sftamx1 Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 I am looking for a chrome shop with quick turn around, quality work, and in the Nothteast. THanks for any suggestions!Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 You are asking a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Try Librandi's, in Middlwtown, Pennsylvania. 717-944-9442 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Or Pauls in Stephens City, PA. Quick turnaround may mean 6 months depending on the time of year. Both do excellent plating, as does Advanced Custom Chrome in Erie, PA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 One thing good about Librandi is he quotes a hard price and sticks pretty close to the promised delivery date. Don't be surprised if that date is up to a year away..............Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Pauls and Advanced Custom Chrome will give a fixed price also. You are right, not uncommon to wait a year at some top shops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amphicar BUYER Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 EPA laws have wiped out a lot of platers. There used to be Ajax in Denver. Always got my stuff back on time, final charge rarely went over estimate and never lost a part. Now they don't do chrome any longer. This is a common story across the country, so waits are longer and costs are higher and waits too long. I hope you find a good plater! Let us know how it works out, would ya? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 The chrome plating process is a lot more complicated and labor intensive than most people realize. It costs our plater over $4500 just to FILL his copper plating tank with the appropriate solutions. I tell people "don't complain about the price of chrome plating, be happy you can get it done at any price". Not a business I would want to be in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 EPA laws have wiped out a lot of platers. There used to be Ajax in Denver. Always got my stuff back on time, final charge rarely went over estimate and never lost a part. Now they don't do chrome any longer. This is a common story across the country, so waits are longer and costs are higher and waits too long. I hope you find a good plater! Let us know how it works out, would ya? I have a friend who's in the chrome plating business and would love to retire but can't. The government will not let him sell the business. You see he's grandfathered in so he can operate, but the government won't let a new buyer come in. His money is in the business so he's stuck. I have another friend who's in the surfboard business and has the same problem. Fortunately for him he had four retail stores which he did sell, but the factory and all it's workers had to go. The new owners kept the brand name, but the factory is going out of the country. I think people these days call this sort of thing Hope and Change, although I fail to see any hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Wolfe Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 D-G Custom Chrome in Cincinnati, Ohio dgquotes@fuse.net did a good job for me on several parts. Check out their web site . You can visit the plant if you are close.BrightWorks in Piqua, Ohio does excellent work ( higher priced then most ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 New England Chrome Plating in Hartford, Ct. does good work, and understands the car hobby. Bob New England Chrome Plating and Brass - chrome plating, brass plating, gold plating, metal finishing, industrial plating, boat restoration, motorcycle restoration, powder coating, fireplace, hard chrome plating, chrome, auto parts, antique, antique re Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poci1957 Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Librandis is my plater--700 miles away but worth it. But forget rushing them or anyone else, Todd C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 As with most services involving old cars, there's an old saying that's very apt:Fast, cheap, or well-done... Pick two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amphicar BUYER Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 There is a place in Denver called "Denver Bumper" who used to only do, well bumpers. But now they realized there is a lot of business in small parts now that the plating houses are going away. I had some Amphi stuff done as a test and it was not cheap, but very well done. (cheaper than new replacements!!) They even did some pot metal stuff too. They pickup and deliver here too! That is AWESOME! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rniez Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 Nassau Chrome in mineola, NY. They did all the plating on my Healey. Excellent quality, not too expensive and reasonable turnaround. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlier Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 I am looking for a chrome shop with quick turn around, quality work, and in the Nothteast. THanks for any suggestions!ScottPaul's Chrome is a vendor at Fall Hershey. A few years ago I took my bumpers with me to Fall Hershey. They quoted me a price on the spot which they stuck to. They then took them back to their shop after Fall Hershey saving me the cost of shipping the bumpers to them. That alone can save you some $$$$ not paying for shipping both ways.If you are close enough to Hershey to drop them off and can get your bumpers to their vendor space you might consider doing what I did.I would recommend calling them to make sure they are coming this year and where they will be.BTW, their work was not cheap but the quality of their work was Outstanding and worth every penny to me.I know a few other people who have had work done by Paul's and they all have been very pleased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwight