Best treatment or protection for pitted chrome on winch?

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fredrussell

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I recently bought a cheap 'n' cheerful self tailing Lewmar winch on eBay. I've serviced it and it works well but there is light pitting to the chrome on it. I was aware of this when I bid and won, so no issue with the seller etc.

My question is is there a way to slow down the pitting? Does polishing it help or worsen things? I used to use Autosol for car chrome work, is this still the stuff to use? Also, will a winch cover help when boat is not in use? Any other tips would be gratefully received. As I say it functions perfectly, and its going on a MAB so I'm not too fussed about appearance. Pitting is currently minor, in that you have to be pretty close up to see it.
 
I own a classic BMW R100/7 and still uses Solvol Autosol on the chrome bits. Some are as you describe and have got no worse over the years, so it works from that perspective. Not sure what Autosol would do for the friction, probably not much. Give it a go.
 
Sorry, should have clarified- the ‘grippy’ bit of drum is fine, no pitting there, it’s just the base that’s effected.
 
lw395 said:
The proper thing to do is get it rechromed.
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The proper thing to do would be for me to stop being cheap and just buy a new winch! Alas, funds do not allow for that. Anyone know what it costs to re-chrome a winch base? It’s a Lewmar 16 if that makes a difference.
 
macd said:
...by someone who understands winches. Others have been known to polish out the knurling/grip finish on the drum.
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Many capstans and some sheet winches are smooth because the grip comes from the wraps.
 
BlowingOldBoots said:
Many capstans and some sheet winches are smooth because the grip comes from the wraps.
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That may be so but this happened to a friend of mine, fortunately without affecting the function noticeably, but it is not satisfactory. My friend's new chrome has also fallen off too. My own winches are not perfect but with polishing once or twice a year they mostly look quite good.
 
PCUK said:
Sand flat, coat with epoxy resin, fill pits and then paint with two pack. Waste of money re-chroming as chrome is not suitable for boats due to it's rapid corrosion.
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Yep, chrome will not last more than 40 years on bronze, better to bodge up a different coating tht will wear off much quicker?
 
fredrussell said:
The proper thing to do would be for me to stop being cheap and just buy a new winch! Alas, funds do not allow for that. Anyone know what it costs to re-chrome a winch base? It’s a Lewmar 16 if that makes a difference.
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Less than the cost of a new winch.
 
I watched someone restore a motorbike on telly this week and they rubbed the chrome with scrunched alu foil dipped in water. I tried it on my winches today and to my astonishment it made a significant positive impact.

Give it a try, it will take a lot of the pitting off.
 
Homer J said:
I watched someone restore a motorbike on telly this week and they rubbed the chrome with scrunched alu foil dipped in water.
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A fine bodge, not unlike the proverbial bri-nylon shirts in dodgy gearboxes (© A Daley). No serious classic restorer would even think of it.

PCUK said:
Waste of money re-chroming as chrome is not suitable for boats due to it's rapid corrosion.
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Chrome is intended to corrode, and always will in the presence of oxygen. That's the point of it. The durability of chrome plating will depend on the underlying platings and the quality of all.
 
macd said:
A fine bodge, not unlike the proverbial bri-nylon shirts in dodgy gearboxes (© A Daley). No serious classic restorer would even think of it.



Chrome is intended to corrode, and always will in the presence of oxygen. That's the point of it. The durability of chrome plating will depend on the underlying platings and the quality of all.
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That's news to me. I thought you polished chrome to prevent corrosion.
 
ghostlymoron said:
That's news to me. I thought you polished chrome to prevent corrosion.
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Chromium, and stainless steel, derive their corrosion resistance from the presence of a microscopically thin layer of chromium oxide. This normally forms readily in the atmosphere.

Conventional chromium plating almost always has cracks. Water pentrates these and forms pits by the same mechanism as crevice corrosion.
 
Homer J said:
I watched someone restore a motorbike on telly this week and they rubbed the chrome with scrunched alu foil dipped in water. I tried it on my winches today and to my astonishment it made a significant positive impact.

Give it a try, it will take a lot of the pitting off.
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That's what my father used to do with the chrome bits on his cars in the 1960s!
 
I have the same problem. The roughness seems to be the verdigris from the bronze showing through the pits in the chrome.
Brasso or equivalent removes this quite effectively.
I have some stainless steel cleaner bought from a chandlery - I must have been feeling flush at the time - smells suspiciously like brasso.
 
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