Chrome finish 101

As you will remember from newsreels, chrome plating for fixtures (and cars) became popular in the 1930s, and it is possibly the people's choice for fixture finishes to this day. And why not? Chrome is shiny, silvery, and tarnish-resistant. Of course, fixtures are not made of chrome but of solid brass electroplated with chrome. Like brass, however, you have to clean chrome regularly to keep it shiny.