Chroming rear light bezels

[Larry & Norma]

Just talked to a chrome plate guy who reckons he can re-plate my
rear light bezels with the lens in place! Anyone had this done?

[Dave H]

What kind of turnaround time does your chrome guy quote...i live up in yorkshire and need some parts doing but even Sheffield firms are telling me
12 weeks minimum - could be longer !

[Larry & Norma]

Alderney Plating Ltd
Poole
Dorset
01202744664

Have not used them yet so can't comment on quality.
He was talking 1 week on Yellow passivate.

[Garry]

Larry

I am interested in seeing how you go with that as I have asked around Melbourne Australia with my plating guys and they will not tough it with the lens in place.

Garry

[Dave H]

my local chrome plater said 12 weeks,.i said"what if i start bugging you after 4 ?" he said "you go straight to the back of the list !"
charming...anyway yellow zink passivate is what im on with now...they quote me £30 a bucketfull !as long as i prepped the paint and rust off so armed with a blast cabinet  from machine mart i set too glass bead blasting every single bolt,washer and pipe on the car....i must say its the worst job ive ever done in my life(apart from block paveing) and without exadgeration its taken me 5 solid weekends..horrid work.
Thanks for the tip off about Alderney plating, i will give them a ring.

[Wolfmann]

I think the only way this could be done is by the brush method. They have a charge going through the deposit pad. The quality is unlikely to be as good as immersion plating. The traditional method would destroy the plastic lenses. Since a good finish in chrome depends on the polishing of the substrate and the layer beneath the final chrome I cannot see how a good finished could be achieved with the "in situ" method.

I believe you can "break out" the original lenses and then obtain replacements (have seen them on Ebay) and seal them into the replated bezels with silicone or something similar.

I am no expert but the above represents what I do know and what I have been told by the boys at Douglas Metal Finishing in London (speak to Sean). They turn around my parts in 2 weeks and produce great work !

Steve.

[Dave H]

Nice one...will try them as well.

[Larry & Norma]

I have not decided yet about the chroming but will be getting the yellow passivate done
after the Euro 2012 event. The quote for passivating was alot higher than yours Dave
but they do the prep work.
I bought a plating kit and did some of the smaller parts myself but as soon as you get to
injector pipes etc  you need large buckets and lots of chemicals.

[Dave H]

I'm glad I did all the prep myself as I ended up with every single item on the car that was ever zink coated be it spring , bolt
Or circlip in 3 separate buckets awaiting either a  shiney  zink or a  gold passivate finish.I probably went over the top due to
The £30 a bucketful quote.
Would I do it again ?.... Not in a million years..I'd rather eat my own eyes !
The prep work alone is so horrid and time consuming that I would in hindsight gladly pay £1000. A bucketful .