Huffy/Raleigh Chrome Update

I promised an update on how my super cheap-o chrome touch-up went. I didn't get everything done last weekend that I wanted to, but overall I would say that the silver paint solution is only partially successful. Here's a rust spot on the front hub before and after touch up with the silver paint sprayed on a paper towel.

Obviously, it doesn't completely match the chrome, but for just a couple dollars a can, what can you expect? After all, the idea is to make the rusty spots look better, not perfect.

The main problem, however, is that even when dry, the silver paint (and all readily available metallic spray paints, based on the customer reviews I've found online) rubs off very easily. After more than two days of drying in very low humidity, I still had a bit of silver on my fingers after handling painted items. My solution to this (hopefully) is going to be to clear coat all of the silver painted parts with spray enamel, essentially encasing the silver paint. I've experimented with this on the small nose cap on the front fender, and it seems to work. The real test will be whether it works on the brake lever, since I'm not keen on showing up silver-handed everywhere I go.

I'll add that I would not recommend this technique for folks intent on doing meticulous original restorations, or who are super-finicky about having everything look just so. This technique covers the rust, but if anyone looks closely enough, it's very obvious that it's just silver paint. Also, only time will tell how durable this solution is. That being said, I think it's going to be just fine for the Huffeigh, since it's going to be a working cargo bike, not a museum piece. 

Posted in: 1955 Huffy/Raleigh Sportsman,how to,hubs,paint