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Technical Who to use for Pot-Metal Restoration ?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by flux capacitor, Feb 3, 2016.

  1. Torkwrench
    Joined: Jan 28, 2005
    Posts: 2,713

    Torkwrench
    Member

    Here are some work in progress photos of the headlight bars for my 34 Chevy. By the way, the photos are out of order.

    blasted.JPG bothsolder.JPG copper.JPG nicklestrike.JPG solderdone.JPG solderstart.JPG soldersanded.JPG

    A gentleman named Tom Haltmeyer did the work. He also restored the mirror brackets for the GM Futureliner. It seems like he did chrome work more as a hobby, rather than as a business. He used to have a website, but I can't find it anymore.
     
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2016
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  2. flux capacitor
    Joined: Sep 18, 2014
    Posts: 696

    flux capacitor
    Member

    Here's the pics , I'll also post them side by side with the final outcome. I removed all the attaching " studs" earlier tonight. image.jpeg
    image.jpeg Nicest piece , I glass beaded it smooth few years ago , wish I hadn't cause platers want this stuff cleaned & as is untouched. It's smooth as silk though with the fine glass media I use in my blast cabinet. Word of caution , I'd leave pot metal as is until told otherwise by your plater. I really would love to do the solder work & go back & forth to save $ myself but the time isn't there & it's been a slow build squeezing it in as I can. This will hopefully be the year it hits the road. image.jpeg Also fine glass beaded. Some super tiny pitting in smooth area. image.jpeg thin on chrome , I steel wooled it in past to clean it up, but also very tiny pitting on lower portion. image.jpeg The backside is worse than the front. 150 so cheap it didn't even have a radio or ash tray, dad added a radio around 1961. Now I'm putting the block off plate back in & going with stealth tunes.
    image.jpeg The hood bezel ..... Lots of pitting. Outside
    image.jpeg
    Backside excellent , studs removed.
    image.jpeg Trunk bezel , it's really bad in my opinion all over, I've seen worse. It's gonna cost the most no doubt. image.jpeg
    image.jpeg Backside ok. I bet this item will be 1/3 total cost involved. There we have it all 5 items involved, in order from best to worst. Flux
     
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2016
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  3. Old TFFdriver
    Joined: Jan 14, 2016
    Posts: 191

    Old TFFdriver
    Member
    from California

    Please keep informed on who you chose to use and the end result. This thread as been interesting to say the least. ;)
     
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  4. flux capacitor
    Joined: Sep 18, 2014
    Posts: 696

    flux capacitor
    Member

    I definitely will . Flux
     
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  5. flux capacitor
    Joined: Sep 18, 2014
    Posts: 696

    flux capacitor
    Member

    Here's the first quote I received. It's from Superior Plating in Houston Tx. They did our grille & surround chrome plating. Their work has so far been top notch. They told me couple years ago, they were Grandfathered in on "nickel plating" from EPA because they've been in business since I think pre 1970 ish. Nice folks. Not that that nickel matters for pot metal chroming. This quote is for show quality work. Would be less for driver quality as stated in quote details. I'm gonna go all out & get show quality whenever I do choose a plater in the next few days. I see they have museum quality listed. I'm looking for museum quality at a show quality price :rolleyes:. I'm waiting for the other quotes I've emailed to arrive & then I'll let everybody go through the process with me. Flux
    image.jpeg

    image.jpeg
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2016
  6. Stu D Baker
    Joined: Mar 4, 2005
    Posts: 2,755

    Stu D Baker
    Member
    from Illinois

    Thanks for posting that information.
     
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  7. Well, that's more than I'd like, but less than I expected.... LOL.
     
  8. flux capacitor
    Joined: Sep 18, 2014
    Posts: 696

    flux capacitor
    Member

    Yeah , I'm starting to think its a sign of the times. At work I'm numb to it, selling alternators for low to mid hundred buck range for pickups & such that cost in excess of 25 grand when new. I'm stuck with 30 year ago plating $ in my head. ;) LOL! Flux ...... More to come........
     
