Chrome plating?

[gouldsborough7]

My Berli came with lots of brass: strips along the running boards, sidelamps on wings, headlamp rims, fog/spot & rear lamps, dummy rad cap etc etc. plus conversely chrome-plated door handles, mirrors and odds & ends.

I quickly came to realise that the brass tarnished badly when exposed to a cloudy sky and half a dozen drops of rain! An expensive purchase of a tarnish-remover kit did little to prevent a recurrence with the next shower.

So I got to thinking about getting the brass chromium plated. Has anybody experience of this? Is it just a case of removing the parts from the car and wandering along to my nearest chrome-finishing firm in Hertfordhire for a quote?

In respect to the fog/spot-lamps, I am thinking perhaps that a total replacement in budget chrome or stainless lamps might be the best long-term option.

Also, the separate sidelights could be junked altogether and blank off the holes. Their replacement appears to be an 'arm & leg' cost with the usual vintage suppliers. Not sure about this. Might spoil the overall appearance.

Any thoughts and likely costs would be of interest.

Cheers
Mike

[dogoncrazy]

Re: Chrome plating?

Hi Mike
I've no personal experience of chrome plating but I do remember reading an article in 'Classic and Sportscar' in which one of the staff of the magazine had about 100 items chrome plated by Derby Plating[apparantly the best in the business] and the bill was in the region of £1000 .None of the items was particularly large and some I believe were just nuts and bolts.The cost is more to do with the labour involved in the polishing stages that take place between the plating process rather than the plating itself.I think it's very much a case of you get what you pay for and some restorers have learnt this to their cost with cheap jobs. It may well prove cheaper in the long term to switch to stainless items.

[gaddbrose]

Re: Chrome plating?

Hi Mike. I would have thought that the replacement of all your brass for chrome would be horrendously expensive, so I'll make a suggestion. Us boatowners have a deal of brass on our boats, and in the damp envirament of the canal world , keeping brass clean is a problem. I took advice from more experienced owners , and purchased a tin of INCRALAC. It is made by RYLAND , code no. RY40005 and can be bought from any ship or boat chandlers. The address on the tin is "Indestructible Paint. co. Ltd. 23-25 Pentos Drive . Birmingham B11 3TA . tel 0121 7022435" the last bit of the no. is a bit indistinct and could be wrong. However, all you do isto clean the surface as good as possible , wipe with a spirit to eliminate finger marks , and apply one coat of the lacquer and allow to dry.It does have a slight yellowing effect when compared to an untreated surface, but it will not tarnish , and lasts for years. mine has. tf is an alternative way out of your problem . regards Brian.

[Mike]

Re: Chrome plating?

Mike
I have had a centre hinge chrome plated, by a co near Derby, and the cost was not excessive. However the trick is to polish the brass before you go, to have the same level of finish you require of the plating. All the plater then has to do is electro plate it, with no additional labour, and the cost is reasonable. Like most things, its all in the preparation.
regards
Mike

[macdonald.dm]

Re: Chrome plating?

Mike got there before me!

Yes, it's all in the preparation. You might think that chrome plating leaves a thick coating - in some cases it does, I guess - but it won't easily cover a poor finish below. It's a bit like getting a good finish with aerosol paint - once the stuff dries, you realise that every single mark from the 600 grit paper is showing through, and you need to redo with 1200...

[keith_h]

Re: Chrome plating?

I got my windscreen surround done by www.premier-plating.co.uk in High Wycombe. It was about 12 years ago and although I think it was worth it I seem to remember it was not inexpensive. They were doing all the F1 garage bits at the time and I guess I got caught for F1 prices but a lot changes in 12 years!

[listerjp2]

Re: Chrome plating?

Hi Keith. I have used Premier Plating myself and have found them very good. I am interested to hear that you had you screen surroud done. How did they do it and do you have any pictures of the results. Many thanks. Adrian.

[Mike]

Re: Chrome plating?

Adrian
Marlin sell a polished stainless surround for the Cabrio which is fantastic quality. I simply cannot believe how well it is finished - no sign of welds anywhere. Marlin may not be prepared to sell you a Berlinetta as a one off, but they might put you in touch with their supplier?

[CABRIOBOB]

Re: Chrome plating?

I got a price last year on getting a Pinto rocker cover chromed and was told it would be £80 plus the tax,I bought a new one from Burton Power for less.Y ou can buy chroming kits for small items for a couple of hundred pounds and seem to be very good.

[keith_h]

Re: Chrome plating?

Hi Adrian, the windscreen surround for a YKC Sierra based Roadster is a seperate bolt on component so I simply dropped it in and collected it 2 days later. I am only up the road from you at Prestwood - you're more than welcome to come and take a look. Tel : H.W. 86four35one