I have tried lots of different VHT paints and it has always eventually flaked or burnt off.
Having said this, I use the bike in winter, so salt doesn't help.
Would be interested in the responses too.
Regards
Pat
Pot belly black is the best stuff and has been so for many years.
When you lay the bike up for winter give the pipes a quick rub with an oily rag or they will rust through the finish as it is not waterproof.
I did a bit of research myself on other forums last year and it seems that nothing is definitive in modern paints. A group of lads did say that aluminium spraying was the way to go for the right dull silver look and total weather protection, although Ian Wright had the correct contract details for my bike which stated that it was dull chrome.
This did not particularly cheer me up as I had just had mine aluminium sprayed !
It looks pretty good, hanging in the Den as my bike is not ready yet, but I may go down the dull chrome route or even stainless steel and vapour blasted to look like dull chrome.
Pot belly black is the best stuff and has been so for many years.
When you lay the bike up for winter give the pipes a quick rub with an oily rag or they will rust through the finish as it is not waterproof.
On my M20 I use a similar thing Grate Polish that is for stoves etc. Doing another full restoration of an m20 so making everything look nice and thought of going down the dull chrome look as I had heard that is what they were when they left the factory.
If not I might just keep it black like the other one
Look folks ,I have been using and selling hi temp paint for over 40 years, on wood stove and stainless chimeys inside and outside, THE VERY BEST IS MADE BY FOREST PAINTS (OF USA),marketed in the uk in trade packs, and 400ml aerosol tins, ALL so called heat proof paint is not waterproof,, the next best is senotherm (german), sold widely as Jotul woodstove paint, I list both brands on E bay in the woodstove shop canterbury/herne bay kent,, Beware if its cheap it is nasty, no doubt about this,Andrew
The majority of exhaust systems seem to have been dull chromed or similar early on but photographic evidence seems to suggest that by mid-war, black systems were being fitted.
Correct me if I am wrong (you will of course!) but isn't dull chrome essentially nickel plating with a very thin plating of chrome on top........therefore not very durable, especially on an exhaust pipe? Thus the factory finish would not have lasted long. Presumably the factory applied black finish was cylinder black paint or some such?
Dull chrome would have been applied over copper and nickel originally...It's durability is the same as bright chrome and governed (in both cases) by the thickness of the nickel and particularly the copper deposits...
Both bright chrome and dull chrome are porous and the layers below protect the base metal...
There is a well known picture of late war M20s on the production line which I can't find at the moment...That would probably confirm whether BSA changed over to black exhausts...I didn't think they did but stand to be corrected on that point...
As it now getting more difficult to obtain the correct dull chrome finish IMO the blasted stainless has to be the way to go for durability and a reasonable match to the plated finish...Ian