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Colorado Mike wrote:I thought I remember back in the early 80's that they put a rod in the center of the cylinder and then turned some insane voltage on, which caused the rod vaporize and transfer and fuse
into the surface of the cylinder. Not true?

BINGO CC ME TOO!!

Electro fusion to me means to bond something to something else. The term elctrofusion is commonly used in the plastics industry to bond plastic together that doesn't want to stick to anything else. This is done chemically and with heat.

So, my guess is that this is a process where something (the coating) is placed where they want it (into the cylinder) and then heated to real high temperatures to fuse the coating to the metal of the cylinder walls. I would even further venture a guess that this heating is inductive thus making it instant and a good bond. But wait a minute, isn't the cylinder aluminum? If so, forget the inductive heating part.

What do I win CC?

As a side. I believe that you can selectively chrome plate whatever you want to chrome plate. There are masking agents available to mask off what you don't want plated so I could envision a plating process similar to chroming something that would be selective (only the iner walls of the cylinder and not the reat of the cylinder).

You win the Grand Prize..which is absolutely nada!!

Hope you like the color!!

Yes, it's aluminum.

I'm familiar with masking agents that may not commonly be considered to be such. They use a masking tape in powder coating to 'protect' parts or parts of parts you don't want coated. Powder coating (at least what I've had done) involves a good bit of heat..so I guess it's something other than your basic cheesy masking tape from WallyWorld.

Certainly all masking tape is not the same...like duct tape is not...like electrical tape is not...etc.


Which, btw, is something I've always found humorous: Folks that refer to their complete crap masking/duct/electrical tape AS tape. They buy the cheapest junk possible with no thought or regard to its performance or suitability for an application...and then insist that it's good stuff!!

If it doesn't say 3M Scotch 33+ or 88+ Electrical Tape then it is crap...IMHO of course...

I wonder if it is not a gaseous plasma ion transfer process - the electro-fusion process - not the electrical tape/duct tape off-shoot on this thread.

Gaseous plasma could be something akin to vaporizing a specific plating rod and applying an opposite charge to the item to be plated i.e. the cylinder. Of course it would be a little more involved like having to be in an relatively inert atmosphere with a carrier gas for the ionic transfer particles.

I did a quick search but could not come up with the process involved but if someone has access to research technical articles involving plasma transfers maybe they could share.

SORT OF RELATED TRIVIA - Ten years ago the DOE researchers at INEL had developed a process were molten metal would be sprayed onto surfaces like plastic and other soft surfaces without causing any distortion of the base material. The metal would dry on contact and was very strong from a tensile perspective. The technology was being marketed to the big three automakers as a way to minimize the high cost of dies. It would essentially eliminate some of the industry's die makers resulting in lower cost dies and reduce the costs associated with producing many of the die formed pieces found on and in automobiles. This process involved a heated gun head to generate the plasma stream which could be a variety of alloys as I recall.

So I voted true allthough with no true knowlege of it. I think that eletro fusion could mean either in a solvent or open air but electrolisis generaly refers to a chemical reaction between dissimular metals. I dont know so whats the answer?

Well... the original plating lasts a very long time and is done very well. Can't seem to get the kind of results with other plating companies that I'm aware of so it is really kinda of a moot point isn't it?

I know what electro fusion is. We do it (sorta) in welding fiberoptic cables together.

Wannna know? Then read on.

Otherwise, abandon ship!!


A rod is placed down the middle center of the cylinder. A current is passed through it, vaporizing the rod. The vapor is attracted and adhires to the cylinder. This can be done many times making a thick coating. BTW, the fusion doesn't burn. I know. Both my bikes had a thin cylinder wall of the stuff after the aluminum cylinder melted/burned/oxydized away.

strider80 was on the right track!! Idaho Charlie nailed it.

Wanna know how I know? Hmmmm..... maybe I'll keep you guessing.

No I won't. I found out in 1984 when some hammerhead honed my cylinder. Back then the manual gave explicit instructions to not hone and discribed the fusion process. Not in detail but enough to provide the explaination I just wrote.
Sometimes it pays to be old.