Romberger Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 I like the "drop it off at a car show" idea. It not only saves shipping cost, I got a live person from the company to look at the parts and give me a quote. It was higher than someone from the same company had quoted me over the phone. I would have been upset with a telephone call telling me about the increase after I shipped my parts there. This way I could make the decision on the spot without feeling my parts were already being held hostage in a foreign land (Tennesee).Dwight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 A word of warning. We dropped off quite a few parts for a Caddy at Hershey last year. Due to the usual confusion at Hershey several of our parts were apparently mislaid/lost/stolen somewhere between Hershey and the chromer's shop and it was a major hassle replacing them. If you drop off parts at a flea market we would suggest you inventory and photograph your parts and have the plater sign a copy of your inventory and photos acknowledging receipt. We are not implying that this happened with Pauls, it didn't and the plater accepted responsibility but it was a major pain. Think about it. If several customers drop off an assortment of bumpers, other large parts, and the usual box of small pieces it is easy to see how parts could be inadvertently mixed up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwight Romberger Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 (edited) I forgot. You don't know how OCD I am.I tooks photos of everything and emailed a copy to the plater.I made two custom sized boxes and put my name and address written in large block letters on the top and the bottom of both boxes and labeled them "1 of 2" and "2 of 2". I made up a list of the parts, and stapled it ( I brought a stapler along)to the plater's copy of the quote. I wrote my name on each part in a permanent marker and taped like parts together. Finally I packed the parts in foam wrap. I unwrapped them for the plater to see, then rewrapped them when he was finished. I put them back in box 1 and 2 and then sealed both closed with super tough packing tape (I brought some along). I then helped the guy carry the boxes and put them in the truck with my name on the top.Yes, I know. It is overkill, but they are going to try really hard in order to lose them!Dwight Edited August 25, 2012 by Dwight Romberger (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amphicar BUYER Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 It's never overkill to protect rare spendy parts! The platers get so many small parts that it is easy for them to get lost. I photograph all parts and then in photoshop label ea. one and put my name and phone on ea. pic. They get a hard copy with the parts and a soft copy and inventory emailed for reference and protection to show what they got. If you can put your name on the parts, even better at least until they enter the process where that is lost. I have these pics handy when I get the parts back to compare to. I know they appreciate this effort as it helps them as well as myself to be able to know exactly what I gave them sometimes months before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 There is a shop fairly near us which we could easily drive to but we seldom use them for one reason only. Quality is great, price is not out of line, delivery can be a bit slow but that we can deal with. The problem is that if we take him 100 parts he will reject maybe 10-15 as "not plateable (platable?) and we then have to find someone else to do those few parts whereas the plater we do use can almost always plate every part we present him with and they will all be Hershey Grand National quality. Find a plater who is able and willing to do repairs and maintain clearances as necessary and get the parts to you when you need them and you've made a find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impala Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I used this place in Jeanette, PA about an hour East of Pittsburgh. M&P Refinishing They were recommended by a car buddy of mine. For my 61 Impala I had them do both bumpers (10 pc. total), conv. quarter window frames and vent window frames. The price was quoted at 2K and turnaround 6 weeks and they stuck to both, excellent quality and fully guaranteed. It's a smaller two brother operation that has been in business a long time. Like any plater they have a busy season and the turnaround is longer.impala Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A by the sea Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 NO one is cheap with plating.What do you need plated and what is the correct plating for the part? Not all parts are chrome. Some places may not do a process that is important for the proper look. Many of the pre 1940's plating was done with a dull nickel and buffed before chrome. So backsides of bumpers would have a dull look.Do you need the parts to function, like top irons much function when done? Are they flat parts that you want to remain flat after plating, not wavy (think hand sanded to shape= more labor)?Keep in mind many shops are oriented to making parts look pretty, not form and function.My expensive experience with Paul's. I called several times and after talking to the lead guy explaining the work I wanted done, I sent them my parts with 8 pages of directions. By directions I mean how the parts must work together when done like the hinges for my top must fit together when done. Well I got the parts back and it was clear none of the directions were even looked at as the hinges could not fit together. Areas that were to be left rough castings were ground down to where the countersunk screws were above the surface. The very expensive and hard to find in good shape top irons were ground so thin at the edges it looked like a decorative sword. I was willing to pay Paul's for hand done work