Any experiences of DIY zinc and/or nickel plating at home?  Plenty of videos on YouTube.

Success or failure?  Tips and hints appreciated.

Early Sammy Miller High Boy frames.  Chrome or nickel?

Can you nickel plate over chrome?  

Can you nickel plate over old, sound nickel plating?

I had a metal finishing shop in the UK for 15 years - Precision Surface Preparation.

Metal polishing, all disciplines, and wet and dry bead blasting.

The plating itself was farmed out, as was the chemical stripping of old plating, prior to us doing all the prep work. Plating is only as good as the prep work. Labour intensive - it's where most of the money goes.

In answer to your questions;

# zinc and nickel/chrome plating are very very different processes.

# i have no experience with home hobby kits.

# I highly doubt you will be able to plate or replate a m/c frame with such a kit.

# No, nickel goes on before chrome.

Triple chrome plate is polish, copper, polish, nickel, polish, chrome.

# Doubtfull, and if you did/could, it will look a mess, see above.

Regards,

  TG.

Are you seriously talking about DIY plating a frame? Or just small odds and ends, gear levers, brake arms etc?

I've done Zinc plating on nuts bolts and brackets at home, with good success. but its only tiny parts I do

Also you need to be aware of hydrogen embrittlement.

In the US, Caswell plating has home kits.

Electroless nickel is pretty easy and looks good.

He's also very helpful.

You won't want to do a frame, but if you farm it out you can save a lot of money polishing and buffing yourself.

 

5 hours ago, faussy said:

Are you seriously talking about DIY plating a frame? Or just small odds and ends, gear levers, brake arms etc?

Odds and ends, plus a bit of the frame loop.

 

I have a rectifier at work and a container of electro cleaner at the ready so I decided to have a go at some cadmium plating using a kit from Casswell. . Mostly fasteners and small pieces. It’s critical to have the pieces extremely clean and finished, I.e. polished sandblasted etc. the way you want. It worked pretty well but not as good as professional.

When I was done with my projects there was the issue of disposing of some nasty toxic chemicals. All in all I’d say, unless you’re jonesing for  a new diy project, send it to a professional.

 

I would avoid cadmium!

 

I've got a mate in the classic scramble scene who runs a Cheney with chrome/nickel frame. He sustained some localised damage to his frame coating & was able to carry out a neat repair using one of the small home kits available on the web. Results looked quite good.  However, If you are planning on doing a full frame, etc, go to the pro's.  

On 10/24/2019 at 12:22 AM, stpauls said:

Odds and ends, plus a bit of the frame loop.

 

It's either all or nothing with PROPER plating.

So your "bit of a frame loop" would have to be detachable.

Here's a pic of my '79 830cc T140 with the frame and s/arm bright nickel plated.

Pics is from a couple of years ago, polishing and plating was done in 1994.

When I built my Matchless many years ago I bought a kit of consumables and did my own nickel plating using a battery charger with complete success. It was all done in a plastic bucket and if the item was too large to do in one go I plated one side then turned it up the other way to do the other half. Consumables consisted of granules to be mixed with warm water and a strip of nickel, it worked great.

I have now done some diy  nickel plating at home.  All you need for diy nickel plating is a power source, such as an old phone charger, a strip of pure nickel (e,bay) some white vinegar and some hydrochloric acid (One Shot drain cleaner).  I have got good results so far with nuts, bolts and a fabricated brake pedal.  Lots more to do.

It's easy.  Lots of videos on YouTube.  

 

Edited November 2, 20196 yr by stpauls

On 11/2/2019 at 12:14 PM, stpauls said:

I have now done some diy  nickel plating at home.  All you need for diy nickel plating is a power source, such as an old phone charger, a strip of pure nickel (e,bay) some white vinegar and some hydrochloric acid (One Shot drain cleaner).  I have got good results so far with nuts, bolts and a fabricated brake pedal.  Lots more to do.

It's easy.  Lots of videos on YouTube.  

 

Pic of your fabricated brake pedal please post plating.