Cleaning materials

OOH Blimey! Andy you've started a right one here! They'll be telling you how their great-grandmas cleaned their spoons at a cross roads on a full moon.

 

I have used Mer car polish on both paintwork and chrome for many years, and the chrome on the forks is still absolutely fine after 20 years and just under 50,000 miles (Mer is actually slightly abrasive, but not enough to cause any problems - designed to remove oxidised paint, I do believe).
I have also been using those new-fangled waterless wax polishes of late with excellent results, although overspray can be a problem if it's a bit breezy or your aim is poor!

Crispey ... you knew my great grandma, then!!

 

You can clean rusty chrome with tap water and kitchen foil. Don't ask me how it works but it does.

 

It could be - it sort of forms a dark grey paste after a short while and the rust seems to disappear at that point.

 

Nearly right.
It might sound smart arse-ish but I worked with corrosion specialists for a few years and you pick up all sorts of crap like this.
The process is an ion exchange through a galvanic chemical reaction, (just like a battery) between the rust (ferrous oxide) and the aluminium.
Tap water is ever so slightly caustic, (literally just over pH7). The sodium chloride (naturally occurring salt) in the water provides the galvanic medium. The aluminium neutralises the oxidisation process and leaves a teeny tiny thin layer of aluminium in place of the rust, a bit like metal plating.
Pepsi or Coke does pretty much the same thing but the sugars and other additives in these two popular soft drinks makes the solution ever so slightly acidic, (just below pH7). That's how it cleans coins and rots your chompers.
IMHO, the best use for Pepsi or Coke is as a mixer in either cheap blended Scotch (or Irish if you prefer) or Baccardi.
P.S. Sounds reet clever but it ain't, really just basic chemistry.

 

I just remembered the alcohol bit! Great explanation mate!

 

I've been using "Brilliant" chrome cleaner on my Speedmaster which works well, looks and smells a bit like Brasso but does the job. The hot chrome cleaner is good on exhausts and doesn't appear to be over abrasive, see link below.

http://www.briliant.biz/products/Chrome-polish-.html