Well I'm the one who started this thread about the chrome spokes breaking
and I have never used chromed spokes again. The real strong (and safe) way
to go is with stainless steel spokes. You can always polish them to look
almost like chrome.
Anyway to get back to the story i originally wrote about. I bought this
triump stag new back in '72 I think it was. I took it to local car wash
that morning to get washed, they had one of those brushes that comes out
from the side and cleans the wheel while it spins on a rotating drum. I
didn't think anything of it till later in the day I made a high speed run
up to sacramento and on the way back got in a race with a jaguar. We hit
over 120 at one point, yikes!! this scares me now but when your young your
invincible right!! Anyway when I got home I parked in a different place,
because someone was over the house and had parked in the driveway, so as I
was walking around the car I happened to look down at the rims and saw a
spoke dangling down. On closer inspection I could see that it was broken,
snapped in two. And the metal on the inside of the spoke looked white and
brittle. Luckily I had a spare that was also a chrome spoke so I put that
on. But It was very shocking to see that broken spoke after a high speed
run, I know that it was broken by that car wash deal. But it was scarry
enough to me that I have never used chrome spokes again. And when I was
into bikes later I always used stainless steel spokes.
Regards
Armand
>Bill, all. I used the message to add some thoughts of my own, not picking on
>anyone...just an easy place to reply...
>
>This is an interesting thread. I surfed a bit using Google and found this:
>
>"Hydrogen Embrittlement
>High strength steel, such as quenched and tempered steels or precipitation
>hardened steels are particularly susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement.
>Hydrogen can be introduced into the material in service or during materials
>processing.
>
>Hydrogen Embrittlement Failures
>Tensile stresses, susceptible material, and the presence of hydrogen are
>necessary to cause hydrogen embrittlement. Residual stresses or externally
>applied loads resulting in stresses significantly below yield stresses can
>cause cracking. Thus, catastrophic failure can occur without significant
>deformation or obvious deterioration of the component.
>
>Very small amounts of hydrogen can cause hydrogen embrittlement in high
>strength steels. Common causes of hydrogen embrittlement are pickling,
>electroplating and welding, however hydrogen embrittlement is not limited to
>these processes.
>
>Hydrogen embrittlement is an insidious type of failure as it can occur
>without an externally applied load or at loads significantly below yield
>stress. While high strength steels are the most common case of hydrogen
>embrittlement all materials are susceptible. "
>
>>From the above, it would appear that electroplating does indeed cause
>hydrogen embrittlement. Anothe paper I scanned said that the hydrogen comes
>from the cleaning process used in plating: that it comes from the acid
>solution used to clean the parts. Then the parts are plated over entrapping
>the hydrogen. Additionally failures are accelerated when the materials are
>put into tensile stress (spokes). I remember as an engineer using high
>strength materials that we had to specify that parts be baked for quite some
>long periods to remove hydrogen to prevent stress failures.
>
>hope this helps to clear the air...
>
>mayf, the red necked ignorant desert rat and hooligan in Pahrump
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Bill Blue" <dablue@worldnet.att.net>
>To: "Armand Ritchie" <ritchie@mcn.org>; <alpines@autox.team.net>
>Sent: Monday, December 24, 2001 6:39 AM
>Subject: Re: Help me decide!!
>
>
>> I don't think there is any way that chrome plating causes brittleness. My
>> job takes me into pretty close contact with electroplaters, and
>> enbrittlement is something I have never heard them discuss.
>Electroplating
>> uses a low voltage DC current which should not alter the properties of the
>> parent material. I would guess the broken spoke was due to the use of an
>> improper steel alloy or perhaps a slag inclusion in the steel.
>>
>> There is another process that is used to dip bodies. Once more, this is
>> someting I have heard about as part of work, so I don't know a lot about
>it.
>> I do know there is a fellow in Evansville, Indiana that dips bodies in a
>> cyanide solution. I have not seen the results, but my contact in
>Evansville
>> says it does a beautiful job, much like the process Ian and Jan use.
>> Bill
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Armand Ritchie" <ritchie@mcn.org>
>> To: <alpines@autox.team.net>
>> Sent: Sunday, December 23, 2001 4:03 PM
>> Subject: Re: Help me decide!!
>>
>>
>> > Paul,
>> > I have had both chrome and painted wire wheels in the past and I can
>tell
>> > you my opinion. The chromes look great but are a pain to keep clean,
>they
>> > seem to attract dirt like a magnet. The painted ones always seem to
>look
>> > good, even when there a little dirty you don't notice it as much.
>> > I also had a problem years ago with the chrome wires on my Triumph Stag.
>> > The spokes them selves were very brittle and I found one of them broken
>> > (snapped in the middle like a pretzel) after a trip through the car
>wash.
>> > I always thought that the brittleness was from the chroming process but
>> I'm
>> > not sure on that.
>> >
>> > regards
>> > Armand
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > >List,
>> > >I just received a nice Christmas award gift ($$$$) and would like to
>put
>> > >it into my Series 3 estoration before he wife gets wind of it. I need
>> you
>> > >guys to help me decide on something.
>> > >
>> > >I am going to buy new wire wheels from British Wire Wheel with this
>cash.
>> > >The question is should I buy regular wire and paint them or go with all
>> > >chrome?
>> > >I have been researching powder colors for months and cannot get an
>exact
>> > >match. I did however come very close to the original sample from Ian
>and
>> > >Company. (just a shade darker) Custom matching the powder is going to
>be
>> > >too expensive so that's not an option. Also, regular paint is not an
>> > >option as I'm addicted to powders durability and connot get myself to
>use
>> > >liquid paint. Unless you can talk me into it.
>> > >I attended the British Conclave in Denver last summer and looked at
>> > >hundreds of british cars with wire wheels and chrome knock-offs. I
>> looked
>> > >at many with chrome wires and many more with paint. I must admit, the
>> > >chrome looked better to me. Although I was leaning to keep the
>original
>> > >period look, I walked away confused and wanting Chrome!
>> > >BTW, my 3 eared knock-off's are already back from the chrome shop and
>> look
>> > >FANTASTIC!! Better than factory!!
>> > >
>> > >Help me!
>> > >Paul
>> > >Colorado
>> > >Series 3 GT (waiting on body paint and still throwing "stupid" money at
>> > >it) :)
>> >
>> > ritchie@mcn.org
>> > Armand Ritchie
>>
ritchie@mcn.org
Armand Ritchie
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