and thought I made it pretty clear in my notes and telephone conversation that was what I wanted. Now I will say they did their best to make my parts workable. I had to send them parts back twice and they wasted a couple of very rare top parts that I was lucky enough to have a workable spare to have them plate. The parts are workable, but they do not look correct.Frankford Plating in the Philadelphia area is slow and expensive. I have seen some of their work and they appear to have good attention to detail. My brother has had some work done by them and was pleased, but it was slow and expensive. They operate 3 nickel plate tanks to handle the correct type of plating depending on when the parts would have been made.Librandi does not have dull nickel tank and was rude with me when I asked at Hershey a few years ago. I ask if he had the dull nickel tank and said no and then told be he would not want my business go away. I do not know what kind of work he does.When considering others comments on plating you have to keep in mind my idea of a good plating job will be vastly different they your idea of a good plating.My final words- Good Luck with your plating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rons49 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I used this place in Jeanette, PA about an hour East of Pittsburgh. M&P Refinishing They were recommended by a car buddy of mine. For my 61 Impala I had them do both bumpers (10 pc. total), conv. quarter window frames and vent window frames. The price was quoted at 2K and turnaround 6 weeks and they stuck to both, excellent quality and fully guaranteed. It's a smaller two brother operation that has been in business a long time. Like any plater they have a busy season and the turnaround is longer.impalaWow. Nassau Chrome is still in business( Mineola NY). I recall 22 years ago they could only do small parts,ie, no bumpers etc. Pauls always had a good rep. My hudson was done by Martins of Philadelphia. Gerry Martin is still there as Charger Metals. See Hemmings. BTY, true there are way fewer chrome shops today, but the predominant reason is not the EPA. Although EPA as a factor, does play a part, more reason is supply and demand. Have you noticed, there is little or no chrome on cars ( or anything) any more? Lighter, more durable and cheaper plastics have over taken the use of metals, especially bumpers. So as a result there is less need for plating shops. The EPA may appear to be a demon, but the truth is that organization is an overseer with a purpose... that being, a barrier to unscrupulous shops, that in order to gain an edge on the competition, would just dump their heavy metals into a"pit" out back. Nassau Chrome ( not to infer that decent company) and the many industries in that area sit over a once very polluted area. Long Island draws its water from aquifers( Lloyd aquifer), that were becoming laden with cadmium and other heavy metals. Bethpage/Farmingdale was another hazzard area since the aircraft industry of the 40s and 50s dumped there pollutants. Far from perfect... The EPA is the only thing standing between chaos and life itself. Under the circumstances, my collector cars are secondary, if my water and air are poisoned. Maybe Silent Spring( Rachel Carson) should be mandatory reading in school. Ron Sotardi, Life member Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rons49 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I used this place in Jeanette, PA about an hour East of Pittsburgh. M&P Refinishing They were recommended by a car buddy of mine. For my 61 Impala I had them do both bumpers (10 pc. total), conv. quarter window frames and vent window frames. The price was quoted at 2K and turnaround 6 weeks and they stuck to both, excellent quality and fully guaranteed. It's a smaller two brother operation that has been in business a long time. Like any plater they have a busy season and the turnaround is longer.impalaWow. Nassau Chrome is still in business( Mineola NY). I recall 22 years ago they could only do small parts,ie, no bumpers etc. Pauls always had a good rep. My hudson was done by Martins of Philadelphia. Gerry Martin is still there as Charger Metals. See Hemmings. BTY, true there are way fewer chrome shops today, but the predominant reason is not the EPA. Although EPA as a factor, does play a part, more reason is supply and demand. Have you noticed, there is little or no chrome on cars ( or anything) any more? Lighter, more durable and cheaper plastics have over taken the use of metals, especially bumpers. So as a result there is less need for plating shops. The EPA may appear to be a demon, but the truth is that organization is an overseer with a purpose... that being, a barrier to unscrupulous shops, that in order to gain an edge on the competition, would just dump their heavy metals into a"pit" out back. Nassau Chrome ( not to infer that decent company) and the many industries in that area sit over a once very polluted area. Long Island draws its water from aquifers( Lloyd aquifer), that were becoming laden with cadmium and other heavy metals. Bethpage/Farmingdale was another hazzard area since the aircraft industry of the 40s and 50s dumped there pollutants. Far from perfect... The EPA is the only thing standing between chaos and life itself. Under the circumstances, my collector cars are secondary, if my water and air are poisoned. Maybe Silent Spring( Rachel Carson) should be mandatory reading in school. Ron Sotardi, Life member Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Braverman Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Nassau Chrome did the radiator shell from my '32 Plymouth last year for $325. It was rough and came out beautiful. They were not fast, but inexpensive and decent quality. I highly recommend them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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