recently I wanted some chrome work done and the last few items I had done for the shoebox (console,lower control arms,sway bar)were done at my local guy. This guy does ok work but everthing this guy touches is 300 bucks or more. No shit he wanted 300 to re-chrome the deck lid hinges on the shoebox (about the size of a small banana).-wtf? So I wanted to get work done on my motorcycle rear subframe and decided to email every out of town shop I could get an address for. I got back around 25 quotes ranging from 375 to 600, most averaged around 450. This was for stripping original powdercoat/polishing/plating. Then i was referred to Kerr West in Phoenix Az 623.937.8676 (ask for mike) Only $70.00 5 times cheaper than the next! Well worth the 20 each way to ship. I waited to post to get a look at the quality, and its on. The usual 3 week turn around but money is money. Couple pics of the work. He did the subframe and the exhaust tips on the bike.
Just remember the old saying , you get what you paid for ! Just because your parts look good doesn't mean it will hold up . There are many different things that go into a rechrome process , that is why the prices are so different . There are different grades of a chrome job . I do hope your's is good and done well . Time will tell . If you are happy with it that is all that matters !
couldnt agree more with what he said...show us this after 30thousand miles and in all types of weather..than lets see how it held up
Do you ALWAYS get what you pay for? I don't think so. Most of the labor cost are in the polishing and it's tits. I believe I got the same quality that I would have received from least half of those 450 dollar quotes. I was told it was double plated. but you are right, time will tell...
The best quality chrome jobs are TRIPLE plated, not double. Triple=first copper, then nickel, then chromium.
so i not saying you should send your priceless Buggati parts to phoenix but if your like me and feeling broke but still want some bling, this guy is fair priced. when i say double i mean two trips to the last tank including the first two tanks, or through all three tanks twice? i am not an expert but mike insured me it was what works. this post was intended for someone with chrome in their future, if you are interested, call and ask wtf? maybe you can save some green
Interesting thread on PHX area chromers here Thanks sick50ford chrome is so expensive I'd give just about anybody affordable a try
Double plated just means nickel and chrome, no copper. It's not run through any tank twice. That's a good price if the work is quality, although pitted pot metal takes more time to prep than clean tubing like that. That's probably why your hinges were getting bid so high. If your motorcycle parts hold up over time then I'd say you got a bargain.
that is an interesting read. Thinking back maybe he told me he should have charged me double, not double dipped but I do recall talking about the three processes with him, besides I'm think it's a necessity to do all three or it won't take?.. just for laughs i'll email him tomorrow on the hinges, see what he thinks
if it looks good, lasts a few years then its definately worth it...theres alot of shit i want chromed that I can't afford, and im sure that chrome would be just FINE for interior parts such as garnish moldings, steering columns and what not...my grandfather used to be a chromer, triple plate is the best, but sometimes you can't afford the best...i wouldn't knock this guy because he paid 70 bucks to get that big piece chromed...if it lasts a few years good, if it doesn't then he knows not to go there if he wants a piece to last..
You can do steel with just nickel and chrome, a lot of old 50's kitchen sets and stuff like that was done that way. To do something like your trunk hinges, they would have to be coppered, platers will build up a layer of copper and then sand it and buff it to smooth out imperfections. On steel tubing like your motorcycle has, that isn't absolutely necessary. Your tubing probably didn't need much prep work since it's basically new under the original paint or coating.
Ions ago here on this fine message board, it was mentioned that plating in Canada is BETTER and more cost efficient than down here in the lower 48. Any truth to this?
When I had the headers chromed on my O/T musclecar, I spacifically asked for double plating... NO COPPER! Because it's the copper that "blues" the chrome on high heat items. It's also my understanding that the copper is responsible for 2/3's of the chrome failures out there... It's sort of the "weak link". The nickel and chromium are very resistant to oxidation, but if you get a scratch or nick in the finish that exposes the copper to the elements, it eats away very quickly causing the chrome to bubble and peel. On some metals, copper is absolutely required because the nickel wont bond without it. It's also required for show quality chrome because the copper is what flows and fills the imperfections, and then it's the copper that's polished to make the part mirror smooth. Just one of those details to keep in mind...
there's some pretty bad ass chromers in TJ and the chrome last quit a while, I had an axle chrome 3 yrs ago and it still looks really good. and its cheap, just kinda sketchy going down there and hoping you'll get your parts back. but if you know someone that knows spanish you've got the in on it.
I had a bunch (20?) of small billet parts and brackets chromed for my 37 at that famous place in Nashville. EXCELLENT job and around $500. Very happy. Then I sent 2 small parts to them and they charged me $200!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For the next batch of small parts I went to a bike shop. Nice job, $50 bucks. Figure that one out, please. Gary
I did custom polishing work for a plating shop in St Louis a few years ago. I didn't set the price on the jobs they took in, but I was paid 50% of the price. Some parts are not too difficult to polish and plate, while others are a time consuming pain. And pot metal?? I quit working with it years ago. Sometimes I think they used a dart board to set prices though...
Interesting article. There are a few small things I need to chrome. One thing I'm thinking of doing is replacing some parts - especially the home-made stuff - with polished stainless. In particular the front radius rods. Shiny stuff as an accent works well for me. Powder coat or paint on some of the other stuff. My 32 has polished stainless Deuce Factory front 4-bars and home-made good quality chrome rear 4-bars. No one's ever noticed the difference.
Mike @ Kerr has been doin my stuff for years and never a problem with cost, quality and turn around time. Give him a shot.
we built a 51 merc for a guy who sent his bumpers, grill and dash to pauls, it was real pricey, came back looking nice, but they coppered the bumper so heavy it wouldnt bolt back together properly. the copper was about 1/8"-3/16" thick on the edges, they were buick bumpers we cut and modified, but damn, thats still alot of copper. lebrandys is the place we have found to be the highest quality but also the highest cost. myself, i bring my parts to Pete at Pre-Chrome Co. in canada. good quality and fair prices. years ago it was a real bargain because of the exchange rate was like an automatic discount, too bad its not that way so much anymore.
Looks killer, man. Even if it only holds up for three or four years, you could have it redone a few times and still have a bargain over the other prices you were quoted. Years ago, when I worked for Pete and Jakes in Missouri, they used to send a lot of stuff to a shop called Cycle Chrome. Great work and reasonable prices. If they're still around and you're in the middle of the country somewhere, you might want to give them a call. It's an ugly little dump of a shop with a foot of polishing compound built up on the floor and a bunch of guys with three teeth working there, but damn! They could bust out some nice show chrome.
I too used Paul's in Pennsylvania and they screwed up my job. Two small gauge bezels cost around $100, and they didn't even remove the rust and old plating on the backsides. Just plated over the top of it. The front sides are now peeling, about five years after the job.
I did a lot of reading and research many moons ago thinking I might get into chrome plating so here's my two cents. At the time, I worked for a chemical company in a laboratory and the production folks had a side operation that was a silver nitrate electroplating process that reclaimed silver that was used as a catalyst in the making of one of our basic raw materials. It took used silver and made it 99.99% pure again. In decorative chrome plating: Copper's function is to ensure good adhesion to the base metal and also as a leveler for surface pits tec. Nickel is used as a corrosion inhibitor and is the reason good plating lasts a long time. Skimp on the nickel and corrosion will ensue. Chrome is a surface treatment usually about .001 in thick and is purely decorative.
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