polished steel rims

[bsa-bill]

I decided the easiest way to paint my hubs was to remove the rim and spokes ( I have little patience or skill to toddle around the spokes with a small paint brush).
half an hour had the rim and spokes removed (intact btw), the spokes are stainless, threads good, the rim is 15 year old chrome, looked good however close examination showed lots of little pin holes and felt rough to a moving finger, doubt it would go another 15 years,  3 or four maybe.
I've put rust stuff on to neutralise it but don't know that the stuff is as good as it used to be, you used to see the rust turn black, that hasn't happened.
So as the rims off rather than put it back and need to take it off again a couple of years down the line I decided maybe to put on a stainless rim (seems to be lots around, no doubt bought with Rupees or Yen), also Enfield advertising polished steel (but no mention of it being stainless) they claim they will stay bright a long time (relative I'm sure)
Wonder I any body has knowledge of any of these rims - advise welcome

PS this is a front wheel, the rear rim looks much better no doubt thanks to the chain

[muskrat]

G'day Bill.
 For the relatively small increase in price I'd go the stainless (with new SS spokes & nipples). You or your grandkids will Never have to touch them again.
Cheers

[duTch]

 Bill, I've only ever used the active ingredient-  'straight' phosphoric acid- when I say 'straight', that means the 'off-the-shelf-straightness' isn't the same- (maybe added colour so I don't mix it up with the vodka..?), and I've experimented with dilutions but below 50% is so-so...above that I think is better, and leaves as you say , the black oxide layer...sometimes when I'm laid back and loose, I just paint the f#@* over the top of it...

 Re stainless rims, I bought mine from CWC in Birmo. (you may like to call it Birmingham),totally non magnetic, as are spokes and seem ok, except that where the join is there's a bit of a whoopie-doo....but it's round and I can't otherwise notice any difference, and a bit cheaper than Devon Rims.


dang- rounded up by Musky.....

[bsa-bill]

Hi thanks lads, guess I'm just baulking at the cost but seems a shame to spoil the job by putting the rim back on as I'm quite chuffed at my first attempt at paint spraying, apart from one minor dink in the front mudguard where it had unseen been resting on the corner of a 13 amp socket - damn.
Had a good look at the rear rim a couple of hours ago, it's not as good as I thought either.
So St/St it is might as well do it now while the chrome rims are still in saleable condition (get a little bit back)
Dutch I got the chrome rims from CWC when I was visiting my now deceased father in law 15 years ago, they had Stainless one at the time but they looked a little bit blue so I passed on them.

[chaterlea25]

HI Bill,
I was looking at some SS rims I got from SRM the other day, I think they are Devon??
SRM supply them correct for each type of wheel, no messing and one intended for the single sided hub is engraved as to which way to fit it
I had to look very clocely to find the joint, perfectly round 

My 2cents worth
John

[bsa-bill]

Hi John
Took the plunge and ordered two new SS rims, they arrived today the 8th ordered on the 5th.
Not from SRM , bought them off Ebay from bsa43 (8936) 100% feedback  (Cheshire - we probably know them)  they came individually boxed and wrapped in clear tape with Wassell all over it, so an inspection post haste revealed two very nice rims, in fact the join was a lot tidier than the ones I bought from CWC which were chrome I looked at SS ones when I bought them but was put off by the Blueish colour of them. these Wassel rims are just like chrome.
First impression is - extremely pleased, thoughts are as someone stated before stainless may not be rustless (but should be).
Also are they punched right - well actually if I were to be pedantic the CWC ones  maybe were not, if the oft stated fact (???) that spokes should not touch was true then maybe they weren't as my spokes did touch, but the SS spokes I used are thicker than the galvanised ones they replaced and not butted, so if they touch I wont lose to much sleep over it.
a benefit of SS spokes - I took the old rim off and ALL the spokes/nipples unscrewed
No connection with bsa43 whoever they may be but happy with the rims and delivered 4 days before estimated date

[duTch]

 That's good Bill, hope it all goes together well..and it's good the nipples all came off the old one easy, are they Stainless too or nickle plated brass, which CWC recommended me. Either way and particularly Stainless, CWC recommended anti-seize compound, but am sure I don't need to tell you that....!! (just for future researchers)
 
 Wasn't sure that blueish chrome and stainless relate, but doesn't matter  , mine are/were nice and shiny too....
 When I ordered mine, they requested type of hubs they go onto, and drilled them accordingly, so no dramas there, in fact that was fairly much the motivation to buy new from a wheel place, rather than take pot-luck from fleabay, or second-hand.

 Have fun lacing and be careful not to lace yourself in....

[bsa-bill]

CWC recommended anti-seize compound,

Hi Dutch, I used anti-seize on the nipples as advised by CWC (not bought from them though), D*** stuff had the opposite effect, when I came to true the wheel up a lot of the spokes had glued themselves to the nipples ( which were nickel plated brass), they hadn't galled, just the anti-seize had "set" like a putty.
I cleaned them up and used grease on them (did the same with all the rest too).

It was the stainless rims that I saw at CWC that were blue-ish, could have been a coating now I think about it, yes I had to wait for them to be punched and chromed, I was down there visiting my father in law and thought I'd just pop in and buy two rims and fetch them home - ha

[Topdad]

I'm going to keep this post in mind . I did my tyre pressures on Sunday before going for a ride and the front rim is ,well crap! It's my fault ,the rims were the only thing during the rebuild that I bought from my local bike shop and I regretted it ,after 1 yr the rim had pitted, now getting ropey indeed , the back though is perfectly preserved in the grease from the chain which I remove infrequently to stop the rust getting to it .(Good old bsa ) So poss a stainless  which  should then see me out ! Thanks for the info, BobH.