# Painting Chrome or Bright Metal on G519 Tribute Bike



## Michael Boyd (Sep 12, 2019)

Hi All,
Getting ready to paint and assemble the G519 Tribute bike and found a lot of helpful ideas on this site....thanks to all.
Question: I followed the advice of someone in here and got the air pump off eBay from overseas. ( I did get the Bergerwerke air pump holder part which is perfect)
As I start painting it OD(again got it from the company that was suggested on here)

Do you just primer the chrome and bright metal parts or is there something else that it needs for the paint to stick....particularly on a part like the chrome down below or the rims. Thanks in advance, Mike


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## ChadC (Sep 12, 2019)

Scuff up the chrome with a green scotchbrite or sandpaper. Prime and paint. It'll easily scratch, but the nice thing is it's easy to touch up.


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## rustjunkie (Sep 12, 2019)

i’d take the parts to a plater and have them stripped to bare metal, then zinc chromate, then paint


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## Michael Boyd (Sep 12, 2019)

I think I can handle the “scruff” idea , unfortunately, in my town I don’t think we have a plater, but that knowledge will helpful on a future project. 
  I’ve done a lot of painting with my antique cars and MC’s , but you never paint chrome, so I had a hunch there was something that needed to be done before priming in order for the paint to stick and hold.


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## DaGasMan (Sep 12, 2019)

Michael Boyd said:


> I think I can handle the “scruff” idea , unfortunately, in my town I don’t think we have a plater, but that knowledge will helpful on a future project.
> I’ve done a lot of painting with my antique cars and MC’s , but you never paint chrome, so I had a hunch there was something that needed to be done before priming in order for the paint to stick and hold.



I just painted the same tire pump recently. Sanded lightly with 600 grit. Red primer. Another light sanding. OD green paint. Another light sanding.
Final coat of OD green. Looks great with the Bergerwerke pump clamp. Used a black Sharpie on the hose to cover up the red. 
Good luck with the project.


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## Michael Boyd (Sep 12, 2019)

Thank you and thanks for the tip


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## Rivnut (Sep 12, 2019)

As suggested, use the Scotch Brite pad then use a self etching primer, not just an enamel based primer.


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## motobiker46 (Sep 13, 2019)

Hey Mike,

Is the pump you purchased good for schrader valves? It looks similar to the one I was about to buy off of eBay for my own Tribute bike. The pump is listed as a “Vintage Classic Hand Pump” from I believe a French vendor. But that particular pump is for presta valves only. Looks like the one you pictured may have come with a schrader adapter on it? Hard to tell. Do you have a link or more info as to where you purchased the pump? Thanks, greatly appreciated! Regards, Bob


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## Michael Boyd (Sep 13, 2019)

Yes it is the French vendor on eBay.
When I get a chance today, I’ll compare it to my presta valve pump for my 1942 Truppenfahrad.
On memory , doesn’t look like my presta pump, but here are pictures for now , hope this helps.
Bottom line , for a very reasonable price , it provides the part to complete the bike.
But I’ll shoot some comparison photos later today. The vendor , unfortunately, gives you no info. BTW , it took about 3-4 weeks to get here.


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## Igor (Sep 13, 2019)

scuff it and wipe it down with acetone (removes all oils , grease , fingerprints etc...)
before painting.


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## motobiker46 (Sep 13, 2019)

Thanks, Mike, for the great pics! Helps a lot. Yeah, you can't beat the price so I'm going to order one later on today being that it takes so long for delivery. Good luck with your build!  Bob


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## Maja1990 (Sep 21, 2019)

The surface must be perfectly prepared and clean without treatment


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## redline1968 (Sep 21, 2019)

Hate to say it ...Paint won’t stic to scuffed Crome.. it will look like I’d does but flake in a few days after it cures..


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## Goldslinger (Sep 22, 2019)

I have a early 42 Columbia. The wheels are chrome  under yellow primer and OD . I think they are original and it has not been restored. I would imagine they used what ever they had in stock for the early ones. The original paint seems  to stick ok.


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## redline1968 (Sep 23, 2019)

Paint 101.....Old paint in the olden days (before anyone cared the hazards ) contained  lead. This product is what made paint really tough and what today’s collectors want in the orig paint bikes. Lead helped bond to just about any type of metal and coatings......  well in today’s society there is concerned about stupid kids eating it or  smelling etc....and brain damage occurs .. this helped kill  the quality that made good paint stick..  so when you paint on Crome now it just scratches and flakes off no matter how much you scratch it..... you need some sort of additive to help make it adhere to Crome.. so now  there is a product that helps it it’s called lacquer.. spray a clear coat over Crome and you have something that works but not like the old days...go to a auto paint shop and buy a spray can of  lacquer called Bull Dog. This product is a good fix for your problem....


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## Michael Boyd (Sep 23, 2019)

Sounds great!


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