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  9. flux capacitor
    Joined: Sep 18, 2014
    Posts: 696

    flux capacitor
    Member

    Ok, I shipped off the pieces UPS today for restoration. I added A nos "150" hood rocket with minor imperfections too the other 5 items. Box weighed 15 lbs & cost 32.xx to ship from my business. Next comes who I chose & why. image.jpeg
    I based my decision on the companies that got back to me & had good customer service contacts. To be fair to all the great recommendations "other platers" & boy do I appreciate you guys posting all of them to give us such a wide list of options. I picked 6 of them & called each & the one I chose was Superior Chrome Plating Inc , in Houston, Tx. Bobby went far further than the rest of the other 6 by following up with a return call after his "quote" a few days later & did such a great job on our 53 grille items a couple years ago it just seemed appropriate. He also was one of only two to reply to my 4 email submissions. Soo here I am without the items for 4-8 weeks while they're getting revamped & when they do return I'll be sure & finish my follow up by posting $ & quality of each item. Their website is justchromeit.com. Flux.
     
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  10. 5window
    Joined: Jan 29, 2005
    Posts: 9,517

    5window
    Member

    Thanks for continuing a really interesting thread. It sounds like you've made a good choice based on rep/price and before the sale contacts. Let's hope the product and the after the sale expectations hold true. Seems lie a great chance they will, but we'll all be hanging around waiting for your next post.
     
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  11. The 150 horn button is a beaut!
     
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  12. Advanced Plating in Nashville did my flying goddess hood ornament and both headlight bezels last year. They estimated a minimum of twelve weeks lead time, and it required a few weeks more than that. Total cost was a little less than $900, with 50% payment up front. All I can say about their work/product is WOW!! It was absolutely perfect and beautiful, and the pieces looked better than 100% factory original. Good people, excellent work, but a few months before your parts come back. My opinion: they were well worth it. :)
     
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  13. Great info guys.
     
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  14. mgtstumpy
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 9,214

    mgtstumpy
    Member

  15. OLDSMAN
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 2,422

    OLDSMAN
    BANNED

    This has been the late 90's when I had the plating done for the convertible. The quarter spears were $1800 per side. They were done by Advanced Plating. I am sure it would be much more today.
     
  16. Edsel58a
    Joined: Jan 17, 2008
    Posts: 804

    Edsel58a
    Member

  17. flux capacitor
    Joined: Sep 18, 2014
    Posts: 696

    flux capacitor
    Member

    After seeing a neat tv piece on their facility sometime back , Advanced was at the top of my list but after two phone calls & three no replies using their email submission form and a the last email was to the employee who was the get it done guy , each accompanied with detailed pics of the items & description of each, after waiting more than a week, I decided they must be really, really busy. That's how I settled on Superior. I was very pleased with their past work I've sent them & now we'll all get to see their "show quality" pot metal capabilities. They have excellent customer relations too boot. I'm sure the others do to & I know how busy & hard to get it done at work in one day can be so that's why I chose to give Advanced a week. They sure turn out some amazing finished work too. Flux
     
  18. 1941coupe
    Joined: Jul 4, 2010
    Posts: 424

    1941coupe
    Member

    I got an estimate from pauls chrome in pa for lower grills on my 46 mercury,lightly pitted one crack $800-900 for pair IM002524.JPG IM002525.JPG
     
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  19. I just shipped my grille shell and headlight bars to Paul's Chrome. I'll let you know how they come out.
     
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  20. What a small world...I just bought these from you on ebay! I was looking at a business card from Superior Chrome and thinkin of getting a quote (even though Im a long ways off from needing them finished.) Thought I would do a quick Hamb search for the good/bad. Flux, cant wait to see your finished products.
     
  21. flux capacitor
    Joined: Sep 18, 2014
    Posts: 696

    flux capacitor
    Member

    Thanks , but I've not sold on eBay for well over a couple of years. But I'll be sure to follow up with all the details of the finished product. Flux.
     
