37PackardMan Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 If a ding in steel or a pit in pot metal is filled with JB Weld or sokder (or similar material), will triple plating adhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpage Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 If you're trying to save money by filling the pits yourself I'd say forget it. I doubt that most,if any, platers will do a job that they haven't prepped themselves.They wouldn't want to be liable in case of failure. I'd just let the plater do his thing and I think you'd be better off in the long run. Just my opinion! I know that my comment doesn't answer the question though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
37PackardMan Posted September 3, 2018 Author Share Posted September 3, 2018 I posed the question as a curiosity because I have never seen it discussed in print. Hopefully the discussion benefits someone doing a restoration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlLaFong Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 Plating will not take on JB Weld. There has to be electrical conductivity 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MochetVelo Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 What about JB Weld with steel? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer09 Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 why not use Silly Putty? LOL! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
61polara Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 Fill with copper plate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 The only way to fill pits prior to plating is with solder. The pits are ground out to parent metal, the part is copper plated, and then the pits are hand filled with solder and smoothed out. Once filled, the part is then copper, nickel, and finally chrome plated as usual. this is why it is so expensive to replate pitted parts. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickelroadster Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 Caswell plating makes an epoxy product that is designed to be plated over. I do much of my own nickel plating and have tried to use it without a whole lot of success. Silver solder works much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
46 woodie Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 No, plating will not adhere to any type of epoxy. A plating shop will fill the holes with solder or in some cases weld. If the holes are very small they will copper plate and sand it as many times as necessary to level the holes. Do the job right and you won't regret it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
37PackardMan Posted September 4, 2018 Author Share Posted September 4, 2018 We all know that plastic is used as an insulation for wires, and we also know that most, if not all, the bright work on new cars, is really chrome plated plastic, So far, this discussion has touched on JB Weld and solder. What about 3M Bondo 90451 Metal Reinforced Filler or the other filler....All Metal????.. Do they not have electrical conductivity????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank DuVal Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 I have not seen an epoxy type product that was electrically conductive. Even the metal powder containing types. Even my tests on U-Pol weld through primer were not always very conductive, but I continue to use it for EMI sensitive surfaces. Better conductivity than rust. Chrome plating plastic, if we are talking real chrome plating, involves depositing a conductive coating onto the plastic. Not something a typical show chrome shop does. But they could have bought a system, so ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 It is possible to plate non metallic articles if you coat them with powdered copper or carbon, something that is conductive. You can plate a strawberry or a butterfly if you know what you are doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capngrog Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 As I recall from my younger daze, when I built plastic model cars, the plastic bumpers, trim etc. were all chrome plated. Cheers, Grog 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank DuVal Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 Lots of chrome plated plastic on the market. Mostly for OEM large orders, not individual owned parts. https://www.cybershieldinc.com/chrome-plating-plastic/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlLaFong Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 35 minutes ago, capngrog said: As I recall from my younger daze, when I built plastic model cars, the plastic bumpers, trim etc. were all chrome plated. Cheers, Grog Plastic model kits used vacuum metallizing to "chrome" the parts 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 Electroplating a bumper and "chrome" plastic trim are two entirely different processes. I am no expert on either one. However I do not believe the two methods work interchangeably. I know what Rusty O says is basically true. I have talked with platers that claimed they could chrome ANYTHING, and I don't think they were lying. I saw a pair of chrome plated baby shoes once. The plater said he did it because a plater's kid's baby shoes shouldn't be "bronzed". While it may be possible to chrome plastic and steel together (I don't know?), I suspect the effort (and therefore cost) would be more than any savings by using plastics to fill pinholes. Usually, heavy copper plating is used to fill small surface defects. Copper plating is fairly simple, fast, and can be done heavily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 (edited) Back in the fifties my father had a plating outfit in the basement for plating baby shoes.That is where I learned about electroplating. You can plate plastic but not recommended for cars, or articles exposed to the weather where durability is required. Best is to copper plate, fill holes with solder, then copper nickel and chrome. Edited September 4, 2018 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 8 hours ago, capngrog said: As I recall from my younger daze, when I built plastic model cars, the plastic bumpers, trim etc. were all chrome plated. Cheers, Grog "Chrome plated" plastic isn't chrome, it is vacuum deposited aluminum. Yes, there are places that will triple chrome plate plastic parts. They start by putting a conductive coating on first (like the vacuum deposited aluminum), they the copper/nickel/chrome layers. I doubt that is either feasible or practical for a single epoxy-filled zit in pot metal. I'm guessing the OP's question is because he has a quote from a reputable chrome shop to repair a pitted piece of pot metal and choked on the price. Good luck finding a reputable chrome shop that will even accept a part that the owner has done a half-fast repair on like the proposed epoxy filling. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 8 hours ago, Frank DuVal said: Lots of chrome plated plastic on the market. Mostly for OEM large orders, not individual owned parts. https://www.cybershieldinc.com/chrome-plating-plastic/ "Not individual owned parts" in big red letters on their web page, in fact. Also, if you read their info, they do exactly what I mentioned above. They vacuum deposit electroless nickel on the plastic part to make it conductive, then plate it like metal. ABS only, not bastardized metal/epoxy parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlLaFong Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 The short answer, if there ever is such a thing, is, NO. You cannot chrome JB Weld Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John348 Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 (edited) I agree with Joe P and I don't think a reputable chrome shop would even attempt it Edited September 4, 2018 by John348 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 I got the Wife done. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer09 Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 She's lookin hot Bernie! who's your plater? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 Aluminum paint works well over JB Weld I hear. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now