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Re-Chrome Pot Metal


dxod

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My 1948 Continental coupe has pitted pot metal grille pieces, tail lights, tail light spears, everything. Has anyone had experience with chrome on pitted pot metal? Some shops say put on copper, sand and buff, re-copper, sand and buff some more until the pits are filled. I wonder about corrosion products left in the pits before the first layer of copper goes on and future bubbling. Some shops drill out pits to clean metal, fill with silver or lead solder, then copper, nickel, chrome. How about repair of broken pot metal?

 

Any experience with Finishing Touch, Paul's Chrome, Ogden Chrome, R&D Finishing? Any other shops?

 

Lots of questions, thanks in advance for help.

Dan

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Dan,

It depends on what you are going for, Pebble Beach or a Saturday night cruiser.

If #1, then Paul's is the place, and have your check book ready.

 

You cannot fix blisters in pot metal by slapping on a bunch of copper. It has to be soldered ONE DEFECT AT A TIME, and you already know what a restoration shop charges per hour. And they ALL have to be fixed before you even look at a plating tank.

 

With all that pot metal on the front end of that Lincoln, you can see where this is going............

 

But then a "hot rod" shop would paint all of it flat black and call it good.

 

Just my $ .02, and worth every penny.

 

Mike in Colorado

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I have had plating done by The Finishing Touch and Pauls. Both of them did a nice job. The part that I sent to Pauls was the trunk handle base. The part came back looking very good, but it did grow some in size. I sent it back with an unplated part and they redid the trunk base so it fit perfectly. I had some name plates done by Finishing Touch and they came back just like new. I had a grill done by Qual Chrome when they were in Poughkeepsie, The chrome came back with some bubbles not on the face of the grill and they could never get them out. It is has been wall art for about 35 years.

 

You are going to have severe sticker shock on your parts. They have to remove the chrome, drill the pits and plate with acid copper. Then they have to silver solder the pits, polish and plate again with acid copper. They repeat this process until the part looks good, then they can finish the plating process.

 

Be sure that you let the plater know what is acceptable, before you give him the parts. It will affect the price and the final product.

 

 

Good LUck

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Thanks to our federal government plating has become an even more expensive hassle.  Look at ebay, lots of old guys dying with lincoln in pieces, partial resto jobs...start with better set of grills..you will get better result and save some cash..just look..

they are now very plentiful..plus, it will take what seems like forever..Pauls has good reputation, I had them plate an nos pot trunk  handle base..no strip, no repairs  over $400  10 years ago!! Looks perfect..but$$$$$$  The pit filling is a lost art..yours will show through. ebay!!

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...
Guest 1946Lincoln

Not sure if you are still looking, but Sandy's Bumper Mart in Syracuse NY does a great job that is reasonable in price.

Jim

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