I will soon be nickle plating some items on my 1925 Stutz 693 and would appreciate comments on nickle platers.

Thanks,

Dan

Any good chrome plater would by definition also be a good nickle plater.

There are only 3 major concerns with platers: metal prep, metal preparation, and preparation of the metal! The process involves cleaning, etching, filing if necessary to remove any corrosion, then copper plate, polishing and repeating the copper plating until all pits and marks are smooth, highly polish, then nickel plate and polish some more. Chrome plating just adds a layer of chromium on top of the nickel for a more durable finish. Good plating work is labor intensive and hence, expensive.
Industrial grade plating is cheap, but it doesn't belong on a car's brightwork. Industrial (bulk) plating with cadmium, copper (or whatever may be correct for your application) for fasteners, hidden parts, suspension parts, etc. is usually fine. (that's how small parts were originally done, in bulk.) Don't try to get away with "good enough" when having decorative type parts plated. It's amazing how small imperfections jump out at you from under the finish on newly plated parts.
Take photos of all your parts before you send them off, send copies with the parts with notes for any special requirements or concerns.
If you want a specific recommendation: Paul's (near Philadelphia) is one of the best. I used to send bike parts to Brown's (in Nashville if I remember correctly) they were also very good, but had a longer lead time than most.

I have a lot of small interior and dash parts to have plated for my Lincoln, I'm going to try a new local shop that just changed hands and needs to get some of it's work out in view of the car nuts. I suspect that the first few jobs that the new owner puts out will be perfect and priced on the low side to get the word of mouth advertising going. I think that taking the parts in personally and reviewing exactly what needs to be done up front will eliminate some of the problems that you hear about with chrome shops.

Good Luck with it and let us know how it works out.

Please visit our website...we discribe the process. We have done car work for years...the secret is in the experience of the plater or polisher. We have experienced platers and polishers at our shop...we are located in Chicago...I am certain you will not be disappointed. Thanks
www.americanmidwestchrome.com
773-918-1606
chrome2300@sbcglobal.net

Thanks for the great reply.

There is not much bright work on this roadster but you are correct in your comment that it must the best it can be. I am told that 1924/1925 auto's had nickle plating rather than chrome.

I can see that plating is the same as painting when it come to preparation.

I find myself being concerned about the issue of having a plater loosing or damaging a part!!

Dan

The process is the same, for nickel you dust don't put the last layer of chromium over the nickel. The link to the plater's website describes the processes very well. in re: losing parts, photos and inventory will reduce it, but sometimes chit happens, especially with small parts photos and inventory will help the plater be sure that one of your impossible to find parts isn't laying in the bottom of one of his chemical tanks. Also do as much disassembly as you can, especially for parts that move. That way when they are finished you can fit and re-assemble them, even the best plating shops can't be expected to recognize the thousands of different parts, and then be able to fit them to function properly. Whatever you do, don't just ship your parts off and say "plate these" call the shop before you ship, and when the parts arrive to go over each part as they unpack and label them. It's not being a pest they want to do the best possible job for you and any assistance you can provide enables them to do better work.

We have chromed parts from some very elite autos. What we find makes our customer happy is taking photos of the parts when the parts arrive. We then make certain our plater has the picture for the job so that we can ensure you have all the parts returned to you. It is an extra step, but we do know how important originality is.

One of the most important things that people miss when nickel plating on a car of this vintage is the fact that today's nickels have far more brighteners in them than were used originally. Brighteners do two things - they make it come out of the plating tanks nice and shiny, and they change the color to a bit more yellow, while adding brittlness. The brittle aspect is o.k. for most folks, but comes into play when plating trim that needs to flex for some reason, like an instrument bezel with a crimped lip, or an engine line that needs to be shaped a bit.

Original nickel finishes were, what we today call, Sulfamate or Watts nickel. They are softer, a bit less yellow and come out of the tanks dull and gray, They require polising after plating, which gives them a rich, yet slightly softer appearance over teh harsh modern bright nickel. They also tend to hold up better, are easier to polish after tarnishing and look far more authentic.

