About Us
Chrome Restoration – it’s more than a quick dip
Restoration is an art; a craft that is learned through years of experience and patience. There is no comparison in the quality and value of a beautifully restored item of yesteryear to the mass produced items of today.
There are many processes involved in bringing new life to an old part; the first of which is the stripping of previous coatings. The procedure begins by immersing the item in an appropriate stripping solution. The item is then sandblasted to remove any residual coating that the stripper did not remove.
Once the item is clean, it is ready to have its imperfections removed. This step requires the finished surfaces to be ground and polished to remove all scratches and blemishes. This is a critical step to ensure a perfect finish. The polishing process will also reveal any repair work that may need to be done. Our master craftsman weld, straighten and solder broken and rusted parts so that they look like new. When the repairs are complete and the grinding and polishing are done it is ready for the next step.
Each piece is prepared for copper plating by placing it in an acid dip. The article is inspected again for any blemishes and if none are found, the item is buffed to a mirror finish that is perfectly smooth. The copper plating and buffing steps are repeated until the item is free of any imperfections. It is then cleaned to remove buffing compounds and acid dipped to activate the copper surface prior to the final copper plating.
Depending on the base metal of the item, it will then be plated in two or three different types of nickel. Many rinsing steps are required between plating to ensure that the article is free of plating solution. When this process is complete, it is ready to be chrome plated.
The finished piece undergoes a final inspection and is waxed by hand.
The staff at the Plating House look forward to giving you our best.