I have some very nasty looking chrome fenders, so I decided to do some experimenting.
This is a junkyard fender off of an XS1100 Special. It's the sacrificial lamb.
Rusty enough?
I put about 5 gallons of water into the bucket. Then I added 2 cups of phosphoric acid. Do it that way to reduce risk of splashing acid. Then, I added the chrome fender. It is a weak solution, so that I could maintain control. That fender remained in solution for 24 hours thereabouts.
Straight from the bucket. No scrubbing, just a hose rinse.
The rust has been removed. Here it after a quick once over with chrome cleaner and Meguiar's Quick Wax.
The acid did not appear to damage the chrome. It cleaned up well without any significant work. I'm going to leave it out on the porch for a while and see how it holds up. As bad as it is pitted, I'll be throwing it away.
This XS650 fender just went into the bucket. I hope it's usable after it's done cooking.
This is a junkyard fender off of an XS1100 Special. It's the sacrificial lamb.
Rusty enough?
I put about 5 gallons of water into the bucket. Then I added 2 cups of phosphoric acid. Do it that way to reduce risk of splashing acid. Then, I added the chrome fender. It is a weak solution, so that I could maintain control. That fender remained in solution for 24 hours thereabouts.
The acid did not appear to damage the chrome. It cleaned up well without any significant work. I'm going to leave it out on the porch for a while and see how it holds up. As bad as it is pitted, I'll be throwing it away.
This XS650 fender just went into the bucket. I hope it's usable after it's done cooking.