Chrome plating

Questions for the residents, services, suppliers, shops and businesses, get quick answers from the people that live here.
harreid
Rookie
Rookie
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2018 6:02 pm

Chrome plating

Post by harreid »

Any of you guys out there clued up on nickel and chrome plating? I want to set up a small chroming plant and it would be good to have some help and advice from somebody who knows what they are doing instead of having to teach myself from scratch. Anybody know and have a bit of spare time? Cheers.
VincentD
Ace
Ace
Posts: 1482
Joined: Tue Jun 22, 2004 4:04 pm
Location: Bangkok

Re: Chrome plating

Post by VincentD »

Lots of rather strong and nasty chemicals involved. Just go to the places that do plating, not worth the investment (and more so the environmental disposal aspects of waste materials that go with it). Most of these plating places do small job lots..
วินเชนท์
harreid
Rookie
Rookie
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2018 6:02 pm

Re: Chrome plating

Post by harreid »

Thanks for your comments VincentD, I’m aware of what is involved in doing chrome plating and all the chemicals necessary to do it. When I’m finished with the chemicals they will be disposed of responsibly.

I wish to re-chrome 30 bar stools that are only 1 year old and already showing signs of rust, the plating on them is so thin it is almost see through. I need to re-chrome the stools one at a time in order to keep them in service. Regards.
User avatar
Dannie Boy
Hero
Hero
Posts: 12030
Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 8:12 pm
Location: Closer to Cha Am than Hua Hin

Re: Chrome plating

Post by Dannie Boy »

harreid wrote: Sat Feb 03, 2018 11:56 am Thanks for your comments VincentD, I’m aware of what is involved in doing chrome plating and all the chemicals necessary to do it. When I’m finished with the chemicals they will be disposed of responsibly.

I wish to re-chrome 30 bar stools that are only 1 year old and already showing signs of rust, the plating on them is so thin it is almost see through. I need to re-chrome the stools one at a time in order to keep them in service. Regards.
I have no experience of chrome plating, although I’ve watched programmes on the TV where they have done new chrome plating on classic car restorations - to me the equipment looks fairly expensive so I can’t see it being cost effective if all you are looking at is re-chroming 30 bar stools?
harreid
Rookie
Rookie
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2018 6:02 pm

Re: Chrome plating

Post by harreid »

Hi Danny Boy, the equipment is not expensive, I already have a suitable power supply and enough materials in my workshop to make this plant, only have to buy a few tanks and the plating materials and chemicals. Also I want to make sure they are done properly and will last for many years to come. There is loads of professional help and advice on Youtube, but I would still like to have a person who has done plating come and show me first hand, can't beat seeing and learning from a professional doing his craft. Cheers.
User avatar
Dannie Boy
Hero
Hero
Posts: 12030
Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 8:12 pm
Location: Closer to Cha Am than Hua Hin

Re: Chrome plating

Post by Dannie Boy »

harreid wrote: Sat Feb 03, 2018 2:42 pm Hi Danny Boy, the equipment is not expensive, I already have a suitable power supply and enough materials in my workshop to make this plant, only have to buy a few tanks and the plating materials and chemicals. Also I want to make sure they are done properly and will last for many years to come. There is loads of professional help and advice on Youtube, but I would still like to have a person who has done plating come and show me first hand, can't beat seeing and learning from a professional doing his craft. Cheers.
Good luck - if you get it up and running, I have a 50+ year old Mamod steam car that has a chrome bonnet that needs re-chroming, so I’d be happy to pass a few baht your way to get it done!!
User avatar
Nereus
Hero
Hero
Posts: 10869
Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2007 3:01 pm
Location: Hua Hin and Bangkok

Re: Chrome plating

Post by Nereus »

Good luck - if you get it up and running, I have a 50+ year old Mamod steam car that has a chrome bonnet that needs re-chroming, so I’d be happy to pass a few baht your way to get it done!!
Well, I am damn sure that I would not risk anything valuable to what is being discussed!
Plating is as much a black art is it is science, and takes precise procedures and methods to achieve. There is a place in Bangkok that I have used in the past, and it might be better to send them there 2 or 3 at a time.

http://huahinforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=20046
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
harreid
Rookie
Rookie
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2018 6:02 pm

Re: Chrome plating

Post by harreid »

Hi Nereus,
I got a quote to have these stools re-chromed at a place in Bangkok, they wanted 4,500 Baht each, that’s 135,000 Baht for the 30, did they see a ferang coming? The stools cost 3,500 Baht each to buy. Even if I buy new stools they will probably also need re-chroming in a years time.
I'm 72 years old and have mastered many skills during my life and am always willing to try and add further skills. I'm also known as a perfectionist and will persevere until I can achieve a high quality of chrome plating before working on anything that needs to be done properly. Not knowing how to do something has never stopped me from learning, it’s all a matter of patience and practice.
harreid
Rookie
Rookie
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2018 6:02 pm

Re: Chrome plating

Post by harreid »

