Chrome Plating of Small Parts

Tell him to go to the nearest Classic Car Cruise and ask around. But do tell him that he will have to do the surface prep himself if he wants it inexpensive (and for God's sake wear protective gear when doing that - Chrome dust is awful stuff).

I agree! Chrome is nasty. Classic car buffs should surely know where to get a "show chrome" job done. Be careful doing your own prep. Under the chrome is copper plate to facilitate proper adhesion of the chrome finish. Otherwise an abrasive blast is required to get all the way down to base metal. Buffer wheels and patience with a steady hand are required to get the base material smooth and even.

Good luck! The Wurlitzer sounds like a great idea!

EPA regs and their cousins in Europe (ELV, WEEED) etc. make this a daunting task.

You gave good advice.

try:

http://www.brownsplating.com/

http://www.atlaschrome.com/chrome.html

Presuming you are in North America...

milo

I agree with the 'car restoration shops'. You might also see if there is a custom bike (motorcycle) shop you can contact. If the parts are relatively small, these shops needn't be near you. Just take some photos, contact the shops, and email them for a quote. When you find someone who can help, just pack and ship them.

To get the parts 'prepped', assuming the parts are small, you might take them to a local machine shop and have them sand-blasted. They can do it safely in a small chamber and hand you back 'clean' parts.

And, DO heed the warnings about the chrome dust ... chrome 6 is nasty stuff ... that's why it is restricted according to RoHS, although still allowed in some cases. If the plater you contact won't do chrome 6, chrome 3 or nickel-cobalt is a viable alternative and is considered 'safe'.

Good luck.

(BTW, in my former life, I used to make all the loudspeakers for Wurlitzer )

Ditto!

AND, as well, a small parts NICKEL plating kit is available out of an outfit in New Jersey. Aimed at the auto restoration gang. They supply everything except the two plastic buckets, water and 12v car battery and a short length of electric cable of size that they will advise. The Company is POR15. Care will get you a good finish.

Stu.

A simple thing, and a lot cheaper, but not as good, would be to get them "bright nickel" plated (not just "nickel plated").

-- Rob

If your friend values the health of his progeny he should refrain from foolishness as such.

Yes attend car rally etc find good large shop and see if can add his items a little at a time into large batches so he will not pay a premium.

I saw a comment about sand blasting. There is a risk you will end up with a very rough surface with sand blasting.

Since these are chromed and worn, you can get them chemically stripped by the chrome shop and that will take them down to the original surface so they can re-chrome them. They do this routinely.

You can get DIY kits for 'chrome like' plating here, I expect they are available elsewhere. Would this do if your friend just needs the parts to look right?

What material are the parts you are trying to restore? If they are die cast aluminum or pot metal (zinc based alloy), stripping the existing chrome to redo them may do more damage then good, as it often requires a media blast. If you go to an auto "hot rod" shop chances are they farm out thier chrome work, and will often tell you for small parts its just cheaper to buy replica pieces and discard the old ones. Also, many states have outlawed certain chrome plating processes (like New York) so you'll have to pay to ship them out of state. You should also check to see how your chrome pieces are plated. Some pieces are double plated, meaning there is chrome on top of copper, and some are triple plated, which is chrome on nickel on copper, and depending on what you go with can affect your finish (for example, most automobile chrome is triple plated).

As for alternatives there are several. Ceramic Chrome (brand name cermakrome) for one, is a baked on finish which is applied much like powder coating. Its bright and shiney, but can lack some of the luster of real chrome (looks more like highly polished Aluminum). If the parts are not terribly intricate, alot of hot rodders who want chrome like trim on the interior of thier car use Mylar (the same stuff in those shiney metallic balloons) and an adhesive. There are also more EPA friendly chrome plating methods available, even in states which have outlawed. If the surface of your part isnt pitted (usually a sign of pot metal) you mayeb be able to get away with simply sanding the crhome off the piece by hand, and then polishing the metal underneath.

I give you a GA for that, Man.

Join us. What's you name?

Cheers,

Stu

I'm not sure what you mean by your friend being non-technical and hands on, but if he wants to strip and re-plate the parts himself, go to http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/index.html I have had very good luck with them, and they have a very thorough manual that includes all potential hazards.

There are chrome like paint. With a few coats, some polishing and buffing the parts wil look like new. He can add a few coat of clear to protect the finish.