I'm the same way about the old bicycles I restore. The factories used a single stage paint. Folks will ask me about powder coating or a two stage paint. Well, with powder coating, decals won't stick unless you use a special solution. With a two stage paint, it just looks too darn shiny. Same with chrome. I usually ask the chromer to plate only, no polish. Look at an old bicycle that has had the chrome work polished then plated, to darn shiny. You can see it from a mile away! The factories were production line. They didn't take the time to polish individual parts before plating them. Not like an aftermarket shop would.