Dannie Boy wrote: Sat Feb 03, 2018 4:09 pm
harreid wrote: Sat Feb 03, 2018 2:42 pm Hi Danny Boy, the equipment is not expensive, I already have a suitable power supply and enough materials in my workshop to make this plant, only have to buy a few tanks and the plating materials and chemicals. Also I want to make sure they are done properly and will last for many years to come. There is loads of professional help and advice on Youtube, but I would still like to have a person who has done plating come and show me first hand, can't beat seeing and learning from a professional doing his craft. Cheers.
Good luck - if you get it up and running, I have a 50+ year old Mamod steam car that has a chrome bonnet that needs re-chroming, so I’d be happy to pass a few baht your way to get it done!!
Hi again Danny Boy, when I have the plant up and running and able to carry out a quality job I'll let you know, might be a while yet. A bonnet is normally quite large so it will maybe be too large for the tanks I will be using, we'll see. Cheers.
VincentD
Ace
Ace
Posts: 1482
Joined: Tue Jun 22, 2004 4:04 pm
Location: Bangkok

Re: Chrome plating

Post by VincentD »

Good Sunday morning.
A few comments, if I may...
I used to work at a facility where we did aviation standard nickel plating on aero engine parts, the biggest obstacle to getting a good job done was always the part preparation.
Extremely strong acids were used on superalloys to remove all traces of old plating. Then,
A nickel strike - the first round is quite a rough coating, mainly to get it to 'bite'. after that,
The second (smoother) coating.
We always ran sample plates for the bend test (to check adherence) and chemical strength was monitored daily.
We had two technicians just monitoring this alone.

As for chrome plating, another project (non-aviation) required a hard chrome finish on a sliding surface. we had the machine shop send it to have the process done, but no satisfaction. We finally scrapped the lot and had them done in stainless steel (the alternative) instead.

I have seen how nonchalant some vendors can be with regard to prep. This is the critical step and is the most time-consuming.
I suspect that over-the-top quote would include removing the old chrome and pre-process prep but I could be wrong.

3,500 baht for a single bar stool seems over-the-top as well for something of that quality. If finish isn't too much of an issue, get a hand-held sandblaster to remove the offending chrome yourself, then send it to an electroplating place and get it electro-galvanized. It'll last a lot longer.
วินเชนท์
VincentD
Ace
Ace
Posts: 1482
Joined: Tue Jun 22, 2004 4:04 pm
Location: Bangkok

Re: Chrome plating

Post by VincentD »

BTW, Mamod is the brand name of an old steam-powered toy so it's not oversize.. Always wanted one but they were expensive back then. Remember my neighbour had one, fascinating to watch..
วินเชนท์
HHTel
Hero
Hero
Posts: 10806
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 7:44 pm

Re: Chrome plating

Post by HHTel »

steam-powered toy
MODEL not TOY. Don't upset the anoraks!

:)
User avatar
Dannie Boy
Hero
Hero
Posts: 12030
Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 8:12 pm
Location: Closer to Cha Am than Hua Hin

Re: Chrome plating

Post by Dannie Boy »

VincentD wrote: Sun Feb 04, 2018 12:07 pm BTW, Mamod is the brand name of an old steam-powered toy so it's not oversize.. Always wanted one but they were expensive back then. Remember my neighbour had one, fascinating to watch..
It is indeed as HHTel says, a “model” vintage car, something like an open top Rolls Royce. I had it as a Birthday or Xmas present over 50 years ago and it’s still one of my “pride and joys”, albeit looking a bit tired. The overall length is just under 40 cms and the bonnet is 10 cms long so if harried does get his facility up and running, it shouldn’t be a problem :cheers:
harreid
Rookie
Rookie
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2018 6:02 pm

Re: Chrome plating

Post by harreid »

Hi again VincentD, one of my main concerns about having the job done elsewhere is if the preparation would be done properly, having lived here for 12 years and dealt with dozens of so called "PROFESSIONALS" I have absolutely no confidence in getting a quality job done. I owned and ran a Body Repair Shop in the UK, I was an official repair center for the accident repair and refinishing of Rolls Royce cars. I know a lot about the preparation of metal and applying finishes which should help me a lot when it comes to chrome plating. So I might be able to help Danny Boy with his bonnet, I had a look at a Mamod on the internet, a bit smaller than a Rolls Royce bonnet. Please also remember, I am not going into this blindly, the reason we are talking about this on here is for me to try and get some help and advice from somebody who really knows what they are doing with regards to chrome plating, and I am taking in what you are saying and appreciate you taking the time to advise me. Thank you.
User avatar
Dannie Boy
Hero
Hero
Posts: 12030
Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 8:12 pm
Location: Closer to Cha Am than Hua Hin

Re: Chrome plating

Post by Dannie Boy »

Dannie Boy wrote: Sun Feb 04, 2018 2:07 pm
VincentD wrote: Sun Feb 04, 2018 12:07 pm BTW, Mamod is the brand name of an old steam-powered toy so it's not oversize.. Always wanted one but they were expensive back then. Remember my neighbour had one, fascinating to watch..
It is indeed as HHTel says, a “model” vintage car, something like an open top Rolls Royce. I had it as a Birthday or Xmas present over 50 years ago and it’s still one of my “pride and joys”, albeit looking a bit tired. The overall length is just under 40 cms and the bonnet is 10 cms long so if harried does get his facility up and running, it shouldn’t be a problem :cheers:
And this is what it looks like
5A643FD5-AA03-494A-8A0A-7B5CBBFE665C.jpeg
5A643FD5-AA03-494A-8A0A-7B5CBBFE665C.jpeg (60.03 KiB) Viewed 801 times
Post Reply