Ok I've talked my father in law in starting up a chrome business since his business is slow now so if anyone is interested then let me know. Should take about 3-4 weeks to get everything in and set up. He is planning on investing a big enough system to handle bumpers since everyone here in Virginia sends them off to Tennessee to get done. This is just to see how many people are interested and our prices are going to be reasonably low to get as many customers as possible. Also getting a sandblasting cabinet that can handle parts up to 48". Maybe a little later going to a bigger blaster. If anyone is interested then let me know and we will try to get this up and running as fast as we can!

 

i definately want to get my upper intake sanded and chromed out.....what would the finish look like?

 

http://www.caswellplating.com/restga...es/image44.jpg
I'm getting the setup from this company and after some tweaks and playing I should get this good....it isn't hard as long as ya have the right stuff. its all electroplating.

 

oh cool so even though the upper plenum is cast and has the cast irregularities it would end up smooth like that? Nice!!

 

Is it true that chromed aluminum is less durable because the aluminum is softer than the chrome, and the chrome chips off? I am planning on getting the nissan xterra tube steps, and getting them chromed, but they are aluminum.

 

can you chrome my fenders

 

Don't know the answer but I will find out...still researching alot of things on plating. I am a powder coater but this is not half as hard as that.

 

Why not...you will be the bling bling redneck! gotta start somewhere...

 

They say they must be dipped in a zincate first before chroming. Like I said...all of these problems will be solved before we go into full operation. We will get all of the necessary chemicals for all of these methods that way we can't turn anyone away.
http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/zincate.htm

 

just wondering, are you in VA, or FL? If you are in VA, where?

 

SCREW carbon fiber, I want my hood CHROMED!!

 

i was kidding...im actually trying to get rid of the chrome look, but with my 3 big aux lights and headlights on hte front, i will never be rid of it, and my clear corners have a chrome surrond as well

 

good luck on getting set up in 3-4 weeks... Chrome plating is a extreamly sensitive process.. I used to work for one of the biggest platers in canada.. I helped this company install and get into production 2 diffrent plating lines.. Aluminum and stainless along with everything else we used to plate.. getting new lines running sometimes took severall months after the line was set up and ready to get all the cemicals just right and work out all the little bugs. Out of all the metals we plated aluminum was the hardest.. Sometimes we used to dispose of 1500 or more galons of cemicals and try a diffrent supplyer as some cemicals would not work well with difrent products... The best of luck with your new adventure and a piece of advice that sometimes saved me lots of headachs on million $$ production runs. If you are having trouble and nothing seems to work try something totaly off the wall even if it dosent make sence to you at the time. Out of all the diffrent lines of work i have done i liked working in a plating shop the best and always will... no mater howmany times i seen the process i always found it amazing... Good Luck

 

In VA...a little town called pulaski near Wytheville

 

Yeh I figure we will be doing most chroming for restoration body shops and such for now. Congrats on the new baby....and I thought my boy that was born on dec 30th was big at 8.9!

 

Hey maybe you can give me a few pointers if ya don't mind? My father in law is financing up to $30,000...is that enough to get started for a line to do big things like bumpers?

 

Oh no! Chrome will not hide or smooth ANY irregularities. If you want a smooth chrome finish you gotta chrome a smooth part. They generally polish a steel part to a beautiful smoothness prior to chroming. It's the prep work, just like with paint, that takes all the time if you want show-quality finish.

 

Chromed alumunum is less durable for many reasons, the most common is improper plating. Assuming top quality plating, chromed aluminum is still less durable because aluminum and the plating have different thermal expansion rates and it eventually loses its bond. Another reason is the aluminum will eventually oxidize underneath the chrome, and the chrome loses its bond.

Chromed brass parts last forever. (The original factory chromed brass parts on my 1940 Ford is still 100% perfect!)
Chromed steel rusts eventually.
Chromed aluminum delams eventually.

 

pulaski! home of the pulaski blue jays! heard from the guys who played there that there isn't much going on in that town.

 

Someone should build the nissan side steps in a steel version, better to chrome. Or just make a 4runner nissan side step version in steel, I bet a lot of people would be interested if someone sold something like that.