Hi
I have some 10" solid steel chrome plated rings. that have a few spots on the set of two and the two single rings that have dark spots that kids think are holes. Upon examination it is where the chrome has come off and then the steel tarnishing.

Is there any home version home plating or a way to touch up? Best I can do is polishing the spot and then it returns.

Thanks

Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D63yOLJdcN8

If you Google how to chrome plate, you'll find a lot of information.

It's called electroplating, and the kits are expensive for a home diy, and you just can't plate a small area,
you need to dip the whole ring in the ep bath.

http://www.dalmar.net/

Look up plating and electroplating in your yellow pages, you should be able to find someone in your area who plates
gun, doorknobs etc.
Honestly it will be cheaper to buy a new set than plate one ring at the same price of several new sets.

OK Thanks
However I am sure there are some things that could be used to touch up that would be close enough not to draw the eye to the tarnishing spot.
For now I have polished and that gets it to steel color which does not get as noticed and probably will seal with a clear coat.

Probably cheaper to just buy a new set.

I understand where Power is coming from. But..,, Power,

Metal is metal and the closest fix is Duct Tape if you're a redneck or broke. Nickel covered with Chrome (which is considered Chroming by the general pubic) isn't something you can buy at HD. Even if you made a home unit with a car battery and 5gallon buckets, you would spend enough to buy 10 sets of rings.

Even if you were to send out one ring to plate, unless it's done in the same plant, in the same chemical baths then the color or tone might be off. Some platers use brighteners or X brand of acid, some don't, some never change their acid for years, some do a quick dip / you have to do all the rings to get the same finish.

Just break down and spend the What? 35 dollars for an 8 inch set. Ether that or you can do what I've done my entire life and look at an 80 dollar item... Say " I could make that" then spend 60.000.00 on a CNC machine and software because I was too cheap to pay 80 in the first place.

You have your choice pilgrim, work hard or work smart.

This might look like fun http://www.thehouseofenchantment.com/pag......nty.html
But you have to marry your shop then you're a slave to the craft and the landlord.

So - Ate you in or are you out? Today it's a home plating system, next year it's a 30.000.00 used South Bend Lathe so you can make 25 dollar magic wands.

As I said cheaper to buy a new set lol. Would be way more cost and hassle to fix one.

I could have just agreed but you never know, he might jump in the deep end

I seen some great machines on Youtube that does chrome plating very well but the initial cost of the machine is not cheap. Not something you would want to buy just to fix old rings that are $35-$99 or so. Only good for people who chrome a lot in their garage. I have went through several sets over 34 years but most seem to last quite a few years as I do not do them every show or use them all the time. But if you do one it will be a lot shiny and newer looking than the rest, which means you would have to do the rest and in this case the cost does not justify it as they are not that expensive to buy new.

Hmmm I think some snarky folks are going overboard with the question
I am not ready for a new set and wanted to see if there was any paints or rubs or something that would minimize it. I found that polishing and sealing is FAR CHEAPER THAN BUYING A NEW SET. SO THERE- HUMMP!

BTW there used to be kits on JC Whitney that were not $30Gs. And there are ways with other metals and no batteries to do a chemical plating. So really I guess it is the experience of thinking outside the box rather than say things are impossible or cost thousands.

Like I said, polishing the steel and sealing it is the cheapest way and works as long as the clear coat does not get compromised. All one sees then is variance in color as the steel and the chrome are different shades.

Thanks for the input and crazy comments none the less.

I didn't see any snarky folks going overboard. Just some good honest common sense. If the polishing and sealing worked, great. Whatever solves your problem is probably the best way. I've seen a lot of people on here offering tips on how to kill a mosquito using a steamroller, when all they really needed was a .99 fly swatter. Then again maybe I just immune to snarky!!!

John

Just saw a shop tip on American restoration to polish rusted chrome. I have had an 8" set of chrome on steel rings, 40 years old and after several years use have been setting in a box. Very dull looking with some pitting. The show said to dip aluminum foil in water and polish with the foil. don't know how it will last but it worked great. The rings look like new.

Now that is a USEFUL tip. Thanks for sharing it.

Mark

Yes, I may have to try that myself! Thanks Gimpy!

Check out the caswell brush & plate kits, $36.99
I have used the copper kit, but they also have chrome,


http://www.caswellplating.com/plug-n-pla......kit.html



The copy chrome solution is good for,
This kit is ideal for repairing small damaged areas of chrome, perhaps a small scratch in a bumper, which left untended, would rust causing further damage. Buffing to remove any existing rust, then brush plating with Copy Chrome® can prevent further rusting and almost eliminate the visibility of the scratch.

Thanks Gimpy and Billy. That is more like it. I will check into both.

I'm still curious about the wet foil technique. I wonder if it actually polishes the metal, or if it imparts some of the aluminum from the foil onto the surface of the workpiece. Gimpy, it kind of reminds me of your peanut trick.

Well the foil starts to make a kind of thin silver paste. It fills in the small voids up to about up to a pin head.The foil paste is also a mild abrassive that polishes the chrome.

For those who don't know of the peanut trick, this is a way to remove scratches from stained or natural finished wood. You just rub a planters cocktail peanut in the scratch and polish it with a fine cloth.