape
P.S. Remove your rim stickers (if you have any) prior to this ok?


You can totally skip this if you think you have a pair of steady hands.


The purpose of doing this is to ensure that you do not get the Paint Remover at areas where it should not be. It is also to protect your precious tyres from it.

Tip: Tear the masking tape in short pieces so that you can stick it around the rims easier.

It should look somewhat like that when you are done. 


Step 2: Applying The Paint Remover


Now that you can apply the Paint Remover on with ease since there are masking tapes.

Tip: Don't dip your brush directly into the can of Paint Remover.
One, after a few dips, don't be surprised if your brush ended up in a bad shape with the bristles in all directions.
Two, the rest of the Paint Remover left in the can would not be that effective anymore.


Be good and pour some of it into another container.

Apply a few good coats of it.


It will take quite some time for it to work its magic on the paint.
Meanwhile, you can continue to sticking masking tapes/applying Paint Remover on the other side of the rim.


Or!
Sit back, relax, snack on your tidbits and monkey around.

This photo taken by DBT is so unflattering!

After some time, the paint would look some what like this.

You can start by gently scraping off the paint with either the brush or something else.
But be careful not to scratch your rims.


If some of the paint are not coming off, don't go scraping it even harder.
Leave it for awhile more or apply some of the Paint Remover.


When you are pretty sure that the paint are coming off, wash them off with water. 
Check for any paint left on the rim.


If so, apply the Paint Remover on it again.

(DIY Chromed rim)

(With reflective rim stickers)


Check out the difference of having reflective rim stickers and chromed rims!
It looks so much nicer!


Step 3: Sanding With 800 and 1000


Splash a bit of water onto the rims before you start sanding.


First, sand with 800 followed by 1000.
This is to sand away any dirt and ensure a smooth and nice surface before you start polishing.

Result of putting water and sandpaper together.


Step 4: Touching Up With Spray Paint (Optional)


This is purely optional.
In my case, parts of the black paint of the rims came off exposing the orange base-paint.


It was truly an ugly sight.


Hence, I have them covered with black spray paint.
You can also use this method to cover off the wavy lines.

To do this, use short strips of masking tapes to cover the chrome part of the rim.
Make sure that the side edges of the masking tapes form a perfect circle.
After that, proceed to spray on the paint carefully.


Leave the paint to dry.


Step 5: Polishing


When the paint is dry, remove the masking tapes and start polishing!


And then, YOU ARE DONE!

That's all for now!


Have fun chroming your own rims!


P.S. I did the sanding part while my DBT did the paint removing part. He couldn't stand me playing with the Paint Remover.