Any chrome shop guys on here ? What’s the best recommendations to use as a filler to fill deep pits I’m not a scared of doing the sanding and metal file work to save a buck
Take it to your plater & have them clean it . Then take it home & file & sand it some. Take it back to the plater & have them just copper it ( no polishing) Take it home & sand it some more. Take it to the plater again & have them copper it again, ( still no polishing ) Take it home & sand it some more. Repeat with finer sand paper, until you are happy then have it polished & chromed. Think of the copper as the primer under a paint job.
I would have it cleaned, copper struck, and then fill with solder. However if it too thin just have it copper struck and sand, over and over until you are satisfied. Then nickel and lastly chrome!
As a plater of 35+ years , I would advise you to sand bog sand and paint until it looks perfect ,then get it cast again at the foundry .After polishing and plating you WILL have a perfect job .
It’s stamped bare metal that I had soaking in vinegar type solution store bought , it is not cast,pot metal
This may be the perfect use of the new spray on "chrome" finishes. You can use filler and primer to get it smooth, then paint it with the "chrome". Some of that stuff looks pretty darn good. It won't resist scratches like chrome but since this is an interior piece, it should hold up fine.
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I take this to mean that you need to do the reversal of plating, to take the old chrome off, then acid ? dip to clean off all remaining rust. I don’t see any other way of cleaning what you have.
Ive seen so much stuff ruined with vinegar ,when will people learn? Should have been soaked for a month in molassis and water 50/50 .then the sand ,copper ,solder ,sand ,heavy copper repeat a cuppla times then nickel and chrome .Thats it .
Listen to Fullhouse. Let the chromer clean it then copper it. You can solder the pits, or better to let him do it. Then lotsa copper and sanding, which you can try. Or better yet let the chromer give you some tips on the best way to save money, if possible. Shortcuts on your end will probably void any warranty in the chrome job, and might give you a crappy product.
What is wrong with the Vinegar as opposed to Molasses...Too aggressive? Changes Metallic strength/temper? I know it can disappear if forgotten perhaps with either as both are acids.
Josh, there are only a couple of chrome shops in Ontario that I know of, that do a nice job on car parts. Most of the chrome shops here won't even look at car parts. There is a chrome shop in Mississauga where I got all my dragster front end parts done, and they did a really nice job. There is also Cambridge Custom Chrome and they would do a nice job on that panel as well.
vinegar is acidic and molasis is not .you can leave ferrous in molassis and it wont destroy the base metal ,great stuff on 60 plus year old engine block water galleries
This is the stuff I used , I assumed it is viniger base no real ingredients on it. Other then says it’s safe ect
If you want that piece to be perfect, it is going to take a LOT of copper, potentially solder and a ton of hand work to sand it back each time. Given the shape of it and the various detailed areas (like the double rolled bead at the top edge), it will take a ton of work to both fill and keep the definition details that the original had. My guess is that you'll spend a HUGE amount of time on this (and money) if you want it to come out with no pits and look like the original. Talk to some experienced chrome shops and ask about all the gory details!
I have more time then money, that’s why I would like to accomplish the most of it my self. Not looking for award winning finish, I have laser cut inserts to hid some of it. Just more focused on the outer lips I have sold off all my other better panels, to fund other parts. And left me with worst one Lots of talented people on here ,That’s why I’m doing my due diligents first
If you are going to put the inserts in the flat surfaces and just worry about the edges that takes a lot of work out of it for you and the plater. Still I'd take it to the plating shop to have the old plating removed first. plus gather their advice. The biggest gripe the plater I used to go to in Texas had was people that did stuff on a piece attempting to save money that he ended up having to rework to get right.
The Jalopy Journal
