Picked up parts from the plater today, Didn't get what I expected Options

[Doug Leggins]

This is my first parts re-plating experience. Unfortunately, I'm very unsatisfied with the finished product. But, maybe my expectations are a little high. I am quite meticulous, bordering on striving for perfection all too often. But, hey that's me (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif) . All too frequently I get reminded that many other people do not take the care and strive for the level of detail that I do.

I'll share a few photos and details of the parts I got back.

-Let me know what you think about the finish.

The first pic is how the parts were presented to me. Bulk packed in dirty boxes. I picked up a few parts and very quickly stated that the parts did not have the appearance that I expected. The owner tried to convince me that they looked like yellow cad/zinc dichromate parts should look. I don't buy the fact that they should look like this. Would appreciate any opinions from those of you that have plating experience.

The parts are dull in many areas. Is this due to sandblasting? And after I got home and looked them over better in good lighting, I can see that they are nicked and scratched all over due to the poor handling. Are nicks and scratches typical? inevitable for this type of plating? Or just due to poor care and handling?

[Eric_Shea]

Looks bad... looks like they missed the "bright" coat altogether. If you look at the yellow zinc on your pedal assembly you'll see some of the bright coat on there. The nut on the clutch pedal. Granted, pedal assemblies don't generally come out pristine and shinny because often the pans are pitted and the pedals themselves are cast but you should be able to see the rainbow effect of the bright coat on the yellow stuff.

Many of those pieces should not have been media blasted. An acid wash does much better and leaves the metal smoother for final plating. This makes it shinny as well. If they blasted it or blasted it too much it will have a dull finish. It's fine when you're plating cast items like calipers or pedals from pedal assemblies but for front latches (EG) it makes the surface dull.

The sad thing is, I don't know if they can make it look better. If they've media blasted all this stuff then it may be too late.

I have a friend in Michigan that may be able to help you. PM sent