  22. Pauls Crome in Pa did a pair of 58 vette trunk spears for me,one was broken into two pieces,,couldn't tell from brand new... I don't remember the cost
     
  23. Sry ab that flux I thought I had quoted 1941coupe post ab the Mercury grilles, guess I failed to hit "quote!" lol
     
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  24. flux capacitor
    Joined: Sep 18, 2014
    Posts: 696

    flux capacitor
    Member

    It's been 11 weeks since I sent the pot metal items off for restoration. Today, Friday May 13th !, Fed Ex delivered the finished product. I am very pleased with the final finish & quality. So far everything Superior has done for us has turned out great & accurately matches what quality I was to expect in the finished product, soo........ without further adue here are the results accompanied with a before & after pics, individual piece cost & the total invoice.
    Horn Cap $85.00 image.jpeg

    Minor pitting is now gone but some of the super fine lines above the bow tie have become faint due to plating finishes filling up the "trough's" nonetheless it looks great. Although I'm critiquing each piece & I did chose Show quality & not museum.
    image.jpeg
    Dash Bezel $220
    image.jpeg
    Flawless now
    image.jpeg
    Here's a better angle , the reflective & depth of their work is stellar.
    image.jpeg
    Speaker Grille $220 image.jpeg
    Very nice now..... It had s deep scratch that's gone now & the outer finish from gm was s little rough when new, so I can say I'm pleased with the present status. image.jpeg
    image.jpeg
    Hood Bezel $325 , was badly pitted
    image.jpeg
    This was the best I could have ever hoped for , now it's only imperfections are micro pits in the letters & unless zooming in not noticeable. image.jpeg
    Trunk Bezel $325
    image.jpeg A pitifully pitted piece...... & now ......
    image.jpeg Much better & I was told up front the recessed areas would be very, very costly to fix & there is faint evident of tiny pitting but these area's were originally painted & I can fill them up with paint neatly "masking" the tiny flaws. The outer perimeter is fantastic.
    Hood Rocket $275, was "nos" GM with scuffs 1 scratch & tiny pitting
    image.jpeg
    Now it's absolutely flawless , proving a simple fact. The nicer said item in question to be plated is the nicer the finished outcome will potentially be.
    image.jpeg
    image.jpeg
    Here's the bill as I said I'd post.........
    image.jpeg
    Well there we have it. I'm well pleased & knew up front what kind of cost it'd incurr. As I said before it's a 5 generation family heirloom & I'm a car guy so it's nice to have it done up to expectations. A + for the guys and gals at Superior Chrome Plating, Inc. in Texas. I'd like to thank all the Hamb's who chimed in on this thread & hope it sheds input on what costs to expect when paying to have pot metal restored. Flux
     
    Last edited: May 13, 2016
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  25. alchemy
    Joined: Sep 27, 2002
    Posts: 20,407

    alchemy
    Member

    Thanks for giving us the real results. Great info to have, and helps us all make educated decisions.
     
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  26. Black Panther
    Joined: Jan 6, 2010
    Posts: 2,133

    Black Panther
    Member
    from SoCal

    Great thread and thanks for your effort to post this...ill keep this thread filed away for future pot metal chroming needs...
     
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  27. Proves that using the best parts possible is a good choice....

    And more thanks for the follow-up....
     
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  28. DSC02296.JPG DSC02298.JPG DSC02308.JPG DSC02324.JPG I used Paul's Chrome and was very happy with the results. They did my head light bars along with my grille shell and they came out great. Here's a some pics.
     
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  29. PotmetalB
    Joined: Aug 13, 2017
    Posts: 33

    PotmetalB
    Member

    Chrome shops do great with pit repair on #potmetal, however many won't touch pieces such as this if they're broken. #Potmetalrepair is a decades old problem, but in the right hands, can easily be restored to it's undamaged state. Potmetal can be modified: cut/re-welded, Added to, etc. I do it all the time. It's an art that very few us have mastered do it well. But for the average welder, it's more of an impossibility due it's obvious nature. But it can be done...
     
  30. PotmetalB
    Joined: Aug 13, 2017
    Posts: 33

    PotmetalB
    Member

    If you've got broken potmetal, do a search on facebook for #potmetalrepair. There's only one who's actually restoring busted potmetal. Fixes parts that no one wants to touch. I would post pics, but I'm too new here. Anyhow...
     

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