wire wheel snap rings chromed or painted?

1"-2" should work if careful - Just make sure to air them up in a tire cage and do nothing quickly (and I am serious here).

Yes, the ends are 1-2 inches off, but rings are not oval. It worked well until now, but our local wire wheel expert refuses to install these rings.
Now I am investigating how to bring these rings back to their original shape.

Andreas

I am not sure what you do about expanded (though I have had them have a couple of inches between ends prior to installing) - my guess is that comes from someone in past trying to get them off hardened tires or perhaps they have lost their hardening. Oval is a real problem - I did a clean up after someone who tried such.

Regular chrome is fine. Some people talk about hydrogen embitterment, though I have never treated any and they have worked fine for 1000's of miles of touring on 1931 Cadillacs and .....

Make sure you have flaps in the tires. No stickers inside tires or on tubes. And, talc the tire casings, tubes, & flaps (plain Johnson?s baby powder works fine).

Make a platform under wheel hub to raise it slightly off the floor, then I usually stick one end of lock ring in, use a screw driver to guide, and actually walk around the ring (some people go to great lengths to not chip paint, but I have never had any problem walking them on).

And remember to air them up for the first time in a cage - lock rings have killed people.

Thanks John, mine are not pitted, but expanded. I have 10 of them, 9 are expanded, but I couldnt find the smallest bit of chrome. Seems to be peeled off completly. I consider a kind of hard chrome, in order to avoid a damage when assembling the wheels.

Merry Christmas

Lock rings take some engineering with the electrodes to get the plating to cover properly. And, if they are pitted, just take your time and hand sand them smooth - also keep in mind a touch of the outer edge shows.

Thanks Randy.

Lock rings are chrome. Randy

My 8-98 wire wheels are painted, but what about the rings? Were they originally always chromed or painted?

Thanks
Andreas