Thursday, November 27, 2014

Fixing Chrome Parts

My initial attempt at prepping chrome parts was to fix the fork covers, which didn't go well as the metal was thin and warped when I welded it. I wanted to use original BSA fenders and found a front and rear on Craig’s list. The front fender was dented and the rear one had extra holes in it. I used a rubber block to hold the fenders and contoured aluminum blocks to remove the dents from the inside. This worked well. The front fender had a crack that needed welding which I did with TIG. I also filled a dent over the bracket that I could not remove and ground the contour back in with a right angle grinder. While the front fender came out good I was not able to get the holes in the rear fender filled without warping the sheet metal. When I tried to take out the warp I cracked the weld. Lesson learned. I will purchase a replacement which will make a good comparison between “Made in England” reproductions and re-chromed original BSA. 



Simple tools for removing dents. 


Parts were sanded to a 120 grit finish and blasted with aluminum oxide media. 


Removing dents from the chain guard which was an eBay find. 


The chain had damaged the rear section. Dents were removed and it was re-finished.