Polishing vs. Chrome
Polished Aluminum and Stainless Steel can add character to any
piece. It looks similar to chrome in it's mirror finish, but resonates more
color, allowing you to see the true metal without it being covered by plating.
The new chrome almost looks like plastic.
The original purpose of plating was to protect iron and steel
from rusting. If you were to plate an aluminum part the process is different for
aluminum than for any other metal, therefore it is vital that it is done
properly in order to assure the right brilliance and longevity. Although a piece
of plated aluminum looks nice, keep in mind that aluminum, being a soft metal,
can still be easily gouged or nicked. If a piece of aluminum is polished and you
scratch it the scratch could be polished out, but if you gouge a piece of plated
aluminum you have to go through the process of having it chromed all over again,
which can turn out to be quite costly.
Polished aluminum, if done properly, looks every bit as good
as a plated piece, some say even better, and with common sense maintenance it
will look that way for years. For this reason your should never chrome plate an
aluminum car or motorcycle component.
