"CHROME" plating
- Thread starter McDenny
- Start date
Lee_in_KC
Active Member
We have a little mom'n'pop plating shop here in suburban Kansas City that did my entire Jag rear-end for $900!! I had to do all the prep polishing, but they did the final polish and plated. I think I caught them when they were hungry, right at the beginning of the economic downturn. Myabe you can find a similar situation up there in the Nor'east.
Ted ... what where you charging for a bare frame back then?
A good plating job is very labor intensive. There in lies a major part of the cost. Along those same lines, the quality of the polishing will make or break the finish on a part. I would guess Lee saved $500 to $600 by doing the prelim work. Some shops basicly dip the parts and send them back. Quality chrome jobs polish the part, copper plate, polish again, nichol plate and then chrome. This is show quality stuff. For the street you can get by without the nichol step. If you have the patients for it, do your own polishing. $200 worth of wheels, rouge, and a Harbor Frieght buffer will save you tons of cash.
Putz has a valid point too. You wouldn't believe what it costs a shop to dispose of the chemicals, especialy if they are using cyanide.
Ron
A good plating job is very labor intensive. There in lies a major part of the cost. Along those same lines, the quality of the polishing will make or break the finish on a part. I would guess Lee saved $500 to $600 by doing the prelim work. Some shops basicly dip the parts and send them back. Quality chrome jobs polish the part, copper plate, polish again, nichol plate and then chrome. This is show quality stuff. For the street you can get by without the nichol step. If you have the patients for it, do your own polishing. $200 worth of wheels, rouge, and a Harbor Frieght buffer will save you tons of cash.
Putz has a valid point too. You wouldn't believe what it costs a shop to dispose of the chemicals, especialy if they are using cyanide.
Ron
Allen
Member
One of the reasons chrome plating is so expensive is because of the nickel and copper. I live by the ocean so you have to keep wax on it constantly with the salt weather. MOHO. I love the look of chrome and it will last if you take care of it. Go back on everything in the 50's, 60's, and 70's. All the cars were chrome, including most of the dragsters. But I also like the rat rod look. Done nice.
Allen
Member
Hi Ron, Respectfully, you can skip the copper process. The nickel is 66 air nickel, meaning the vat makes bubbles. The plating must have the nickel. The piece usually left in the tank for a half hour. I do like the copper with the nickel best. It gives the chrome a blue look. You are right. You can drop the copper process. Saves money, no buffing the copper.
I'm guessing the majority of plating these days is for those low performance motorcycles that I refer to as Hardley Developed. When a rodder brings in a larger, more difficult to handle item, the price goes up.
I beleive there are fewer plating shops today then some years back due to a number of factors, none the least of which is what the EPA has done to manufacturing in this country
EPA now stands for Ending Productivity in America.
I beleive there are fewer plating shops today then some years back due to a number of factors, none the least of which is what the EPA has done to manufacturing in this country
EPA now stands for Ending Productivity in America.
Allen are you in the chrome plating business?
Lee can you give me some contact information on this chrome shop? Email it please tbucket@comcast.net
Gerry
Well-Known Member
The process was explained to me like this
Copper. To build a base which will be polished to take out any inconsistencies. Such as low spots, blemishes etc. In fact the guys that did some chrome for me years ago showed me a headlight bowl from an early Rolls that started off like a fish net. They manged after many copper coats to bring it back to a smooth finish
Nickle. Is the reflective surface that gives a mirror look to the part.
Chrome. A VERY thin top coat which is impervious to water etc and is there to seal the nickle mirror finish. It also adds luster to the job..
I also do all my own polishing. Got a 1HP polishing mop, but its long hard dirty work. It does cut down the cost if its done correctly. Talk to your plater and see if he will accept your polished parts and how he wants them. Sometimes bad polish jobs can cost just as much to put right as no polish at all. Also some platers will not accept pre polished parts as they make money from the polishing process. Usually done by cheap labour.
Just as a side issue. Its the toxicity of the metals thats the problem. Chromic acid mist is produced from the chrome tank and becomes airborne. It then has a way into the respiratory system. As we all know any 'heavy' metal such as chrome, nickle, cadmium, lithium, lead etc are know carciongenic and have the potential to shut down vital organs, amongst other adverse health problems. Therefore disposal becomes very expensive as they can not be thrown away without making sure they can not get into the water table or be left where contact with the population is likely.
Everything is a poison, its the dose that kills.
Thats my 2 pennys worth ( UK pennys)
Gerry
Copper. To build a base which will be polished to take out any inconsistencies. Such as low spots, blemishes etc. In fact the guys that did some chrome for me years ago showed me a headlight bowl from an early Rolls that started off like a fish net. They manged after many copper coats to bring it back to a smooth finish
Nickle. Is the reflective surface that gives a mirror look to the part.
Chrome. A VERY thin top coat which is impervious to water etc and is there to seal the nickle mirror finish. It also adds luster to the job..
I also do all my own polishing. Got a 1HP polishing mop, but its long hard dirty work. It does cut down the cost if its done correctly. Talk to your plater and see if he will accept your polished parts and how he wants them. Sometimes bad polish jobs can cost just as much to put right as no polish at all. Also some platers will not accept pre polished parts as they make money from the polishing process. Usually done by cheap labour.
Just as a side issue. Its the toxicity of the metals thats the problem. Chromic acid mist is produced from the chrome tank and becomes airborne. It then has a way into the respiratory system. As we all know any 'heavy' metal such as chrome, nickle, cadmium, lithium, lead etc are know carciongenic and have the potential to shut down vital organs, amongst other adverse health problems. Therefore disposal becomes very expensive as they can not be thrown away without making sure they can not get into the water table or be left where contact with the population is likely.
Everything is a poison, its the dose that kills.
Thats my 2 pennys worth ( UK pennys)
Gerry
EX JUNK
Moderator
Gerry, your explanation of the chrome plating process is spot on. Another way of thinking is to equate it to painting. By that I mean, the copper is the primer, the nickle is the base coat and the chrome is the clear coat.
Here in central Florida, we have a very good and relatively inexpensive plating shop in Melbourne called Space Coast Plating. I am very fortunate in that they deliver to a Harley repair shop about two miles from my house. I simply take my parts up there and they pick them up and return them three weeks later. (It saves me the 125 mile round trip.)
Jim
Here in central Florida, we have a very good and relatively inexpensive plating shop in Melbourne called Space Coast Plating. I am very fortunate in that they deliver to a Harley repair shop about two miles from my house. I simply take my parts up there and they pick them up and return them three weeks later. (It saves me the 125 mile round trip.)
Jim
