Where to get something Re Chrome diecast ( Potmetal )

[Budensor]

Ok Guys,

I don't know if this the place to ask this ? But I need some help finding a Chrome Plater that can Repair and Plate a set Rear Door Window Flippers for My 1936 Buick Roadmaster Pheaton 80C. These are Die Cast.( Potmetal ). This has been a long hard search but Thanks to Dave Powers of California he was very helpful and sold me a Spare set he had for a very reasonable price. These are very rare items because 1936 they were one year only. The 1937 and newer are different. So saying that I don't want just anyone trying to do these. I've never had anything plated like this before. Can someone Please guide me in the Right direction ?

Thanks

Malcolm (Bud) Ensor

[Pete Phillips]

I like Royal Plating, 636 W. Lester St., Tucson, Arizona. They do beautiful plating and will repair a piece if it isn't damaged too badly. I remember seeing your gorgeous '36 at the BCA national meet in Springfield, MO last year.

Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

[Bob Engle]

I'm not familiar with the pieces you are doing or the final quality you expect.  To remove the old chrome from die cast, it must be ground off by a craftsman.  Die cast is very soft material and chrome is very hard.  The more fine detail on a part, the more difficult the task.  You can probably expect some loss of detail.  Any mistakes can't be corrected as there is no good way to add material back onto the piece.  They can fill the outgass pin holes satisfactorily, but they can't recreate sharp lines and corners.

 

Knowing this, if you want good results you will have to go to the high cost platers.  Don't buy on price or you will be unhappy with the results.  If the parts are to be Concourse level, I would have the plater do another part that you get at a swap meet that is not needed.  This way you will see the results and can determine your level of satisfaction.  Under any circumstances, there is no guaranty on the finished pieces as each is done by hand and any slip will be loss of detail.

 

I have used Paul's chrome plating for better than average results.  That said, be sure to have a lengthy discussion with the plater so they know your expectations. Many of the high end restoration shops here in Virginia get all their work done at Librandi's in Middletown, PA.  I wasn't willing to pay for their quality level. 

 

Bob Engle

[JoelsBuicks]

Bud, what kind of repair is needed? Back when I lived close to a plater in Houston, he would copper plate my pot metal after I had blasted and sanded it. I would then solder the pits and sand them smooth and then he would do the copper nickel chrome plating.

When my pot metal needed repair for cracks, I used the Muggy Weld product. It's frustrating stuff but eventually you make it work. I would spend many hours working just one piece.

Platers almost always try to grind away the problems with pot metal. I think you should first ask the plater how they deal with the pits and if they tell you that they grind them away you should find another until they describe a pit filling process that preserves the piece. Insist on this high-end treatment and expect to pay for it.

Good luck,

Joel

[1967 - 1997 Riviera]

Mr. Engle stated: "  To remove the old chrome from die cast, it must be ground off by a craftsman."

 

Why wouldn't a professional de-plate whatever remains on the piece instead of grinding it off? That is the procedure a friend and longtime restorer of plated firearms does to get down to bare metal before he even does an evaluation of how badly pitted the surface is and what level of polishing & surface preparation will be required. In some cases, only minimal buffing is then needed to prepare for a re-nickeling. In others, the surface pitting will require filing in by slow, spot welding that is then either dressed by hand using oiled stones to maintain flats or tediously contoured and polished by hand. No power tools of any kind are used and it is a slow and tedious process. Because of the time involved, such restoration doesn't come cheap. His quote to restore surfaces on a plated firearm is by the hour, i.e., $65.00 per hour. His work is among the best in the guild, but good work doesn't come cheap.

[Bob Engle]

The diecast material has a higher electro conductivity than the chrome.  If the piece is placed in the acid solution and current passed through it, the diecast material will breakdown in the the solution.  Brass, Iron and other material with low electro conductivity will not be affected.  Bumpers and steel parts can be deplated, but NOT diecast!

 

Bob Engle

[Seldenguy]

Having many issues(cracks,pitting, material missing) with these problematic pieces on my '36 80-C. I spent many hours talking to platers,shipping expenses,driving many miles so they could look at them, then being told to get new ones? I finally copied them in sheet metal, making an exact copy minus the plating thickness to be applied. When done they fit the hinge base and worked as or better than the GM originals. A lot of work but did anyone who has personally restored a car ever say, "Boy, that was easy"? Issues can be resolved. --Bob

[JoelsBuicks]

There may be hope on this front.  This is a bit off topic but I've been involved in a totally unrelated-to-car project in which a 3D scanner is used to scan a surface and then create a mathematical model of that surface.  You can then mathematically enlarge the object if you so desire and then dump the 3D CAD file to a 3D printer and print the object in ABS plastic.  The plastic version is then used to make a mold that allows for sand casting in your favorite metal.  Why not for an old car part?  So far, it appears to be highly accurate and you can just mathematically insert the expected shrinkage percentage and cast a duplicate part - or a hundred of them for that matter.  Surely someone, somewhere is working on this for car parts.  I'd be doing it if I had more time, the technology seems to be all there right now.

 

Why can't I remove all of my car list from my signature?  Something has changed.

 

Thanks,

Joel