"hydrogen embitterment"(sic) as mentioned by Michael is where the EX gets the new Hydrogen Fuel cell car in the divorce settlement....

I am sorta with everyone on this... I know the first time I read about HE was in relation to people chroming motorcycle frames.... certainly something to worry about in that enviornment...

As an old blacksmith I wonder if maybe the drawbacks to the chroming in this particular example ... of a fairly thick and strong piece of metal.... might have been mostly referring to the surface area which was ground off to make room for the new chrome....and the new chrome once installed....

In other words, the ductile strength of this relatively thick metal may have been determined by its initial metal type and cooling rate...

"baking the parts at 600-900 F after plating.” This constitutes basically retempering the item.. but on a crank I think a special jig would be required to keep it from warping.. unlike most items...