I greatly prefer the beautiful soft, elegant look of original nickel and also the ease of upkeep. There are few platers that use it. I use Frankford Plating in Philadelphia. I am currently also restoring a Stutz and will use sulfamate nickel on all parts originally nickeled. It really looks great and is worth the effort to find on a great car like your Stutz.

Tom Rasmussen

www.americanmidwestchrome.com
773-918-1606
chrome2300@sbcglobal.net

Tim,

Thank you for the information on Nickle Plating. Do you have a contact name and number for Franklin Plating?

What model Stutz are you restoring and how far along are you.

This is my first pre war car project and I have a steep learning curve to get over.

Dan

Dan -

The stutz is a 1932 SV16 and a 1934 SV16. Both are in need of a lot of parts.
You can call Frankford plating at 215-288-4518. If you decide to use them, talk to John jr. and be sure you work out a delivery date with him. Then contact him every few weeks as the date approaches. This is a good technique for any plating shop, or sublet contractor.

Good Luck -

Tom Rasmussen

I would add a fourth concern regarding platers----honesty. I have used Frankford Plating in Philadelphia and have had a miserable experience. Not only was one piece shipped to me in unusable condition (void of plating in a critical area) but the job was strung out for weeks with constant claims that my order had been shipped. Despite numerous requests, postal tracking numbers were never given because they had never been shipped at all. I will never use Frankford Plating again based on the poor quality and dishonesty.

I use a famous plater in Detroit who does lots of chrome plating for show cars, motorcycles, antique & classic cars, and hot rods. I love the job they did on my parts, and they didn't lose any parts. One of my tiny parts looks like a #10 washer (for my lighter).

Anyway, the owners were trained by their Italian father decades ago and it's still family-owned. They take tremendous pride in, and guarantee their work. Simply tell them what you want, and they do it. If something is not to your satisfaction, they will do it over, no arguement, for free.

Their Polishing Room is nearly as big as the Plating Room because this is REALLY true:
I saw some parts they did for other customers and was shocked to learn, they polish everything... even stainless mouldings. So I had them do a few large pieces. What takes me HOURS to do, takes them ten minutes. Their finished parts look far better than the best I can do at home; they have industrial equipment and experienced polishers.

This is my experience and NOT an ad. I only know this company from doing business with them on my own classic car parts. I found out about them through one of the Woodward Dream Cruise clubs here, in Royal Oak, MI. If you would like the name or number of this plater, ask and I will post it.

Is there anyone in the midwest that still does electroless nickel plating? I used to use electroless on hardware that was not originally plated to give it corrosion resistance but not look unoriginal with bright nickel plating. I used to get it done somewhere in Denver, but since moving back to the midwest I haven't found any platers that still do it. I've been thinking about using one of the Caswell kits. Any have experience with them?

Funny you should ask. I have a great room (kitchen, dining, and tv room) where I ran Lionel track around the ceiling. This is the regular 3-rail stuff we all know from the beginning of time. It's made from mild sheet steel, formed into rails, with ties staked in place, and it is brand new. Every time I see a kid pull his track out of the attic, it has nasty rust problems and his train won't run, which is exactly what I want to avoid.

KC Jones Plating took all my track (over 100 feet), and electroless nickel plated it for $50. I wanted a coating that wouldn't rust, but conducted electricity. It wasn't a bright finish, but it was brighter than the bare steel track. The kids love running the train, and all I do is dust it off periodically. It works real well.

I lead soldered the sections together using copper wire (so they won't come apart), and isolated corner 'zones' with resistors, to slow the train around corners. The feed wires run along side the track, hidden from view. Nickel plating solders easily.

Here's their address:
K C Jones Plating
248-399-8500
321 W 10 Mile Rd,
Hazel Park, MI 48030

I would like the name of the famous plater you referenced.

We will be attending the Greenfield Village car festival next week end and you would like to pay the plater a visit.

Thanks