The material thats chipping is plexiglass, DONT BUY IT! It chips very easily. Once it shatters completely or summer comes around im going to replace it.
The Black CDC Bar is like a garden post that my friend got at home depot. He left his rail at my house last year and i got bored and fixed it.
suggestions ive gotten is waxing it while its inside and letting the wax sit and it will absorb into the metal, or painting it with a polyurathane based paint.